Biology of Organisms Lecture

 

What is it?

The three major objectives of the Biology of Organisms core courses are to help you 1) appreciate the diversity of microbes, plants, and animals, 2) recognize adaptations as evolutionary solutions to environmental problems, and 3) understand the importance of investigation by providing hands-on opportunities to test hypotheses about the biology of organisms.

Although complementary, Biology of Organisms lecture is independent of the lab and recitation and you will receive a separate grade for lecture.

Tentative lecture topics

  • Course logistics and introductions
  • Origin and domains of life
  • Prokaryotes
  • Origin of eukaryotes
  • Protists
  • Introduction to plants
  • Form and function
  • Transport
  • Nutrition
  • Life cycles
  • Reproduction and control systems
  • How to be an animal
  • Body plans and nutrition
  • Circulation
  • Respiration
  • Homeostasis
  • Reproduction
  • Endocrinology
  • Nervous system
  • Sensory system
  • Locomotion

Instructor

 who?      Frank Jordan (Associate Professor and Slayer of Fishes)
 where?  MO 357 (office), MO 316 (lab), or just lurking about campus
 when?   Office hours: by appointment
 if not?   Phone: 865.3829 (office) or jordan@loyno.edu (email)

Meeting time and place

See current Schedule of Classes for meeting place and time.

Blackboard and email

All course materials and communications will be facilitated via Blackboard. You are responsible for all materials placed on Blackboard and you should check the Blackboard site regularly for new additions. You should also check your email regularly for last minute updates, modifications, jokes, etc. You will be added to the Biology of Organisms lecture site on Blackboard during the first week of classes.

Required textbooks

Latest edition of Biology by Campbell et al. Download and print notes from Blackboard before coming to lecture.

Tests, grading, and other nastiness

There will be four incredibly evil lecture exams that emphasize material addressed in lecture and readings outside of class. Each lecture exam will be comprised of about 100 multiple-choice, matching, and true-false questions. Each exam will focus on the material covered since the previous exam, although I reserve the right to include earlier material to ensure that you are synthesizing all of the ideas that we are covering in the course. No more than 20% of an exam will be on such earlier material. The first exam is worth 75 points and the remaining three exams are worth 100 points each.

You are required to attend and review two departmental research seminars. Your reviews should be about 300 words long and include the speaker's name, title of the presentation, summary of major findings and conclusions, and your critique of the research and presentation. Please emphasize how the presentation positively or negatively affected your views and understanding of scientific issues. Each review is worth 5 points and will be submitted via Blackboard.

There will be a quiz every Wednesday on Blackboard to insure that you're keeping up with lecture. These quizzes are worth 10 points each and I will drop your two lowest quiz grades.

As usual, your grade will be determined using a complex system involving live sacrifice, casting of chicken bones, reading of entrails, and divine piscine revelation from the Holy Shad. Actually, your exams, quizzes, and seminar review are worth a total of 515 points. Receiving 60% of these points earns you a D, 70% of these points earns you a C, 80% of these points earns you a B, and 90% of these points earns you an A!

There are no make-up exams and materials will not be accepted late.

Advice and stuff

You're grown up and paying for this course, so it's your responsibility to decide whether you need to attend. Although my notes are available for purchase and you have the textbook, you will quickly realize that I add supplementary material during lectures and that this material is definitely going to show up on tests! Therefore, please come to class.  I do not have review sessions, but I am available virtually 24/7 via email to address your questions. I often forward questions and answers to everyone in the course.

"A student with a disability that qualifies for accommodations should contact Disability Services at 865-2990 (Academic Resource Center, Room 405, Monroe Hall). A student wishing to receive test accommodations (e.g., extended test time) should provide the instructor with an official Accommodation Form from Disability Services in advance of the scheduled test date."

Of course, you should feel free to contact me whenever you need help with this course, life, the universe, or anything.  I would be happy to hear your abbreviated life stories and your projected life-history trajectories.  I don't have any money, so don't ask.

Finally, please feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism as the semester progresses. I strive to continually improve this course.