Biology 1020-010 World of Biology California State University Stanislaus Fall 2011 Dr. Steven J. Wolf

Instructor: Dr. Steven J. Wolf
Office: Naraghi Hall of Science 269
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., and by appointment.
Calendar: Dr. Wolf's Calendar
Phone: 667-3489. If you leave a message speak slowly and clearly or your call will not be returned.
Email: swolf@csustan.edu Email is for emergencies, setting up an appointment, or for questions with very short answers. Put Biol 1020 in the subject line or it will not be acknowledged by your instructor. Please ask complex questions during the lab or office hours, not via email. Questions regarding grades and/or those answered on the syllabus will not be acknowledged.

Lab: Thursday 11:00 am to 1:50 pm in N-223.

Text: World of Biology, 4th Edition, by Stevens. You must purchase the lab manual and always bring it to lab. Any student who does not have the lab manual at the beginning of the second lab period will be dropped from the course. The text from your lecture class may also be helpful for certain labs.

The Course: World of Biology is designed to provide students with laboratory experience in various biological areas. We will explore many of the topics that are covered in Principles of Biology, although it should be noted that this course is graded separately.

Homework due 11:00 am, October 20:  Watch Intelligent Design trial video and hand in question worksheet worth 10 pts. Requires free Acrobat Reader. Questions on this material will appear on a 20 pt. quiz on October 20.

Cell phones: Turn off your cell phone during the lab period. If your cell phone rings during a quiz/exam five (5) points will be deducted from your score. Taking out a cell phone during a quiz/exam is considered cheating, your quiz/exam will be confiscated, and you will receive a grade of F. 

Grades: Grades will be derived from a weekly quiz on the previous week's materials, plus the questions answered from your lab manual from the previous week. The final exam is comprehensive and optional.

Grades: A = 100-90%, B = 89-80%, C = 79-70%, D = 69-60%, F <60%, CR > 69%, NC < 70%.

Grading Options: November 17, 1:50 p.m. is the last day you may change your grading option. No exceptions. To do so you must have your instructor sign an add/drop form. It is your responsibility to turn this form in to Admissions and Records by 5 pm that day. Your instructor will strictly follow the grading option indicated on the final grade sheet supplied by Admissions and Records. Consult with your advisor before making your decision. Grades will not be changed once they have been submitted.

September 19th is the last day to drop the course.

Teaching philosophy: "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" - Confucius. Your instructor is here to teach you to fish, i.e. think. A question may sometimes be answered with a question, or your fellow classmates may be called upon to help answer it. This is to lead you to the answer, not embarrass you. You are only asked to make an honest effort to answer the question. However, if you are not keeping up with the material then you may indeed be embarrassed. Before asking a question please make an honest effort to answer it yourself using your lab manual, text, and/or online materials.

Cheating: There is a zero tolerance policy. Any cheating whatsoever will result in an automatic F in the class and the matter will be turned over to the appropriate student disciplinary committee. Taking out a cell phone during a quiz/exam is considered cheating, your quiz/exam will be confiscated, and you will receive a grade of F. 

Laboratory policies:

World of Biology is a laboratory course and as such requires your presence. It will be impossible to pass the course without regular attendance. Because the laboratory setups change from class to class, it is not possible to make up missed laboratories. Unexcused absences will result in no points for attendance, and laboratory write-ups and makeup quizzes will not be available.

There will be a quiz at the beginning of every lab period. If you are late then you will have less time to complete the quiz. The final is optional. It will be comprehensive, stressing questions from previous quizzes and laboratory write-ups.

For most of the laboratories, you will work in groups of two or four students. However, students must hand in their own write-up for each laboratory. Write-ups are due at the beginning of the next laboratory session. Write-ups will be graded based on completing all the questions, data collection, and graphs or diagrams requested. You will not be penalized for wrong answers to questions as long as it appears you made an honest attempt at completing them. All work must be typed and graphs must be done on graph paper or via computer. All papers must be stapled or no credit will be awarded.

All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the lab period and they must be stapled. Unstapled materials will not be accepted. Please retain all assignments and lab write-ups so you may calculate your own grade. Do not ask your instructor to calculate your grades for you.

Food and drinks are not permitted in the lab at any time and you must wear closed toe shoes. Turn off cell phones during the lab.

The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.