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Biology 1 – Mt. San Antonio College
Class meetings: LEC (Bava, J) TU-TH 0515-0640 pm, building 61, room 2320
LAB Sec 41837 (Bava, J) TU 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1111
LAB Sec 41838 (Malmgren, S) TH 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1115
Office hours: Adunct faculty room (building 11), by appointment before lecture time
Instructor: José Bava, Ph.D
e-mail: bavajose@gmail.com
BIOLOGY 1 - Spring 2015
Course Syllabus & Class Schedule
Course Web page:
http://jocha-biology.net/
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of biology, which are relevant and informative, and will
help them function more effectively in this everyday more complex and confusing technological society. Topics
to be covered include the Scientific Method as a way of gaining information about the world, the cell as the basic
unit of life, cell division and heredity, physiology with and emphasis in the human body, notions on evolution and
ecology, diversity of organisms and environmental biology. The course also includes open discussions of
current events/topics in the sciences.
COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (SLO)
Available at http://www.mtsac.edu/instruction/outcomes/sloinfo.html
COURSE METHOD
The course will employ a lecture and discussion format. Lectures will expand on the topics as presented in the
course textbook, but they may change according to the speed and interests of the class. Supplemental
information from journals and other sources may be also presented and students will be expected to be familiar
with both the text and supplemental information.
TEXTBOOK


Lecture: "Biology: A Guide to the Natural World (5th edition)" by David Krogh
Lab Manual: Life All Around Us, Schmidt, Kakiba-Russell, Vail and Revell
GRADING
Grades will be based on 70% lecture grade and 30% lab grade. For both lecture and labs, the grade will be
based on the total accumulated points. Grades will be posted periodically in the class’s webpage using the last
four (4) digits of your student ID.
LECTURE (70% of the final semester grade)
Best 3 out 4 LECTURE EXAMS (100 pts each)..……………… 300 pts.
FINAL EXAM (cumulative)...…………………………….……….. 200 pts.
Total points lecture ..……………………………………………… 500 pts
LAB (30% of the final semester grade)
Best 14 out of 15, LAB SCORES………………………………… 210 pts
Mid term exam (labs 1 to 6)……………………………………….. 30 pts
Final exam (labs 7 to 14)…………………………………………… 30 pts
Total points lab ……..……………………………………………… 270 pts
Approximate Grade Scale
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
55 – 69 % = D
< 55 % = F
How to calculate your overall grade in the class:
To calculate your grade, take your lecture percentage times 0.70 plus your lab percentage times 0.30.
Total % in class = [(Lect% x 0.70) + (Lab% x 0.30)] x 100
Example: Final grade lecture=68%, final grade lab=83%. Then, your final grade in this class would be
Total % in class = [(68% x 0.70) + (83% x 0.30)] x 100 = 73%
Syllabus Biology 1
Page 1 of 4.
Biology 1 – Mt. San Antonio College
Class meetings: LEC (Bava, J) TU-TH 0515-0640 pm, building 61, room 2320
LAB Sec 41837 (Bava, J) TU 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1111
LAB Sec 41838 (Malmgren, S) TH 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1115
Office hours: Adunct faculty room (building 11), by appointment before lecture time
Instructor: José Bava, Ph.D
e-mail: bavajose@gmail.com
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance and Tardiness: Attendance is mandatory for both lecture and lab as absences in both classes may
lower your overall performance in the class. Tardiness as a repeated behavior is disrespectful and
disturbing to me and to your classmates, so it may count as half of an absence if you persist in doing it.
Cheating: Students caught cheating will receive a zero (0) in that exam or quiz. Situations that may be
interpreted as cheating include looking at a classmate test instead of your own, talking to a classmate during
exam’s time, or having a notebook open or any paper with materials related to the ongoing test. Be aware
that there is no way you can make a zero up and that your final grade may be considerably lowered when
averaging a test with score zero.
Class behavior: I will not tolerate persistent talking during the lecture; it is disrespectful and disturbing to me
and to your classmates. Sleeping in class is not allowed at any time. Students who fail to follow these rules
will be asked to leave the classroom for the rest of the lecture time.
Class withdrawal: According to the college catalogue, it is the responsibility of the student to file official
withdrawals through the Admissions Office by designated deadlines to avoid being assigned a letter grade
of A through F.
 Last Day to add to a class: 06-MAR-2015
 Drop deadline 1: Last day to drop without a “W”: 08-MAR-2015
 Drop deadline 2: Last day to drop with a "W": 01-MAY-2015
Extra Credit opportunities: Some extra credit will be given in lecture tests. In order to qualify for extra credit
points you must: (1) score at least 50% of the points for the test in which the extra credit is being given and
(2) you had to be present during the semester at least 80% of the time at the time the extra credit is given.
This basically means you can only miss one lecture class every five that we have. (3) Be on time for the
exam, if you are more than 10 (ten) minutes late for an exam your chances for extra credit become
automatically cancelled for that exam.
Lecture Exams:
Tests will cover the material given during the lecture and may consist in multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks,
short answers, or essays questions. You will not be allowed to take an exam if you come in late and any
other student has already finished the exam and left, no exceptions. Students cannot not leave the
classroom during an exam or quiz unless authorized by the professor. No bathrooms “breaks” are allowed
during the exam.
