Syllabus – General Biology 2

Bronx Community College Catalog Course Description: 4 credits/ 2 lect hrs / 4 lab hrs

General Biology II: Continuation of BIO 11 with emphasis on plant and animal development, Mendelian and molecular genetics, evolution, animal and plant diversity, and ecology. Prerequisite: BIO 11

BIOLOGY 12 LEARNING OUTCOMES: General Biology II fulfills general education requirements for the CUNY Pathways Flexible Common Core, specifically for the Scientific World requirement. A student will:

• Conduct laboratory investigations according to given experimental procedure, collect and analyze resulting experimental data, and formulate valid conclusions based on the results.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between structure and function in living organisms and relate this to their ecological niches in a laboratory setting.

• Demonstrate an ability to formulate a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to test it: collect and analyze data and interpret results in a laboratory setting.

• Identify basic principles, and the values of natural diversity, and apply them to problems or issues of a scientific nature.

• Explain the basic tenets of Mendelian genetics and demonstrate an understanding of the basic techniques used in molecular genetics in both the laboratory and lecture setting and assignments.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the forces of evolution and how they shape the development of life on Earth.

• Apply the scientific method to a scientific inquiry.

• Distinguish between scientific and nonscientific explanations of natural phenomena.

• Perform calculations using biological data with integers, fractions (rational numbers), decimals, ratios and percentages (e.g., Hardy Weinberg theorem).

• Generate and apply conclusions based on pattern recognition (e.g., patterns of genetic inheritance).

• Locate, evaluate, and apply information from a variety of resources into laboratory assignments and answers to short essay questions to relate biology to everyday life situations and public concerns.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how industrialization and biotechnology have impacted global ecology and human health in lab and lecture assignments.

CLASS SCHEDULE: You are expected to attend all classes for the class in which you are enrolled. Any holidays or unusual class days (for example holding Monday classes on a Thursday) are listed on the BCC Academic Calendar. Changes due to weather or other emergencies will be communicated through the BCC homepage, BCC email Broadcasts, and the CUNY Alert system, when appropriate.

General Biology 2 (Biology 12) Lecture Syllabus – 2019-2020

Text: Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections by Martha R. Taylor, Jean L. Dickey, Eric J. Simon, Kelly Hogan, Jane B. Reece, ninth edition, published by Pearson, ISBN: 9780134442754

General Biology 2 (Biology 12) Laboratory Syllabus – 2019-2020

Required Text: Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections by Martha R. Taylor, Jean L. Dickey, Eric J. Simon, Kelly Hogan, Jane B. Reece, ninth edition, published by Pearson, ISBN: 9780134442754

Visual Lab Supplement (in 4 parts): available as a download from https://sites.google.com/site/bio1112atbcc/bio-12-visual-lab-supplements

GENERAL INFORMATION

REGISTRATION: Check your computer printout carefully. Be certain that you are registered for this section of BIO 12. You MUST be officially registered to continue attending this class. Instructors are not authorized to issue notes to permit your enrollment. It is the policy of the Biology Department that we do not over-tally for Biology 12. DO NOT attempt to register for a full section through the Biology Department or the Registrar.

WORKLOAD AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Students should be aware of the challenge that this course will place upon their time and effort. This is particularly true for those who lack previous educational background in the sciences, and more specifically in the biological sciences. Your success will be dependent upon your willingness to commit yourself to the necessary effort and to make use of the tools available to you. These tools include lecture and laboratory outlines and reading assignments, and laboratory exercises.

ADDITIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES: Your professor may provide resources through Blackboard on the CUNY Portal – use the campus computer labs for access. (Check the posted hours of these labs.) The department also maintains a STUDY LAB on the fourth floor of Meister Hall (ME418). Check posted hours, usually appearing after the second week of the semester. There is a companion website to this guide with links to relevant animations and videos: https://sites.google.com/site/bio1112atbcc/ The Department of Biological Sciences phone number is (718) 289-5512.

ATTENDANCE POLICIES:

Attendance Records: To obtain a passing grade, it is necessary and important that students arrive to class ON TIME. It is your responsibility to arrive at class on time and to be aware of the calendar of class meetings for your section. The Biology Department currently requires your instructor to take and file attendance records for every class. Please discuss any problems with your professor privately after class. If you have different professors for laboratory and lecture, BOTH PROFESSORS must take attendance. Absences: Excused absences are at the discretion of the professor. Instructors also have the right to mark students absent if they arrive late or leave early from class. 

W, WN, and WU Grades: If a student does not attend ANY sessions of the class during the first three weeks, the student will be marked as NEVER ATTENDED (WN) and removed from the class roster. The student CANNOT return to class once this has occurred. If a student stops attending class and completing required work, the student will be assigned an F at midterms and a WU at the end of the semester when final grades are submitted. Students may withdraw between the third and tenth week of the semester. Students must fill out an online withdrawl form and submit the form online in order to be assigned a grade of W. Please note, the student DOES NOT need approval from the professor to withdraw.

Excessive Absences: The Department defines an excessive absence record as unexcused absences of more than 20% of scheduled class time. Students with an excessive absence record will receive an automatic grade of F in the course. Total scheduled class time includes lab, lecture, and online attendance, as required by the particular course.  Instructors are not required to grade tests and other forms of assessment of students with an excessive absence record. Instructors are also not required to offer makeup exams for students absent from scheduled exams.

GRADING AND EXAM POLICIES:

1. There is no extra credit given in Biology 11 or 12 in lecture or lab. You must have a passing grade on examinations.

2. There will be four exams in laboratory and four exams in lecture. It is the policy of the Biology 11 and 12 professors that exam grades will never be dropped.

   1. The final exam in laboratory will be based on the last ¼ of the course.

   2. The final exam in lecture will be cumulative. That means you will be tested on the material from the first to the last class and you are responsible for everything in the lecture syllabus on the final examination.

   3. Missing an examination is serious. You must have documentation for a missed examination. a) Whether you will be allowed a make-up exam, b) the exam’s format, and c) the exam’s date & time are at the discretion of the professor.

3. The student’s final grade in Biology is an average of their laboratory and lecture grades.

We recommend that you keep track of your grade in this class using a tool like this Grade Recording and Calculation Table:

GENERAL BIOLOGY LABORATORY POLICIES:

1. Please turn off all cell phones, etc., before coming to class. The official policy of BCC is that you may not have them on during exams.

2. Do not eat, drink or chew gum in class since there are some chemicals we use in these laboratories that you do not want in your mouth!

3. You may not bring children or anyone else to class or leave them outside in the hallway – this is for the safety of your children so please adhere to this policy.

4. You must have purchased the current edition of your book by the second week of classes. You will be given an open book quiz in the third week of laboratory that you will need your book to pass.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM: Please review college policies and procedures concerning cheating and plagiarism in the College Student Handbook. These policies will be strictly enforced. Cheating will not be tolerated. Anyone caught using “cheat sheets,” cell phones, or other clever cheating devices or accepting or offering assistance to another student before, during, or after a quiz, exam, or lab practical will be severely penalized. In any case, you’ll be much better off if you study to understand the concepts than if you rely on your classmates or other aids during exams. For assignments, your professor will tell you when sources must be cited, when individual (your own) work is required, and when group work is acceptable. If you are unsure about the expectations for an assignment, ask your professor for clarification.