INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I	Dr. David B. Fankhauser, Professor of Biology
Course #34BIOL101-001	Office: room EDU-215P; phone 732-5236
Autumn 2000, MWF 1:00 - 1:50 pm	office hours ???
???	e-mail: fankhadb@uc.edu

Prerequisite:
Successful completion of high-school-level courses in biology, chemistry, and algebra is a prerequisite for this course. This science majors’ course was designed to build on, not replace that foundation. If you never had those courses or did not successfully complete them, then there is a prerequisite of at least one quarter of General Biology (Biol. 104). If you had those high school courses, but did poorly in them or cheated your way through them rather than learning the material, or if it was so long ago that your memory is fuzzy, you may have trouble being successful in this course. If any of those cases apply to you, then in order to improve your chances of mastering the material presented in this course, as reflected by your grade, it is strongly recommended that you, also, take at least one quarter of General Biology (Biol. 104) before attempting this course. Knowledge of basic high-school-level mathematics such as working with logarithms, interpreting graphs, and solving simple algebraic equations will be assumed as a “given.”

If you are underprepared, obtaining the necessary prerequisites could add to the time needed to get your degree. You cannot expect to simultaneously get your degree quickly and do well in a course for which you are underprepared, and will need to choose which of the two is more important to you, and which will better prepare you for the courses you will face at the next level of your college career. Typically, students who try to rush through their coursework without the proper prerequisites do poorly in those courses, thus being underprepared for the next level of courses. Students who do take time to gain the proper prerequisites for a course thereby get much more out of that course, which in turn, better prepares them for subsequent courses.

Also, your textbook was written at a college level, and includes a fair amount of scientific terminology. If you are not able to read at a college level, you will not be able to comprehend the text, and thus will have great difficulty with this course. If that is the case, you should take courses to improve your reading and writing skills before attempting to take this course.

Course Description:
3 ug. cr. This science majors’ course focuses on the major processes, concepts, and theories of biology. Topics include the elements of chemistry important to biology; the structure and function of biological molecules; and cellular theory, organelles, and processes. The application of these concepts to daily experiences and biological terms and their derivation are tied to the lecture topics.
Preconditions: One year each of High School Biology (or 34BIOL104 and 34BIOL114 106 & 116?), High School Chemistry (or 34CHEM106 and 34CHEM116 104 & 114?), and High-School Algebra (or 34MATHxxx) within the last five years with grades of C or better
Note that this course is only offered Autumn Quarter.

Aims of the 101-102-103 Sequence:
Biology 101 is the first quarter in a three-quarter sequence of classes. At the completion of this sequence of science majors’ courses, you should have mastered the knowledge and skills that will serve as a broad foundation for the more specialized biology courses you will be taking later on. You should also understand and appreciate the relationship between biological knowledge and your everyday life, including a better understanding and appreciation of your body’s functions and a greater enjoyment of leisure time activities.

It is important to note that the “purpose” of these courses is not to give you an “A” so you can get into Pharmacy or Medical School, etc., but rather to provide you with the foundation knowledge and skills you will need to survive and do well if you make it that far.

Course Objectives for Biology 101:
This course will explore the basic processes, concepts, and theories of biochemistry and modern biology, including cell theory, utilizing examples from everyday life. The objectives will be:

1. To learn about the structures and functions of the biochemicals, organelles, and cells in the variety of living organism in the world around us;
2. To explore and further your understanding of the major concepts, theories, and processes, including cellular respiration, which relate to living organisms, and the historical context in which these concepts and theories were developed;
3. As these processes are studied, to learn to think critically about them--to be able to use the scientific method to analyze a problem, formulate a hypothesis, and develop a means of finding a solution;
4. To relate biological terms to their Latin and Greek derivation, thereby facilitating the prediction/understanding of definitions for unfamiliar words;
5. To explore and discuss the ethical and/or social responsibility issues related to topics under consideration; and
6. To communicate in ways appropriate to the biological sciences about the processes and concepts studied.

Methods of Reaching These Objectives:

1. Participation in discussion and class problem-solving will be an important component of this course. You will prepare for class by reading, researching, and thinking about the scheduled topics prior to class time. When you arrive for class, you should have a basic understanding of the topics to be discussed and have formulated any questions that might have arisen as you read about these topics. This will enable you to participate in a meaningful way in discussing the scheduled topic for that day.
2. Several times during the quarter, you will be asked to summarize an article in the popular press in the form of a newsnote and turn this in to be duplicated/posted for class discussion.
3. You will be expected to accurately define key terms, translate pertinent wordstems, reproduce explanatory diagrams, and explain important concepts in your own words. Test structure will require written essays and short answers. Wordstems provide a fundamental tool to understanding language, thus etymology of major terms will be derived and tested.
4. You should be able to logically predict the meaning of any new words encountered that contain known wordstems.
5. You should develop a sense of the influence of historical context and discoveries on the evolution of our modern understanding of biology.
6. You should gain a basic knowledge and understanding of chemical structures and processes important to biology and demonstrate an understanding of the importance of these in everyday life, including being able to predict how a chemical might be expected to react based on its structure.
7. You should gain a basic knowledge and understanding of cell structure and function, especially the process of cellular respiration, and the implications of these for your own body.
8. You should be able to defend your viewpoints on ethical issues based on supportive biological data. Periodic five-minute free-writes may be included.

Grades:
Grades will be determined based on ???

Required Text:
Campbell, Neil A. 1999. Biology, 5th ed. Benjamin/Cummings Publ. Co., Inc. Menlo Park, CA.

Optional Resources:

• Borror, Donald J. 1960. Dictionary of Root Words and Combining Forms. Mayfield Publ. Co. (available in the bookstore)
• Marchuk, William N. 1992. A Life Science Lexicon. Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, IA. (available in the bookstore)
• Berkow, Robert, ed. 1999 The Merck Manual. 17th ed. Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Rahway, NJ. (available in the bookstore)
• The Merck Manual 17th Ed. is also available in a searchable, on-line format at http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/.
• Lappé, Francis Moore. 1991. Diet for a Small Planet. 20th Anniv. ed. Ballantine Books, New York. (available in the bookstore)
• Pechenik, Jan A. 1993. A Short Guide to Writing about Biology. 2nd ed. HarperCollins College Publ., New York. (available in the bookstore)

Assigned Readings:
Readings should be done prior to the class time for which they are listed. Page numbers are listed in the schedule.

Tests:
Tests will include short-answer questions, several short essay-type questions such as definitions or diagrams, and meanings of Latin and Greek words used in forming biological terminology.

Students who miss a test should make arrangements with the instructor to make it up BEFORE the next class period.

Schedule:
Pages marked “MM” are in the Merck Manual.