Text: Starr and Taggart. Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, 8th edition. Reading the appropriate chapters before class will greatly enhance your understanding and retention.

Grading: Grades will be based on the average of four exams, three mid-term exams worth 20% and a final worth 25% of your final grade, plus a portfolio of frequent short assignments, most performed in class, worth 15% of your final grade. The Final exam will be comprehensive, though a section of it will be focused on the last section of the course. Letter grades will be assigned as follows:

A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70 - 79% D = 60-69% F = 59% and below

There will be no opportunities for "extra credit." Short assignments that are to be performed in class may not be made up later for credit. No grades or scores will be given out over the telephone.

Attendance: Regular and punctual attendance is expected, and is clearly to your benefit. ("Half of life is just showing up!" - Garrison Keillor). In this vein, not showing up for an exam earns a grade of zero on that test. Only in the most extreme of circumstances will make-up exams be considered; lack of preparation is not an acceptable reason for missing an exam.

Exam Dates and Material to be covered are subject to change.

Last day to drop course with a "W": Friday, October 16th. Please talk to me before this date if you are considering dropping the course.

Special needs: If you have any particular disabilities that require accomodation, please tell me early in the semester so I can make appropriate arrangements.

Office hours: I may be reached in TCNW 228 or 129 (knock firmly if the door is closed) on most days and at any time before 2:30 pm. Please feel free to phone me at 745-6845 or 745-5948 to set up an appointment or leave a message.

Recommendations for study: Research shows that students who review class notes less than 48 hours after writing them have improved long-term retention of that material: recalling the information within that time period apparently helps move information from short-term to long-term memory. The lesson here is that cramming is not an effective method of studying for exams, nor for supporting real learning.

My goal for this course is to introduce to you some of the major organizing principles of biology in such a way that it helps YOU build a useful scaffold for your further learning in any aspect of "the study of life" you might choose to pursue in the future. Please feel free to let me know how I can facilitate your learning.