Attributes of a Living System- Life 102 Honors

(An example from Fall 2012)

  • Professor:  Dr. P. Bedinger, better known as “Dr. B.”
  • Office E344 Anatomy/Zoology phone 491-2879, email for appointments bedinger@colostate.edu
  • Labs: Sections L90 or L91 Thursdays 2:00 or 5:00, 205 Yates Building
  • Graduate Lab Instructor:  Jonathon Harris

This is an Introductory Biology course for Honors students. The same material will be covered as in other LIFE 102 courses, with more depth.  We will be covering four units in this course that are common to all life forms; The Chemistry of Life, The Cell and its Physiology, Genetics and Mechanisms of Evolution.

Learning goals for the course

As a result of this course, you will be able to

  • Use the professional language of biologists for the course topics
  • Recognize the major types of macromolecules and cellular structures, and understand their functions
  • Follow the transformation of molecules and energy during metabolism
  • Predict the genetic consequences of mating between any two individuals given their genotypes
  • Understand how information flows within and between cells
  • Synthesize course information to understand key concepts in development and cancer
  • Distinguish between the misconceptions about, and the actual meaning of Darwinian Evolution

Group Project on a Human Genetic Disease

During the last lab session, self-selected groups of 3 students (in the same lab section) will give a PowerPoint presentation on a human genetic disease. Work will be divided into individual contributions, but a group synthesis will always be necessary. Each person will write 1-page summary paper on the disease selected by their group.  Grades (out of 40 points total) will be based both on an individual’s contribution and on the group effort. More details will be provided later in the semester.

Reading and Online Materials
The textbook for this course is Biology, 9th edition by Campbell, Reece and others.  An excellent interactive CD is included with the textbook, and great Web tools are available. We will cover Chapters 1-24. Online homework through Mastering Biology is open book but NOT group work.

Lab
The laboratory part of this course will be organized by graduate student Jonathon Harris.  Your lab grade will constitute 25% of your final grade in this course. For one lab session, you will be participating in my research project funded by the National Science Foundation, generating data on reproductive barriers between species.

Grading
Grades will be based on a total of 800 points. The lab will constitute 25% of the grade (200 points). Three exams, each worth 110 points, and a Final worth 130 points will be given (460 points total), constituting 57.5% of the grade. The remaining 140 points will include scores from the genetic disease group project (40 points), in-class activities (32 points), group problem solving (28 points), and online homework (10 X 4 = 40 points). Grades will be assigned as follows: The top scorer in the class will receive an A+. A = 92-100% of total possible points, A- = 89-91%, B+ = 87-88%, B = 82-86%, B- = 79-81%, C+ = 77-78%, C = 72-76%, C- = 69-71%, D = 60-68%, F = <60%

Extra Credit (total possible = 17 points)
By coming to see me either during office hours or by appointment, you can have 2 extra credit points! I always enjoy getting to know you.  This offer is good until the end of September and can include the professor interview that some of you need to do.  Lectures will pause during most lectures after about 30 minutes for “Biology in the News” (= BIN) presentations from the class.  4 two-minute presentations of a news article (along with a copy of the article with your name attached) by different students will be possible most days, with 2 extra credit points attached to each presentation.  A maximum TOTAL of 10 points (5 presentations) per student can be accumulated through BINs throughout the semester. In addition, Dr. Bedinger will select several research seminars on campus that you could attend and write a short (1/2 page single spaced) summaries, for 5 extra credit points total possible (1 seminar per person). If you find a seminar in your field of interest other than the ones that Dr. B finds, just let her know that will be fine also.

Other things

1. Laptops – you are welcome to use your laptops to take notes during lecture, but NOT to check Facebook, play games or surf the web (unless specifically requested to by Dr. B). This is very distracting for your fellow students! If this occurs, laptops will be banned from class. No other (active) electronic devices are allowed in class.

2. If you are feeling ill, do NOT come to class, we will figure out how to make up missed material, just email me. If you know you are going to miss a class or exam, talk to me.

3. Plagiarism – defined as presenting the work of others as one’s own work, will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes copying of others’ work, and cutting and pasting from the Internet (exceptions will be noted, for example when I want you to copy specific information like protein sequences). If you are unsure about what plagiarism is, check out this web site: http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm  Plagiarism will result in a 0 for the assignment, and possibly failure of the course.

 

                       LECTURE AND READING SCHEDULE

                       LIFE 102H            Fall 2012            Dr. Bedinger

 

Date                Topic                                                                                                                   Reading

Aug 21           Introduction to course, small molecules,  30-43

Aug 23           Water, carbon and functional groups, 46-66

Aug 28            Macromolecules:  Carbohydrates, Lipids practice online homework due, 68-77

Aug 30            Macromolecules: Proteins and Nucleic acids, 77-90

Sept 4             Cells I: prions, viruses and prokaryotic cells, 381-394

Sept 6             Cells II: Eukaryotic cells, 94-123

Sept 11            Membranes (Review for exam at 4:30PM) online homework #1 due, 125-139

Sept 13            EXAM I            Chapters 2- 6 (plus 381-394) 100 pts + 10 flu

Sept 18            Enzymes and metabolism, 142-160

Sept 20            Respiration: glycolysis and Krebs cycle , 162-172

Sept 25            Respiration: electron transport chain, 172-181

Sept 27            Photosynthesis I, 184-198

Oct 2               Photosynthesis II, 198-203

Oct 4               Cell communication, 206-222

Oct 9               Cell cycle (Review for exam 4:30PM) online homework #2 due , 228-243

Oct 11             EXAM II  Chapters 7-11     100 pts + 10 flu

Oct 16             Meiosis, sexual cycles, 248-260

Oct 18             Mendelian genetics,  262-270

Oct 23             Mendelian genetics,  271-281

Oct 25             Chromosomal basis of inheritance , 286-302

Oct 30             DNA structure, replication, 305-322

Nov 1              Transcription, RNA processing online homework #3 due, 328-336

Nov 6              Translation and mutations (Review at 4:30PM), 337-348

Nov 8              Regulation of gene expression, 351-366

Nov 13                        EXAM III            Chapters 12-17    100 pts + 10 flu

Nov 15             Development and cancer, 366-377, 223-225

Nov 17-25          THANKSGIVING BREAK

Nov 27                 Biotechnology, selections from 396-411

Nov 29                 Genomes, Intro to Evolution,  selections from 412-447 & selections from 452-467

Dec 4   Evolution of populations (microevolution)), selections from 469-480

Dec 6   Adaptation and Origin of species (macroevolution), selections from 480-504 Online homework #4 due Dec 10 Review TB

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday December 12, 2-4PM same room as lecture

Points and pages covered: 100 points Chapters 18-24, 20 points overview of cell structure, respiration, photosynthesis and genetics, 10 points flu

NOTE: Drop period ends September 5, repeat/delete requests due by October 15