TEXT: Biology: Concepts & Connections,
by Campbell, Mitchell and Reece, Third Edition

Course Description:

A survey course intended for students not majoring in biology. The course introduces basic principles and emphasizes the function of the human body, including diseases, cellular processes, circulation, respiration, reproduction, immunity and inheritance. Will not count for credit if BISC 160 is counted. Applies to the science requirement of the core curricula. Associated laboratory is BISC 103.

My goal in teaching this course is to provide you with the most basic skills necessary for understanding the biological world around you so that you can make better informed decisions relating to health care, consumer choices and your responsibilities as a citizen. Please do not hesitate to see me if you need help with the material.

Grading and Exams:

Students are responsible for all material and announcements made in class. You are expected to arrive on time to class. Use common courtesy: do not chat during lecture and take your trash with you as you leave. Attendance is required and may affect your final grade. If you miss class it is your responsiblity to ask for lecture notes from another student in the class. If you must leave early, please inform the instructor before class begins. If you must miss class entirely, if possible inform the instructor beforehand by leaving him a message. Makeup assignments are at the discretion of the instructor and require a valid university excuse (illness witha physicianís excuse, family emergency with written documentation from the family, and University functions with written documentation from the sponsoring department). Makeup exams are generally essay exams.

Exams will be based on lecture material supported by readings from the text. On occasion, lecture material will come from sources other than the text. Be sure to follow the study guidelines given below. The final exam is mostly new material but will have a few ëcumulativeí questions on general topics you should have learned.

There will be an unscheduled weekly quiz or work assignment, except during exam weeks. If more than 10 quizzes are given during the semester, only the ten highest scores will be used to calculate your grade. If you arrive late to class and miss the quiz you may not take it.

                            Quizzes 10 points each x 10 = 100

                            Exams 100 points each x 3 =   300

                           Final Exam 100 points=         100

                            Total 500 Points are possible

Note: Please bring a scantron form 882-ES and a number 2 pencil only to each exam.

Your grade will be based on the number of points of the possible 500 that you receive as follows:

A 450-500; B 400-449; C 350-399; D 300-349; F 299 and below

There is no "curve" or extra credit! You have to understand the course material in order to get a good grade.

1. Ask questions, either during class or come to the instructorís office. Or you can send him an email.
2. Reading the text material once isn't enough.

a. Do the assigned readings in your text book once before class.

        i) Make a list of all the words or terms that appear in bold in your text. Do you know what they mean? Don't forget the glossary at the back of the  book!

       ii) If you didn't understand something that you read, write down a few questions. If you don't write them down, you probably won't remember until its too late (that is, on the exam!).

b. Reread, or at least skim, the assigned readings side-by-side with your lecture notes soon after class. If you still have outstanding questions, don't wait until the day before the exam to ask the professor. Ask him at the beginning of the next class or during his office hours.

c. There are problem sets at the end of each chapter, with answers at the back of the book for some of them. If you don't understand the book question, chances are you won't understand a similar question on an exam. They can be difficult, but you'll learn alot by doing them.

3. Study every day, review the material on the days immediately before the exam, then find a study partner and ask each other questions. A powerful way to study is to try to write mini-exams for one another. To write a multiple choice question you've got to know the material. The questions your study partner asks you lets you know what you need to concentrate on the night before the exam. Beware of study-partner parasites.

4. After the exam is graded evaluate your tests to see which questions you missed. Do you know the information but didnít understand the question? Did you make an accidental error because you were nervous. Did you have no clue as to the answer?

5. This course is a cooperative effort between the professor and his students. You will not learn much if you just sit there and transcribe the overhead. Be critical, ask questions, don't passively accept everything he says or that you read in the text book. If you have some personal insight (experiences, outside reading, etc) that might help us understand the material, please share it with the class and/or professor.

6. Cheating hurts the cheater, other students, Ole Miss and society as a whole. The University has explicit guidelines against academic dishonesty. Please remember that persons who help others cheat (by conspicuously displaying answer sheets, for example) are equally guilty of academic dishonesty. Honesty pledges are included on all exams and must be signed for the exam to be valid. Although not printed on the quizzes or other materials, the honesty guidelines apply to those as well.

Academic dishonesty can result in failing an assignment, failing the course entirely, expulsion from the University or other actions consistent with the University policies.

1     1/11-13
Introduction                Syllabus
What is Biology?         Chapter 1
DNA is Wonderful       Chapter 11.0, 11.2-11.4

2     1/18-20
Digestive System Chapter 21
Homeostasis and Thermoregulation Chapter 20.0-20.3, 20.8-20.13, Chapter 25.0-25.4

3     1/25-27
Chemical Basis of Life Chapter 2
Molecules of the Cell Chapter 3
Tour of the Cell Chapter 4

4     2/1-3
The Working Cell Chapter 5
The First Cells Chapter 16.0-16.7
Cancer Chapter 11.13-11.17

5     2/8
Harvesting Chemical Energy Chapter 6.0-6.8, 6.12-6.18
Photosynthesis Chapter 7 (not 7.12)

2/10 FIRST EXAM

2/14 LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

6     2/15-17
Respiratory System Chapter 22

7     2/22-24
Circulatory System Chapter 23
Heart Disease

8     2/29-3/2
Immune System Chapter 24
Infections, Disease and HIV/AIDS

        3/6-10
NO CLASSES (SPRING BREAK!)

9     3/14-16
Excretory System Chapter 25

3/21 SECOND EXAM

10     3/23
Endocrine System Chapter 26

11    3/28-30
Environmental Estrogens
Nervous System Chapter 28

12     4/4-6
The Senses Chapter 29
Chromosomes and Cell Division Chapter 8

4/11 THIRD EXAM

13     4/13
Copying and Reading Genes Chapter 10

14    4/18-20
Genetic Disease and Genetic Engineering

15     4/25-27
Patterns of Inheritance Chapter 9

16     5/2-4
Human Reproduction Chapter 27

* 5/11 FINAL EXAM (Thursday, 8-9 AM)