Biology 116 Ecology and Evolution Dr

Biology 116 Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Dr. Bill Tietjen

Spring 2009
Phone: 8113
E-Mail: btietjen@bellarmine.edu

Texts: All readings will be made available over the net as Word documents, Internet Web Pages, and PDF resources. In addition, all laboratory exercises will be distributed over the network and must be printed out prior to the laboratory. Students without a lab printout will not be allowed to attend the laboratory. It is strongly recommended that you not leave the readings or printouts until the last minute since excuses such as "the server was down" will not be accepted and some resources may be available for only a short period of time. The main page for this web is here.

Office Hours: P187 Tue Thu 11:00-12:00 or by appointment

Exams. Lecture exams will be essay in format and will cover material from my class presentations and readings in the text, at the library on reserve, or handouts. If a lecture exam is missed for any reason you must take the makeup the first day you return to class (or at my convenience). There will be three exams on or about the following dates: Feb 2nd, March 9th and the last day of the class.

Term Project: You will perform a short independent project on a topic related to evolution, ecology or behavior. Projects can be in any area of evolution, ecology or behavior with my approval. This can be a library research project or laboratory project. You will present your project to the class as a Power Point presentation during the assigned time and date for the final exam. A written report with a literature survey will also be turned in.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will ....

Understand that evolution, ecology and behavior are interdisciplinary sciences drawing from all areas of biology (including energy transfer, genetic continuity and change, relationship of function to structure, regulation and homeostasis, and interdependence of organisms and the environment).
Understand that the nature and biology of humans and all other life is the result of our evolutionary and ecological history.
See how a scientific and evolutionary perspective should be applied to other endeavors such as politics, medicine, and social problems.
Plan and carry out a research project related to the field of evolution, ecology, or behavior.

Grading: Your final grade will be computed as follows:

Tests and Quizzes - 60% Tests can be in the traditional format (all essay) or as presentations or other activities that will count as tests.
Term Project - 20%
Laboratory Reports and Homework - 20%
The final percentages for an A: 95%+, A- 90-94, B+ 87-89, B 84-86, B- 80-83, C+ 77-79, C 76-70, D 69-60

Attendance Policy- For every three unexcused absences I will drop your final grade by a full grade point (so an A- will become a B-). If there is no corresponding grade you will be dropped to the next lowest grade. For example, there is no C- so if you have 3 absences and earn a B-, I will drop you to a D. For those of you who have been attending, don’t worry. If you have a game or other planned activity, just tell me. And I will work with you if there are other problems as long as you let me know as soon as possible. Exams, quizzes, and labs can only be made up if you have an excused absence. You must make up missed material by the next class meeting. Make-up exams are usually more difficult than the original; missed labs may require a paper. I will not accept a laboratory report from you if you did not attend (or make up) the laboratory in question.

Academic Dishonesty Policies- I strongly endorse and will follow the academic honesty policy as published in Bellarmine?s Catalog 2005-2007 (pp. 55-56) and in the 2005-2006 Student Handbook (pp. 16-19). Students must be fully aware of what constitutes academic dishonesty; claims of ignorance cannot be used to justify or rationalize dishonest acts. Academic dishonesty can take a number of forms, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, aiding and abetting, multiple submissions, obtaining unfair advantage, and unauthorized access to academic or administrative systems or information. Definitions of each of these forms of academic dishonesty are provided in the academic honesty section of the 2005-2006 Student Handbook. All detected instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Provost, and sanctions will be imposed as dictated by the policy. Penalties range from failing an assignment or test to dismissal from the University, depending, in part, on the student?s previous record of academic dishonesty.

Disability Services: Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Disability Services Coordinator (Room 225 Horrigan Hall or 452-8150). Please do not request accommodations directly from the professor.

Course Methodology: Lecture, outside readings, and discovery-based laboratories and assignments.

University Policies

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