INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II	Dr. David B. Fankhauser, Professor of Biology
Course #34BIOL102-001	Office: room EDU-215P; phone 732-5236
Winter 2001, MWF 1:00 - 1:50 pm	office hours ???
???	e-mail: fankhadb@uc.edu

Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Introductory Biology I (34BIOL101) is a prerequisite for this course. This science majors’ course was designed to build on, not replace that foundation. If you never had that course or did not successfully complete it, then you should do so before attempting this course. If you did poorly in that course, did not really learn the material in that course, 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 seek the tutoring services offered through the Learning Center.

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 study of the processes and functions of photosynthesis, mitosis, and meiosis; the fundamentals of genetics and their ramifications; the elements of replication, transcription, and translation; introduction to taxonomy; and bacterial groups of special importance to humans.
Prerequisite: 34BIOL101
Note that this course is only offered Winter Quarter.

Aims of the 101-102-103 Sequence:
Biology 102 is the second 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 102:
This course will explore the basic processes, concepts, and theories of photosynthesis, cell division, genetics, DNA, and taxonomy, utilizing examples from everyday life. The objectives will be:

1. To learn about the processes of photosynthesis, mitosis, and meiosis and the significance of each of these processes to maintenance of life on Earth;
2. To explore and further your understanding of the major concepts, theories, and principles of modern genetics and with that knowledge, to be able to predict the outcomes of various genetic crosses;
3. To begin to understand DNA structure and replication, the role of DNA in protein synthesis including transcription and translation, and the effects of mutations in evoking mis-sense in the DNA code and in providing the genetic variability upon which the process of natural selection may act;
4. To learn basic taxonomic principles and to survey characteristics of the various groups of organisms, from non-living viruses to Kingdom Monera, with emphasis on bacteria of special importance to human health, Kingdom Protista, and Kingdom Fungi;
5. 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;
6. To relate biological terms to their Latin and Greek derivation, thereby facilitating the prediction/understanding of definitions for unfamiliar words;
7. To explore and discuss the ethical and/or social responsibility issues related to topics under consideration; and
8. 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. To gain a better working knowledge of genetics, several times during the quarter, you will be asked to work assigned problems and turn these in to be graded.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. You should be able to logically predict the meaning of any new words encountered that contain known wordstems.
6. You should develop a sense of the influence of historical context and discoveries on the evolution of our modern understanding of biology.
7. You should gain a basic knowledge and understanding of chemical structures and processes important to photosynthesis, genetics, and protein synthesis and demonstrate an understanding of the importance of these in everyday life.
8. You should gain a basic knowledge and understanding of the cellular processes of mitosis and meiosis and the implications of these for your own body.
9. You should be able to defend your viewpoints on ethical issues based on supportive biological data.

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:

• The publisher of your textbook, has created a Web site to accompany the text. The address of this Web site is http://heg-school.aw.com/bc/bio/index.html
• 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/.
• 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.

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

DOING HOMEWORK PROBLEMS: (from DBF)
Mastery of genetic principles requires logical and mathematical problem-solving skills which can only be developed by applying them to example problems. Therefore, this quarter, as noted in the schedule, several sets of homework problems will be assigned to develop those skills. Ten (10) points will be awarded for each problem set which is completed according to the following guidelines. Failure to meet guidelines will result in deduction of points for a given problem set.

1. Do your homework, legibly, on 8.5 × 11 paper without shredded edges.
2. In the upper right corner of the page, include your name, the due date, and the page number and problem numbers that were assigned.
3. Restate each problem in your own words, so that one can understand from reading your paper what the problem is. Include Punnett squares or other illustrations to clarify the problem and/or solution.
4. Illustrate and/or explain how you are solving the problem. Just copying the final answer out of the back of the book and handing them in does not qualify as doing homework. Getting the correct answer is not the main objective, and you must display sufficient effort and at least partial understanding of the problem and its solution to get credit for it.
5. Turn in the homework on the due date. Points will be deducted for late assignments.