Make-up exams: There are no make-up exams for this class. However, the lowest of your tests’ scores will be
dropped before the final exam. If you miss an exam, that would be your dropped score for the class.
Use of Electronic Equipment in the Classroom: Cell phones should be put away when the instructor is
lecturing during either lab or lecture meetings. Any student caught using the cell phone will be asked to
leave the classroom for the rest of the class meeting and will automatically lose any extra credit
opportunities for the upcoming exam. NO exceptions!
SUGGESTIONS
 Regularly attend lecture and Lab classes, take notes, think, and make questions! If something is not clear to you, do not be afraid and
ask me. If you are a little shy, ask after the lecture, it is perfectly understandable if you do not understand the concept the first time.
 Read before lecture to be familiar with the topic and look over your notes after lecture to see if you really have understood the topic.
The course moves at a rapid pace. Ideally, you should spend at least the same amount of weekly class hours outside of class
understanding the text and/or reading your notes. Do not expect miracles later if you spent only 1 hour preparing for this class
 If the college offers tutoring for this class, consider this option if you are having problems understanding the topics and lecture time is
not enough for you to grasp the concepts, do not wait until it is too late, most topics covered in class are connected, if you do not
understand one of them, it might be a problem later when you try understanding a later chapter.
Syllabus Biology 1
Page 2 of 4.
Biology 1 – Mt. San Antonio College
Class meetings: LEC (Bava, J) TU-TH 0515-0640 pm, building 61, room 2320
LAB Sec 41837 (Bava, J) TU 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1111
LAB Sec 41838 (Malmgren, S) TH 0700-1010 pm, building 7, room 1115
Office hours: Adunct faculty room (building 11), by appointment before lecture time
Instructor: José Bava, Ph.D
e-mail: bavajose@gmail.com
 Having study groups always helps understanding topics better, things that do not appear as clear to you may be easy for others and
vice versa
LECTURE AND LAB SCHEDULE
This is a general outline of the course. The dates are approximate. It is the student’s responsibility to note the changes
that may occur during the semester
Week
Lecture Topic
2/24/15
T
Introduction to Biology.
2/26/15
TH
The Scientific Method. Variables, Graphing
Reading
Ch.1
Laboratory
Exe 1
Ch.1,2
Exe 1
Ch.2,3
Exe 2
Ch.3,4
Exe 2
3/10/15 Cell Structure & Function
TH 3/12/15 Cells (cont). Cellular Transport
T 3/17/15 EXAM 1 (Ch.1, 2, 3, 4, part of 5).
Ch.4
Exe 3
Ch.5
Exe 3
TH 3/19/15 Enzymes
T 3/24/15 Cellular Respiration: Burning the fuel of life
TH 3/26/15 Photosynthesis: Making the fuel of life
Ch.5
Exe 4
Ch.6
Exe 5
Ch.7
Exe 5
3/31/15 Cells’ reproduction: The Cell Cycle & Mitosis
TH 4/2/15 Sex cells generation: Meiosis, Chromosomes and sex
4/7/15 EXAM 2 (Ch.part of 5, 6, 7, 8).
T
Ch.8
Exe 6
Ch.8
Exe 6
T
TH
3/3/15 Basic Chemistry.
3/5/15 Organic Chemistry
T
T
TH
4/9/15 Genetics
4/14/15 Protein Synthesis: From Genes to Proteins
Exe 4
Exe 7
Ch.9
Exe 7
Ch.10
Midterm+Exe 8
TH 4/16/15 Evolution and Natural Selection: How populations evolve
T 4/21/15 Evolution and Natural Selection (cont)
TH 4/23/15 Speciation: How biological diversity evolves
Ch.13
Midterm+Exe 8
Ch.13
Exe 9
Ch.14
Exe 9
4/28/15 Prokaryotes: Bacteria and Archaea. Eukaryotes: Protists
TH 4/30/15 EXAM 3 (Ch.9, 10, 13, 14, 15).
5/5/15 Eukaryotes: Plants
T
Ch.15
Exe 10
T
T
TH
T
5/7/15 Eukaryotes: Fungi
5/12/15 Eukaryotes: Animals
TH 5/14/15 Eukaryotes: Animals (cont.)
T 5/19/15 Ecology: Populations, Human impacts
Exe 10
Ch.16
Exe 11
Ch.16
Exe 11
Ch.17
Exe 12
Ch.17
Exe 12
Ch.18,19
Exe 13
TH 5/21/15 Ecology: Communities and Ecosystems
T 5/26/15 EXAM 4 (Ch.16, 17, 18, 19, 20).
Ch.20
Exe 13
TH 5/28/15 Organ systems: Overview, Urinary
6/2/15 Organ systems: Respiratory, Circulatory, Digestive
T
Ch.21
6/4/15 Organ systems: Endocrine. Immune. Pre final review
TH 6/11/15 FINAL EXAM (4:30 pm-7:00 pm)
TH
Syllabus Biology 1
Exe 14
Exe 14
Ch.22,23 Final+Exe 15
Ch.24,25 Final+Exe 15
Page 3 of 4.