Honors General Biology 102H 
Winter Quarter 2001-2002 

Syllabus

Reproduction and its Consequences (with emphasis on humans) 

Class time: MWF 10:00-10:50 (Section 1), 12:00-12:50 (Section 2) 


Instructor: Dr. Carl Huether, Professor of Biology
Office: 1603 Crosley Tower
Office Hours:  Wednesday 1:00-2:00,(others by app’t)
Phone: 556-9764 
Email: Carl.Huether@uc.edu 


Text: Life, 6th Ed by William Purves, et. al. 


We will be using Blackboard as a course management system this qtr. The advantages of this for you are that most if not all course materials will be more accessible, it will encourage you to use better learn how to utilize the computer, and there is good opportunity for you to communicate with fellow students and the instructor. 

Course web site through Blackboard: http://blackboard.uc.edu/ 


Attendance: Attendance is expected for all classes, and that you will be on time. As Honors students, I think you know the importance of coming to class. Since the class time is the one opportunity for me to directly help you in learning the material, I consider it an essential part of the course. Besides, if you don’t come, I will miss you! 


Goals for Honors General Biology 102H 

General Goals 
1. Be able to apply scientific methodology to the study of issues in biology, particularly as they relate to humans. 
2. Reason in ways that scientists would recognize as logical and critical so that you can evaluate biologic information, establish a personal position, and resolve authentic problems. 
3. Read and understand newspaper and television reports on current biological research and development and recognize the social/ethical issues associated with these advances in biology. 
4. Willingly contribute your ideas and understanding of biology to current issues. 
5. Justify personal decisions based upon information and ethics which are consistent with what is known from biologic principles. 



Winter Quarter Goals: 

6. Understand the major topics of human reproduction and its many consequences 
7. Understand the historical development of our knowledge of genes as units of inheritance 
8. Understand and appreciate the basic principles of genetics, and how they apply to our daily lives 
9. Understand the meaning of the phrase “The Central Dogma of Biology” 
10. Understand and appreciate biologic evolution, and genetics as its basis. 
11. Appreciate some of the mechanisms of organic evolution, and how they produce 

life’s enormous biologic diversity, particularly in higher organisms 


General Course Objectives: 

Our challenge is to make you sufficiently knowledgeable and enthusiastic about at least certain areas of biology that you will become life-long learners in the field. To do this, we need to help you build your “scientific literacy”, and specifically, your literacy in various facets of biology. Not even Nobel prize winners are literate in all phases of science, nor all aspects of just the science of biology. So we are going to focus on a relatively few areas of biologic significance, which also have considerable human and personal significance and relevance. 

We also wish to emphasize your “critical thinking” skills throughout the course. This means weighing evidence, constructing and evaluating arguments, making judgments, applying biologic concepts and principles to everyday life. We will do all of these as you actively engage in the course material both inside and outside of class, participate in the class discussions, read your class assignments, and complete your assignments outside of class. We will also utilize the concept of “Writing to Learn” by having each of you complete a required writing journal called a “Biodiary”. 

An additional emphasis throughout the course will be to make the course content exciting and directly relevant to each of you. This can be accomplished by appealing to your great natural interest in yourselves--your own interest in SEX (WHY are we all so interested in sex?), the importance of sexual reproduction (beyond its pleasure!), and what your children might inherit from you. We will add interest in the course by using videos and CDs in class. These will be available for you to use on your own outside of class as well, if you feel the need to utilize them again. 


General Course philosophy 

We are very excited about this course, and the topics it can offer you. We want you to share this excitement, and to appreciate the true vibrancy and importance of modern biology. You can only do this by becoming actively involved yourself—in class discussions, the reading, the Biodiaries, your outside class assignments, our office hours, and the extra credit activities. These are all part of helping you become an independent learner, which we also believe is a critical objective of this course. If you do these things, the exams and quizzes will take care of themselves, and a high grade is almost guaranteed. Even more importantly, you will have an exciting and meaningful academic experience, which means you will have changed and grown academically. This, after all, is the real purpose of being at the University!! 


Our course adage-- you get out only what you put in! 
While I can’t imagine any of you doing so, the last day you will be allowed to drop the course with a W is Friday, March 1, 2002. 



