Class Resources:

Instructor: Dr. Joel L. Carlin (address as "Joel" or "Dr. Carlin," whatever you prefer)

Office: Nobel Hall of Science 336; Phone: 933-6305; E-mail: jcarlin@gustavus.edu

Accessibility: I prefer to consult with you during posted office hours. Outside of these posted hours, an open office door means that you are welcome to ask questions, otherwise please e-mail me for an appointment. I am very willing to make appointments for odd hours, although this is not in effect after 5pm the night before an exam!


Online Resources: this course will rely on the Moodle course management system for distributing and posting course materials. You should check this site several times a week to keep pace with new handouts and supplemental readings.


Textbooks:

Freeman, S. 2011. Biological Science 4th ed.

McMillan, V.E. 2006. Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences. 4th ed.

VanDeGraaff, K.M. & Crawley, J.L. 2009. Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory, 5th ed.

GAC Biology Dept. 2013. Bio 102 Organismal Biology Laboratory Manual. Available in the Bookstore.

Additional reading selections will be assigned from a variety of works…you are expected to read each, as questions from these works will be on the exams!

Lab Instructors: If you have questions or concerns specifically about lab, or you need to change lab sections permanently, please contact Eric Elias at eelias@gustavus.edu.

Powerpoints, Notes and Lecture Outlines: I do not provide Powerpoint files to students, although you are welcome to review any slideshows during office hours. I do provide Lecture Outlines, downloadable as MSWord files on Moodle. You do not have to use the outlines at all, or you can fill them in on paper or on your laptop. These lecture outlines may provide complicated figures which are useful to all students. If the outlines are too distracting, do not use them! Most A students found that reading before class, and memorizing names and structures early, was the most helpful study habit for their success.


Tutoring: A biology tutor will be available for individual one-on-one help in the Biology Department library (NHS 224; times to be posted). This is not an extra review session, instead you are to use this valuable resource for clearing up any confusion you have with lecture or lab.


Peer Mentoring:> To help you develop strong learning skills in the natural sciences and to better understand the ethos of scientific inquiry, you will participate in a Peer Mentoring program. This program is funded with a grant to the College from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Our goal is to help you be more successful in biology, chemistry and other coursework.

Each week, you will meet with a small group of students enrolled in BIO-102 and/or CHE-141. The sessions will be led by a talented biology, chemistry or biochemistry major. At these peer mentoring sessions, you will practice application and synthesis of concepts, and gain an enhanced understanding through three main types of activities: lecture and laboratory content reinforcement and practice, skill building, how to think and act like a scientist.


Grading and Workload

Assignments vary slightly each time the course is taught, but here is the 2012 spring workload:

  • Three lecture exams worth 50 points each 3 x 50 = 150 pts.
  • Final exam worth 70 points 1 x 70 = 70 pts.
  • Four quizzes on Moodle worth 5 points each 4 x 5 = 20 pts.
  • Group discussion roles (Outliner, Reporter, Questioner), 5 points ea. 3 x 5 = 15 pts.
  • Additional homework and activity points 10 pts.
  • Eleven lab assignments worth 10 points each 11 x 10 pts. = 110 pts.
  • Lab project: decomposition 40 pts.
  • Lab project: termite experiment 20 pts.
  • Lab project: phenology 40 pts.
  • Failure to participate actively in peer mentoring up to -5%

Total points: 475 pts.

A = 93%, A- = 90%, B+ = 87%, B = 83%, B- = 80%, etc.

Calypso's Cove, Mediterranean biome, Malta: Most marine biodiversity occurs where land and sea meet.



Freshwater crab, tropical dry forest biome, Ecuador: The Arthropods conquered land and sea, and are one of the most important animal phyla.



Dendrobatid frog, tropical wet forest biome, Amazonian basin: Early land vertebrates were restricted to moist habitats



Alpine cloud forest, montane coniferous biome, Glacier National Park: Land plants, especially trees, are important players in the water and carbon cycles.



Chocolate chip seastar, East Pacific littoral zone, Galapagos Islands: Developmental patterns, and not adult shapes, link starfish as close evolutionary relatives of vertebrates.