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BIOL 4900
Special Topics in Biology - Herpetology
Course Syllabus
SUMMER 2015 - ONLINE
Meeting Dates: May 21, June 10 and June 17, 2015
Time: 13:40 – 16:50
Room: IC 319
Midterm Examination: June 10, 2015
Final Examination: June 17, 2015
Instructor: Dr. Amanda L.J. Duffus
Office: IC 227
Office Hours: May 21 – 12:00 – 13:30
June 10 – 12:00 – 13:30
June 17 - 12:00 – 13:30
Email: aduffus@gordonstate.edu
Email: Please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond to your emails. Also, only use the above email address, as I will
not receive them otherwise.
EMAIL IS GORDON STATE COLLEGE’S OFFICIAL WAY OF CONTACTING YOU - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL REGULARILY.
Pre/Co-requisite:
BIOL 3200L and three other upper level (3000+) BIOL courses.
Course Description:
This course will cover many aspects of herpetology, including evolution, development, and ecology. Special attention
will be paid to native species of Georgia through species profile assignments.
Required Materials:
Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia (ISBN 0820331112) by Jensen et al. (2008)
Recommended Materials:
Any herpetology text that has been published after 2000.
Grading Scheme:
Tests
Weekly Summaries
Assignments
Midterm Examination
Final Examination
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Species Profile 1
Species Profile 2
Species Profile 3
Listening Assignment
15%
25%
5%
5%
5%
10%
10%
10%
15%
40%
15%
45%
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Grading:
90% +
A
80 – 89%
B
70 – 79%
C
60 – 69%
D
Less than 60%
F
Attendance Verification:
You must physically attend class on May 21, 2015 or you will be dropped from the course for non-attendance.
Testing:
Testing Format: All tests will be short answer. The detail of the answer required will be indicated in the point value of
the question.
There will be a mid-term examination proctored on campus on: June 10 in IC 319 at 13:40.
There will be a final examination proctored on campus on: June 17 in IC 319 at 13:40.
All examinations must be written at the time and date specified in this syllabus. There will be no makeup exams, nor will
there be extra time given.
Examinations are NOT cumulative.
The midterm examination covers the following topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction to Herpetology
Tetrapod Origins and Adaptations
Anatomy of Reptiles and Amphibians
Reproduction
Physiological Ecology
The final examination covers the following topics:
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Behavioral Ecology 1
Behavioral Ecology 2
Amphibian Declines
Infections and Diseases of Amphibians
Infections and Diseases of Reptiles
Conservation Biology
Marine Turtle Conservation Biology
Weekly Summaries:
Each week summaries of the material that was supposed to be learned each week will be due.
Week 1 Summary: Due June 1, 2015 at 11:59pm
Week 2 Summary: Due June 8, 2015 at 11:59pm
Week 3 Summary: Due June 15, 2015 at 11:59pm
Further instructions on what is to be included in the summaries and how to write them are found on Brightspace by D2L.
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Species Profiles:
Each student must complete 3 species profiles throughout the course.
Amphibian Species Native to Georgia: Due May 29, 2015 at 11:59pm
Reptile Species Native to Georgia: Due June 5, 2015 at 11:59pm
Turtle Species Native to Georgia: Due June 12 at 11:59pm.
The list of acceptable species’ for each group and detailed instruction on what to include in these are found on
Brightspace by D2L.
Listening Assignment:
Due: June 15, 2015 at 11:59pm
Further instructions on what is to be included in the assignment and how to write it are found on Brightspace by D2L.
Turnitin.com:
All student assignments must be turned in via turnitin.com.
Instructions for how to create your account, the required course IDs and passwords can be found on Brightspace by D2L.
Extra Credit Assignments:
Due via email by June 16, 2015 at 5pm EST.
Instructions regarding extra credit can be found on Brightspace by D2L.
Late Assignment Policy:
Late assignments will NOT be accepted.
Materials and Resources to be Provided:
A syllabus of the course will be available at all times on Brightspace by D2L in the form of a PDF.
Lecture slides will be provided on Brightspace by D2L in the form of a PDF.
Detailed instructions for the Weekly Summaries, Species Profiles and the Listening Assignment will be provided on
Brightspace by D2L in the form of PDFs.
Sample midterm and final examination questions will be supplied on Brightspace by D2L in the form of a PDF.
A PDF calendar of the course due dates.
I will attempt to provide as much other useful information on Brightspace by D2L site for the class as I can.
Details on the extra credit work will also be provided on Brightspace by D2L.
Tests/Exams Required Conduct:
1. You must write the test at the appointed day and time. If you miss a test, you will receive a grade of 0 for that
test. There are NO makeup tests or extra time.
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2. Your cell phone is to remain on the ground under your desk, in your purse or otherwise out of sight during the
entire testing period. If your cell phone appears on your desk or within your field of view (or that of another
student), you will receive an automatic zero for that test.
3. If you fail to turn off your cell phone and you receive a call during the exam, you may have your paper removed
(complete or not) and be ejected from the examination room.
4. If you leave the room during an exam, you will not be permitted to return and your paper will be removed
(completed or not). Therefore, personal needs should be attended to before the examination period.
5. Students who are more than 10 minutes late for a test, will not be permitted to enter and will receive a grade of
zero. Late arrivals will not be given extra time to complete the exam.
6. If you miss the last test, you will receive a letter grade of WF in the course.
ADA Accommodations and Testing
In order to qualify for ADA accommodations, I need a letter from Laura Bowen, Director of the Counseling and Disability
Services at Gordon State College. The Counseling Center is located in the Student Center in room 212.
It is REALLY important that you present me with the letter within the first week of class. This is to ensure that we can get
all of the proper accommodations in order for you. Special arrangements for quiet rooms to write tests CANNOT be
made at the last minute and need to be done through the Student Testing Center run by Sue Gilpin.
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism
All work, exams, labs (even when working in groups) is expected to be your own.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious academic offences, which will result in a mark of zero for that assignment for ALL
PARTIES INVOLVED.
If the offence is deemed by the instructor to be severe enough, plagiarism and/or cheating may result in failure of the
course. (If you commit multiple offences during the course, it is highly likely that you will be assigned a grade of F.)
The incident, as per college procedures, will be reported to the Assistant Division Chair, the Division Chair and the Vice
President of Student Affairs and potentially the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty.
In cases where further action is warranted, a recommendation to that effect will be made to the Vice President of
Student Affairs, the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and/or the Dean of the Faculty.
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Please familiarize yourself with the following
documentation:
The Student Code of Conduct (http://www2.gordonstate.edu/catalog/current/view/C191), specifically Section B –
Academic Dishonesty (http://www2.gordonstate.edu/catalog/current/view/C191/#pacademic-dishonesty) for your
responsibilities and to what qualifies as academic dishonesty here at the college.
Also see the Academic Dishonesty Policy (http://www2.gordonstate.edu/catalog/current/view/C84/#pacademicdishonesty-policy) for the procedure to be followed when academic dishonesty is discovered AND the correct procedure
to appeal against the decision made by the instructor.
These can also be found in the paperback Academic Catalog under the same headings.
Ignorance of these policies does not constitute a valid defense of your actions.
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines plagiarism as “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's
own : use (another's production) without crediting the source”.
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However, plagiarism is more than that in science, it is using someone else’s words or ideas, even with the proper
citations, if you have not paraphrased (i.e. put it into your own words that are significantly different from) the original
wording and/or accurately captured their meaning you have plagiarized.
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