Biology 115: Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology To Contact Dr. Diggs: Austin College Phone: (903) 813-2246, Home Phone (903) 868-1642 Office: 261 IDEA Center Mailing Address: Department of Biology, Austin College, Sherman, TX 75090 AC Suite 61564 e-mail: gdiggs@austincollege.edu Home page: http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/diggs.html Office Hours: 1:30-2:30 M, Tu; Other times by appointment.

Biology 115: Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology---Course Information:

Course Synopsis: This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of organic evolution, ecology, and animal behavior. All upper level biology courses at Austin College are built upon this course and Cell Biology (Biology 116, which is taught in the spring). In other words, these two courses provide a conceptual framework for all further study in biology. Specific topics in Biol. 115 include the mechanisms and results of evolution; speciation processes; ecosystem, community, and population ecology; principles of behavior; and behavioral ecology.

Why begin with evolution in your first biology course (rather than cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology)?
All organisms and biological processes are the products of past evolution. Consequently, evolution provides the fundamental unifying principle for all of biology (including genetic and other molecular processes and even medicine). Because of this fundamental importance, our curriculum begins with the study of evolution.

Class Meetings: Lecture 11:00-12:20 a.m. MWF; Moody Science 302; the end of class will often be used for discussion/question sessions

Office Hours: Office Hours: 1:30-2:30 M, Tu; Other times by appointment.

Peer Tutor: Our class is fortunate to have Mohamed Faheid as a Peer Tutor. He is a senior biology major and an excellent student. He will be attending the Biology 115 lectures, is very knowledgeable about the material, and is available to help anyone in the class. He will be holding office hours each week (times to be announced in class).

Text: Biology, by OpenStax College (available on-line). For detailed information about obtaining the textbook see these instructions. It is very important for you to read the assigned textbook readings. You should expect exam questions from the readings.

Course Homepage: http://artemis.austinc.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/Bio152014/Bio15.2014.html

Exams & Quizzes:There are four exams which will be given on 19 Sept., 17 Oct., 10 Nov., and 11 Dec. The final exam (scheduled for Thur., 11 December, 9:00-11:00 am), will be CUMULATIVE and is worth twice as much as a regular exam. If you must miss an exam for a VALID REASON, you may arrange to take it early. Do not expect to take an exam late if you skip one. There also will be five quizzes. These will typically be given at the beginning of class sessions. I you arrive late to class, after the quiz is completed, you will not be allowed to take the quiz. Therefore, it is important to be on time.

Assignments: Note Taking Assignment. This assignment (instructions available on-line) is DUE Mon., Sept. 8. Biological Journal Article Review. This assignment (instructions available on-line) is DUE Fri., Oct. 24. Late papers will NOT be accepted.

Grades: Your grade will be based on the following assignments. See the class schedule page for due dates.

Total available: 630 points (lack of class attendance will result in lost points)

Letter grades will be assigned on the basis of the percentage of total points earned on all assignments. Letter grades are defined in the Austin College Bulletin as:
A Unusual and superior achievement
B Intelligent, articulate achievement, above-average in fulfilling course requirements
C Passing work, representing graduation average
D Passing work below the standard required for graduation
F Failure without privilege of re-examination
S Satisfactory achievement
U Unsatisfactory work

There will be little if any “curve.” You should assume that A’s (A-, A, A+) will be assigned to averages from ≥90 to 100, B’s will be assigned to averages from ≥80 to <90, and so on. At any point in the semester you can estimate your letter grade by dividing the total points you’ve received by the total points possible and converting this to a percentage (multiply by 100). Lack of attendance may reduce your grade.