Course Content: 

The general context for the course will be organic evolution, and how the existing biologic diversity is a result of natural evolutionary processes. Sections will be: 

I. The Physical Basis of Heredity, basic Genetics, mitosis and meiosis 
II. Modern Human Genetics and it many personal and societal ramifications, and Genetic Diseases, including the genetics of cancer 
III. The molecular basis of inheritance, how genes are translated into proteins, and the central dogma of biology 
IV. Some mechanisms of evolution, how they produce existing biology diversity, and a brief introduction to taxonomy and systematics. 



Section I: Emphasis will be on how genetic variability is produced through the magnificent process of meiosis, how chromosomes are the physical basis of heredity, and how they allow us to understand Mendel’s fundamental laws of Genetics. 

Section II: This understanding will be transferred to genetic conditions in humans by presenting and discussing pedigrees, probabilities of offspring, ethical and moral issues, what the new technologies in recombinant DNA have meant on a personal and populational level for literally thousands of individuals, and what they will likely mean for many of you as you begin your own reproduction; 

Section III: We will see the molecular makeup of genes at the level of DNA, see how the genetic code is transcribed and then translated into proteins, and how these proteins interact with the environment to produce the phenotype. 

Section IV: We will lastly look briefly at genetic variation within populations, mechanisms of evolution, constraints on evolution, adaptation, and a brief overview of the plant kingdom, and how it may have evolved. 

The basic tenets of evolutionary change as outlined by Charles Darwin will be presented early, and referred to often as a way of understanding in its simplest terms how genetic variability and natural selection provided for the evolution of the organic world, and the marvelous organelles, tissues, organs, and complex processes carried out in all species, including humans. In the words of T. Dobzansky: “Nothing makes sense except in the light of evolution.” This theme will explain the selective value of sexual reproduction, genetic variation obtained through the meiotic process, the existence of chromosomes as our physical basis of heredity, why genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia occur in certain populations, and why we have so many single gene defects and chromosome abnormalities in our species. 

Grade determination: 

Three quizzes @7% each ……………………..…….…….. 21% 

Two Hour Exams @17% .............................….....…….. 34% 

Three Biodiary entries @3% each.................................. 09% 

Three Problem Sets @ 3% each ………......……………….09% 

Final exam (Comprehensive).......................................... 27% 

** for your final grade, the following breakdown will be used (with slight modifications possible): 

90% & over = A 

80-89% = B 

70-79% = C It’s possible that this breakdown will be modified to some degree, 

60-69% = D but don’t count on it! 

59% & below = F 



Exams 
The quizzes will be approx. 20 minutes each and will be over only material covered since the last test. The first hour exam will cover material over approx. the first 3-4 weeks of the course, the second exam over the next 3-4 week, and the final will be comprehensive over the entire quarter. The specific dates of all exams are listed on the course outline, which is part of this syllabus. No makeup tests will be given, so please plan to take all tests on these dates. Tests will be based upon the course goals and learning objectives described below. If you cannot avoid missing an exam, an excuse is possible only if you notify me before the exam of a problem. 



Problem Sets 

These are meant to significantly aid in your understanding of the material covered. The topics of meiosis, basic laws of genetics, pedigree analysis, and inheritance of genetic traits are often daunting, and the problem sets will help you a great deal in understanding them. Your grades on the tests will reflect whether you really understand how to do the problems, so it is critical to spend time outside of class completing them. Working with others is encouraged; however, you must do your own work that is handed in. Each problem set will be graded on a 3 point scale, with a 3 being earned by showing how you answered 90-100% of the questions correctly, a 2 by showing how you answered 75-90%, a 1 60-75%, and a 0 for less than 60% of the questions answered correctly. 


Biodiary description: 

You will be required to write a total of three “Biodiaries” on various assignments, observations, and reactions throughout the quarter. Specific requirements will be further explained in class. Educational literature indicates that having you write about material being covered in class is a very positive reinforcement of learning, and helps you to think through what you really believe and understand about a particular topic. Typically, biodiaries will be approximately two pages in length, and will require you to critically analyze topics being covered during the course. They will be graded according to the scale indicated below. I require that all biodiaries and projects turned in will be typed—double spaced. This will make minimum requirements clear, and will also allow easier grading. 


Your grade for each Biodiary will be on a scale of 0 to 10 points. Assignments not turned in on the announced due date—and time--will be penalized one point for each calendar day late, beginning immediately after the Assembly in which they are due. You will receive 10 points if: 

* you complete the assignment exactly as described 

* the content is accurate and clear 

* your writing is of sufficient length 

* you demonstrate completion of the reading and critical analysis required 

* your writing is well organized. 


