EKU Department of Biological Sciences

SYLLABUS

BIO 131, General Botany [CRN 10167]
Fall 2008

PLEASE READ THIS SYLLABUS CAREFULLY.
Web site for this class
          www.people.eku.edu/clarkro/clark/b131.htm
       THIS IS NOT A BLACKBOARD-BASED CLASS.

Course Description
     Structure and functions of vascular plants and morphology of representatives of plants and fungi.
     2Lec/4Lab. Gen. Ed. 13.

Meeting Places and Times
      LECTURE
         Room 123, Moore Building
          9:30-10:45 a.m.

    LAB
          Room 202, Moore Building
                    either
               Tuesday 12:30-3:15 pm
                    o r
               Wednesday 8-10:45 am
                   or
               Thursday 12:30-3:15pm

Instructor
         Dr. Ross Clark
          Office = Moore 243
                Telephone: office 859.622.1540, or leave message at 622.1531 or 622.6199
                Home 623.1675
          E-mail =ross.clark@eku.edu
                Except when time is short, e-mail usually is the best way to reach me.

Book to Buy
          Biology of Plants(7th edition/2005, by Raven, Evert & Eichhorn
                W. H. Freeman & Co.
                [Yes! -- you will definitely need this textbook.]

Recommended Book (not required, but may be helpful)
          A Photographic Atlas for the Botany Laboratory (5th edition)
                 by Van De Graaff, Rushforth & Crawley; publ. by Morton Publ. Co.

Lab Manual

      There is no lab manual.   Lab instructions will be posted on-line.

Course Objectives
     Students who successfully complete this class should understand and appreciate

The diversity, structure and function of the major groups of photosynthetic eukaryotes and fungi;
The fundamental ecological roles of plants and fungi;
The structures and functions of vascular plants,
The significance of photosynthesizers and fungi in human affairs.

Methods of Instruction
     Lecture/discussion, individualized lab instruction, web materials, audiovisual materials,
     videos, field work.

Evaluation

Lecture will count 60% of your final course grade.
      Four lecture tests (see schedule below)
     Each lecture test is weighted equally, and covers only the material since the last test
           (not comprehensive)
     Lecture tests come only from material actually covered in class,
          no matter what the syllabus says.
     At the end of the semester, one of the lecture test grades will be dropped,
          with this important exception:  no lecture test grade of less than 35% will be dropped. 

Lab will count 40% of your final course grade.
     Short weekly quizzes = 50% of your final lab average (2 will be exempted or dropped). < BR > Midterm lab exam = 25% of your final lab average. Final lab exam = 25% of your final lab average.< BR > PLEASE NOTE --
         There are no excused absences from lab weekly quizzes or lab exams
          Lab quizzes and exams cannot be made up.

Opportunities to earn bonus points may be announced.
 Bonus points will not be credited at midsemester.

Grading Scale

A       89.5-or higher
B       79.5-89.4
C       69.5-79.4
D       59.5-69.4
F       below 59.5

PLEASE NOTE - Fractions of a point may be rounded off to produce final grades.

Your midsemester grade can be determined by dividing the number of points you've earned by the total points possible at the time midsemester grades are calculated.

After the final lab exam, students with an overall "A" average will be exempted from lecture test 4.

Student Progress
Your grades are not accessible on-line.  Please feel free to consult with the instructor at any time to check on your grades.  The instructor will be available to show you a written summary of your grades prior to mid-semester.
Attendance
Please take class attendance seriously. you are here to learn all that you can learn, to build a body of knowledge to help you in your career and/or to give you a more full, more satisfying life. You are responsible for the material covered in class (lecture and lab), even if you are absent. Make-ups for lecture tests will be allowed only if absences are excused. Lab quizzes and lab tests cannot be made up.

It usually is possible for you to get word to your instructor because of personal illness or life-threatening situations in your immediate family. When you expect to be absent and wish for your absence to be excused, you should contact the instructor in advance (leave a message if necessary). In any case, you must furnish proof of the reason for your absence when you return, if you wish for the absence to be excused.

Academic Honesty
This is something no one should have to tell you, but unfortunately a few people need to be reminded.  No one else should get credit for your hard work, and it would be dishonest for you to receive credit for anyone else's knowledge or work.  I will trust you to be honest, unless you give me reason to doubt. Any form of cheating, including sharing answers before tests are handed back, and plagiarism, will be dealt with decisively, in accordance with the EKU Academic Integrity Policy.

Students are advised that EKU's Academic Integrity policy will be strictly enforced in this course.  The Academic Integrity policy is available atwww.academicintegrity.eku.edu.  Questions regarding the policy may be directed to the Office of Academic Integrity.  [This statement is required by EKU to appear in all syllabi.]