Attendance policy: It has been my experience that individuals generally fail to do well in this course if they do not attend class regularly, having had a reasonable amount of sleep, and having studied the material from the previous sessions before class. Also, the older I become the more I become convinced that success at college depends largely upon developing a professional attitude to your education. Therefore, I consider class attendance to be of paramount importance and expect attendance at every class session. Seats will be assigned and role will be taken. If you miss a class session, you will be required to complete a makeup assignment. Absence for any reason will require the makeup assignment. After three absences, each additional absence that is not due to a required, conflicting official college event (e.g. athletic road trip, choir performance) or an official (documented) medical excuse will result in the loss of two percentage points off your final grade. The makeup assignment is to turn in a typed, detailed summary of the lecture you missed. You will need to borrow lecture notes from a classmate, study the appropriate powerpoint (if one is available for that class session), organize the notes, and turn in a summary in your own words. The summary must be typewritten and must be turned in at class within one week of the missed session. Failure to turn in the makeup assignment will result in the loss of another point. Summaries that do not represent college level work will be returned for revision without credit. Arriving late to class (after attendance is taken, which will typically occur during the first five minutes) will count as half an absence. Clearly, two such half absences become a full absence. Makeup assignments will be required within one week of a "full" absence. If all of this is not sufficient incentive to inspire attendance and you nevertheless miss class regularly, I will drop you from the course. I will warn you once before doing so.

Emergency: In the case of an emergency (e.g. a hospitalization, family illness or death), you should contact Student Affairs (903-813-2228) and ask them to contact all of your professors on your behalf.

Classroom Decorum: In class I expect you to behave like a professional at a meeting. Do not engage in small talk or leave during class unless an emergency occurs. To do so is distracting to anyone speaking and causes those engaged in the behavior to miss what is being said. Turn your cell phone off before coming to class. Do not just silence it. If you forget and it goes off I will not be upset (unless that happens repeatedly; accidents can happen), but do not read text messages or send text messages during class. I will drop you from the course for reading or sending text messages during the class period. Students fiddling with phones cause a distraction to speakers (me). Fiddling with a phone in your lap below a table is just as distracting and does not fool anyone. It is rude to distract a speaker. Distractions cause speakers to lose their train of thought, which in turn reduces the quality of the audience members’ experiences. If you expect an emergency communication during class then let me know ahead of time. Any other type of communication can wait. Students who use a cell phone or other electronic device during a quiz or exam will be assumed to be cheating on the exam and will be dropped from the class with a failing grade.

Taking Notes: Taking careful and thorough notes during class is one of the best ways to do well in the course. Much of the material presented in class will not be found in your textbook. Please see the class schedule page for a link to an assignment on taking notes.

Classroom discussions: We will sometimes use class time to have class discussion. Although these will not be individually graded, the active engagement in these discussions has been shown to help students learn concepts more effectively, thus improving their overall understanding and grade in the course. Some discussions may deal with ideas that have different viewpoints; your professional behavior towards other students and the instructor during these discussions is expected.

Academic Integrity:
It is difficult for me to express how deeply I feel about cheating. It hurts everyone in the class and at the college, and particularly the person cheating. No student may unfairly advance his or her academic performance or impede the performance of other students. Any activity that unfairly gives an advantage to a student or group of students is a violation of academic ethics and will be punished to the fullest extent of College policy.
Examples of violations include: using unauthorized notes on an exam; failure to give credit to a colleague who assisted with a project; failure to give credit to an author whose work is cited; fabrication of data; removing items from the library in violation of library policy (e.g. removing journal issues from the library building); etc. This list is not exhaustive.
Each item that you submit for a grade in this course must include the following statement along with your signature.

This work was prepared in accordance with the Austin College academic integrity policy. _____________Signature_____________ (Name typed or printed)

Students with Disabilities: Austin College seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all individuals with disabilities and complies with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines. It is the responsibility of the student to register with and provide verification of academic accommodation needs to the Director of the Academic Skills Center (Laura Marquez, Writht Campus Center, Room 211)) as soon as possible. The student also must contact the faculty member in a timely manner to arrange for reasonable academic accommodations. For further information call (903-813-2454) or visit the Academic Skills Center. College policy prohibits instructors from accomodating learning disabilities without first having received the proper written instructions from the Director of the Academic Skills Center.

Readings: Most readings are listed on the course schedule. Assignments other than those in the text or linked on the schedule webpage will be on Moodle. You may be given additional reading assignments in class.

Hints for Studying for Biology 115: You should carefully read the link designed to help you in studying for this class.

For further information about this course, please contact:

Dr. George Diggs, Professor Department of Biology Austin College 900 N. Grand Ave. Sherman, TX 75090 903-813-2246 Fax: 903-813-3199 gdiggs@austincollege.edu

All text and images on this page copyright 2014, George M. Diggs, Jr.