Course Syllabus
Course Description:
This course is designed for non-biological science majors. It covers basic principles of life science, including cellular biology, plant and animal kingdoms, ecology, genetics, and evolution. Emphasis is also placed on human biology as it relates to everyday living.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- State the names and functions of five different organelles in the cell
- Identify evidence to support the theory of evolution and two mechanisms that cause evolution to happen
- Identify the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cell respiration and describe the role of both plants and animals in the carbon cycle
- Identify the steps of DNA replication, RNA transcription, and translation of a protein segment; identify a mutation in a DNA sequence and explain how diseases caused by mutations can be passed onto offspring; analyze a DNA fingerprint and determine which individual left behind DNA at a simulated crime scene
- In lab, use a microscope to locate and identify plant, animal, and bacterial cells as well as structures which may be visible in these cells such as the nucleus, cell membrane, chloroplasts, and cell wall
- In lab, compare and contrast algae, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms
- In lab, use the scientific method to develop hypotheses to predict outcomes of experiments and record experimental data to use to refute or support hypotheses
- In lab, compare and contrast members of a variety of animal phyla and describe unique characteristics of each phylum
Textbook:
Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Concepts of Biology from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-03-4
Course Requirements:
This course has two components: lecture and lab.
- The lecture is worth 75% of your grade
- The lab is worth 25% of your grade.
***You must pass the lab portion of this class in order to get credit for this course. The lecture consists of four multiple-choice exams worth 100 points each, and a field assignment worth 50 points (more information below).
Grade % Break-down: Percentage
Lecture:
4 Exams………………………………………...................................... 50%
8 Quizzes……………………………............................……….......... 10%
Discussions and other assignments.................................. 10%
1 Field assignment………………………...…............................... 5%
Lab:
From lab session......................................................................... 25%
Grading Scale
A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=65-79%
D=55-64%
F=54% or less
Important Notes:
- All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.
- Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Student Accessibility Services [https://www.cerritos.edu/sas/] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible.
- Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc. Please see the Cerritos College handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. https://www.cerritos.edu/academic-affairs/academic-honesty.htm
- For tutoring: https://www.cerritos.edu/sc/
- Last day to drop with a "W" is November 20th
For a print version of Syllabus: Bio120 Fall2020 Cerritos College-2.docx
Course Summary:
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