Electronic Devices in Class
Because it is distracting to students and the instructor, the use of cell phones, PDAs, iPODs, CD players, iPHONES, etc., is not permitted during scheduled class time. Please turn them off and put them away before coming into the classroom or lab. Scheduled outdoor field work is included in this policy. Audio recorders are allowed during all class sessions, and digital cameras may be used during all lab exercises.  People who use electronic devices in an unauthorized manner will be asked to leave the room.

PLEASE NOTE:  Anyone using an electronic or optical device (excluding corrective eye lenses) of any type during a lecture test or lab test will automatically will receive a zero on the test.

Test File
 Copies of old tests are available via links on the home page for this class. Most people find these old tests to be extremely helpful.

If you have a disability, please read this.
If you are registered with the Office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities, please make an appointment with the course instructor to discuss any academic accommodations you need. If you need academic accommodations and are not registered with with the Office of Services for Individuals with Disabilities, please contact the Office directly, on the third floor of the Student Services Building, by e-mail at disserv@eku.edu, or by telephone at (859)622-2933 V/TTY. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in alternative forms. [This statement is required by EKU to appear in all syllabi.]

Welcome to General Botany!  I hope you find this class interesting and personally rewarding.

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SCHEDULE FOR GENERAL BOTANY (BIO 131)
Fall 2008

LECTURES - TR 9:30 - 10:45
 Chapter and page numbers below refer to the textbook. Please read the text material before we cover it in class.

DATE/DAY                          TOPIC(S)                                                                 TEXTBOOK READING

     THIS WEEK'S LAB:  Tree identification -- Lab instructions for this lab will be distributed during lab.
Aug 26 T    Introduction to the course; plant cells and meristems                    Chap. 1 + pp. 227-235
Aug 28 Th  Seed germination and early plant development                              pp. 235-237; 504-509

     LAB:  Seeds and meristems
Sep 2 T    Root functions, development and structure                                     Chaps. 23 + 24
Sep 4 Th  Stem functions, development and structure                                    Chap. 25

     LAB:  Roots
 Sep 9 T     Leaf tissues; external stem structures                                          Chap. 26
Sep 11 Th  Secondary growth                                                                      

     LAB:  Stems
Sep 16 T    LECTURE TEST 1
 Sep 18 Th  Life histories and simple algae                                                     Chap. 13, pp. 246-252
                                                                                                                 Chap. 15, pp. 296-308, 312-315
     LAB:  Secondary growth and leaves
Sep 23 T   Complex algae                                                                            Chap. 15, pp. 316-339
Sep 25 Th  Water molds; introduction to fungi                                                Chap. 14, pp. 260-269

     LAB:  Algae
Sep 30 T  Simple fungi and life cycles                                                           Chap. 15, 309-312
 Oct 2 Th  Complex fungi, Chap. 14, pp. 269-294

     LAB:   Water molds and simple fungi
Oct 7 T    Complex fungi, mycorrhizae, and lichens 
Oct 9 Th   LECTURE TEST 2 

     LAB:  MIDTERM LAB EXAM
Oct 14 T    Nonvascular plant diversity (liverworts, hornworts, mosses)              Chap. 16
 Oct 16 Th  Vascular plant diversity and biology                                               Chap. 17

     LAB:  Complex fungi
Oct 21 T    Vascular plant diversity and biology
Oct 23 Th  Seed plants; gymnosperm diversity                                               Chap. 18
         Oct 24 -- midterm grades due

     LAB:  Mosses and liverworts
Oct 28 T   Flowering plants (angiosperms)                                                      Chap. 19
Oct 30 Th  LECTURE TEST 3
         Oct 31 -- last day to withdraw from classes 

     LAB:  no labs this week
Nov 4 T    Election Day, no classes -- VOTE!!
Nov 6 Th  Significance of flowering plants      

     LAB:  Vascular cryptogams
 Nov 11 T    Flower and fruit diversity                                                                Chap. 20
Nov 13 Th  Water and plants                                                                          Chap. 29 
                  
     LAB:   Seed plants
 Nov 18 T    Mineral nutrition and related topics                                                Chap. 30
Nov 20 Th  Fertilizers and soils

     LAB:  no labs this week
 Nov 25 T    Growth regulation in plants                                                           Chaps. 27 + 28
Nov 27 Th  Thanksgiving break, no classes

     LAB:  Flowering plants
Dec 2 T   Plant growth responses
Dec 4 Th  Photosynthesis                                                                             Chap. 7

     LAB: FINAL LAB EXAM
Dec 9 T   Ecology of photosynthesis
Dec 11 Th  Economic botany                                                                         Chap. 22

Dec 18 Th   LECTURE TEST 4(final exam), 8-10 a.m.

August 13, 2008