Please recognize that the problem sets and biodiaries each account for 9% of your grade. This 18% can have a surprisingly large effect on your grade both positively and negatively (particularly if you receive a zero), so consider them seriously. All assignments must be handed in the day required in order to receive credit. 


Extra Credit Opportunity 

“Question of the Week” (worth a maximum of 4 points added to final grade) 

The goal is to encourage you to: (1) think further about the material we are covering in the course, (2) encourage your increased use of the electronic media, and (3) provide an additional way of improving your grade for those interested in doing so. A question will be posted each week through Blackboard; an explanation will be given on how to participate. In order to receive credit for the question each week, you must have submitted your answer by 4:00 PM on Friday of that week (the question will be available on Monday). If you attempt to answer the question, you will receive either one or two checks--one check if you miss it, and two checks if you have the correct answer. There will be a total of ten questions during the qtr., so you will have the potential for a maximum of 20 checks. Each check is worth 0.2 points, so that you will then receive four points added to your final grade (obtained from actual course requirements). If you answered all 10 questions incorrectly, you will still receive 10 checks; multiplied by 0.2 will give you two point added to your final grade. Various other combinations can result in your receiving anywhere from 0-4 points in increments of 0.2. Rest assured these can make a difference in your final grade! 



Summary of Course Opportunities: 

• Class: Required and indispensable-- an item indicated as a “Secret to Academic Success” (see below). As incentive, all questions on quizzes and exams will derive from what is covered in these class. Some material will be handed out during class to minimize note-taking, (something you seem to very much appreciate), and also PowerPoint presentations will be available on Blackboard. 
• Textbook: Required and critical for providing background information for all class material. 
• Problem sets: These will be enormously useful in helping to learn meiosis and the basic rules of single gene inheritance. An excellent chance to work collaboratively with fellow students. 
• Biodiaries: An opportunity to use writing to learn on a regular basis, a second item indicated as a “Secret to Academic Success”. 
• Extra Credit Activity (Elective): The extra credit project--Question of the Week--is worth a maximum of four points added to your final grade. 
• Hopefully, an opportunity to work in small groups: This will be explained more fully during class. Its purpose is to enhance your learning in this course. 

The Secret to Academic Success and Happiness 

What’s the difference between students who are successful academically and happy with their college careers and those who are not? This question was researched in two studies that I’ve uncovered, and I thought you’d be interested to know what was found. 

1. An article published in the Summer 1993 edition of the Journal of Economic Perspectives reported on a study done to look at the relationship between attendance in class and performance in that class (as measured by letter grade). The study found that there is a statistically significant and quantitatively large relationship between attendance in class and performance. In other words, students who attended class got better grades. This may seem like a no-brainer, but consider this: even when looking only at the students who completed all their problem sets it was found that the difference between those who attended regularly and those who attended sporadically was a full letter grade! 

2. At Harvard University 570 undergraduates were interviewed in depth about their academic experiences. Many of these were freshman who were interviewed during their first year and then again 3 years later as seniors. There are 2 main findings: 

***Students who get the most out of college, grow the most academically and who are happiest organize their time to include interpersonal activities with fellow students and/or faculty members BUILT AROUND SUBSTANTIVE ACADEMIC WORK. Simply stated, successful students said (nearly without exception) that they had at least one and sometimes several relationships with others built around academics. Study partners or small study groups were the most common. Some built relationships with faculty including teaching assistants. Students who were not academically successful tended to drift anonymously in and out of classes. 

***The course characteristic that was found to engage students in learning more than anything else is writing. Students said that short writing assignments were the kind of activity that helped them most. 



Honors General Biology Winter Quarter 2001-02

WEEKLY Class Schedule 

Honors General Biology 102H Winter Quarter 2001-2002 
Weekly Learning Objectives 

 
“God loves you the way you are, but he (she) 
loves you too much to leave you that way” 
Michael Eric Dyson 

“Education is not the filling of a pail, 
but the lighting of a fire” 
William Butler Yeats 

Honors General Biology 102H Winter Quarter 2001-02

Schedule of due dates for Assignments/Tests 


All Assignments to be turned in at beginning of class on date indicated 

Quizzes will only cover material since last test. Hour exams will cover all material since last hour exam. Final is comprehensive over entire quarter. 
When any assignments (and tests) are returned, make sure they have been correctly graded. You can also check your grades at ANY time through Blackboard.