Post on 19-Aug-2019
Syllabus BIOL Z237 W01 Summer 2011 online
Course name: BIOL Z237 Marine Biology and Conservation Instructor: Frank Jordan Jordan@loyno.edu 504-‐865-‐3829 (phone) 504-‐865-‐2920(fax) Office location: Monroe 357 Office hours: By appointment Class time and place: Online course – no fixed meeting times. Class goals: This course examines diversity, physiology, ecology, and conservation of
microbes, plants, and animals that live in the marine environment. Emphasis is placed on how marine organisms have adapted to living in their environment and how humans depend upon and affect marine ecosystems.
The online version of this course will use a combination of readings and
miscellaneous assignments to help students meet the following objectives of the Common Curriculum:
• Acquire effective skills in reading, writing, and synthesis • Acquire critical and analytical reasoning skills • Acquire understanding of the natural world and the scientific method • Strengthen a commitment to social justice • Acquire an awareness of the interrelationships among all things
Learning outcomes: Accomplish the objectives listed above while learning about major aspects of
the biology, ecology, management, and conservation, of marine ecosystems. Required textbook: You should purchase either the 6th (ISBN 9780072830644), 7th (ISBN
9780073028194), or 8th (ISBN 9780078936739) edition of Peter Castro & Michael Huber’s book entitled Marine Biology. The more recent edition is preferred because it contains the most up-‐to-‐date material.
Power Point lectures and other supporting material will also be posted on
blackboard for you to download, read, and understand. Communication: Distribution of course materials and communications will be facilitated via
email and Blackboard. You are responsible for all materials placed on Blackboard and you should check the Blackboard site regularly for new additions. You should also check your email regularly for last minute updates and additions. Quizzes and other assignments will be administered and/or collected via Blackboard or another specified Internet location. You must have access to a functional computer with stable Internet access because computer or technical problems are not acceptable excuses for incomplete, late, or missed work.
Major exams: Not required for online section of Marine Biology and Conservation. Online quizzes: Each student will navigate to a TBA website in order to complete a 15-point quiz
for each of the 18 chapters in our textbook. The quizzes will consist of true/false, matching, and multiple-‐choice questions. The quizzes are open book and open notes, but you will have only 15minutes so it is important that you know the material before starting the quiz. You must complete the quiz once it is started or you will receive a zero for that quiz. You may not retake the quiz even if you have a technical or wardrobe malfunction. I will drop your two lowest quiz grades. You may take quizzes any time after you have read a chapter and
reflected on the study questions at the end of that chapter. All quizzes must be completed by midnight of July 24. Each student is expected to take each quiz without outside help and it is inappropriate to discuss the form or content of any quiz with other students given that they may not yet have taken the quiz.
Research paper You will prepare a double-‐spaced, 8-‐10 page technical paper on some aspect of
the marine environment that you find interesting. You must submit your topic for my approval on the date listed in the schedule below (5 points). Each student must use a minimum of five primary scientific references (i.e., original articles from really boring, peer-‐reviewed science journals) as background for their paper. A list of your references must be submitted for approval on the date listed in the schedule below (10 points). The main purpose of this assignment is to have you explore one topic in greater depth. With that said, an almost equally important purpose of the paper is to help you strengthen your writing skills through the process of writing, reviewing, and revising. A MS Word or RTF version of this paper is due on the date listed in the schedule below (85 points). Don’t turn in a piece of crap! Instead, turn in what you think is a finished product. I will read, edit, critique, disembowel, eviscerate, and return the bloodied remains of your paper within one week and you will revise the paper and resubmit it before the end of the last day of class (50 points). Your paper will be evaluated for plagiarism and plagiarism is cause for failure of this course.
Relevant seminars: Not required for online section of Marine Biology and Conservation. Virtual collection: The objective of this assignment is to enhance your appreciation of the
diversity of marine animals. Each student is to “collect” one representative of each of the major animal groups by just sitting at your computer, surfing the Internet for each of the taxonomic terms listed below, and copying and pasting a representative specimen (i.e., an image) of each taxonomic class into a single MS PPT or similar document – one taxonomic class per page. You must carefully label each specimen with the following information: phylum, class, genus, species, common name, and collection locality (i.e., the URL). Only one specimen may come from any root URL (e.g., www.marinecrittersrus.com). Your virtual critter collection is worth 20 points, is due on the date in the schedule below, and should be formatted as a MS Power Point (or similar) document. Grades will be based on content, organization, and style. Students must work independently on this assignment.
Class Actinopterygii Class Amphibia Class Anthozoa Class Aves Class Bivalvia Class Cephalopoda Class Cestoda Class Chondrichthyes Class Gastropoda Class Hexapoda
Class Mammalia Class Merostomata Class Myxini Class Nematoda (actually phylum) Class Oligochaeta Class Polychaeta Class Reptilia Class Scyphozoa Class Trematoda Class Trilobita
Cultural portfolio: You will create a “cultural portfolio” to help establish connections between the
left and right hemispheres of your brain – science and culture. Your portfolio will include the following:
• An original haiku based on a cool marine subject of your choice; • Ten literary excerpts (e.g., poems) that deal with marine subjects; • Ten visual artworks that have a marine subject or theme; and
Your cultural portfolio is worth 20 points, is due on the date in the schedule
below, should be formatted as a MS Power Point (or similar) document, and should include appropriate citations for literary excerpts and artworks,
including URLs if found on the Internet. Grades will be based on content, organization, and style. Students must work independently on this assignment.
Fieldtrip: There may be an optional fieldtrip if scheduling permits. Grading: As usual for my classes, your grade will be determined using a complex system
involving live sacrifice, casting of chicken bones, reading of entrails, and divine piscine revelation from the Holy Shad. Actually, your quizzes, term paper, critter collection, and cultural portfolio are worth about 430 points. Receiving 60% of these points earn you a D, 70% of these points earn you a C, 80% of these points earn you a B, and 90% of these points earn you an A!
Miscellaneous: There are no make up exams and assignments may not be turned in late. You
should feel free to contact me whenever you need help with this course, life, the universe, or anything. I don’t have any money so don’t bother asking me. Finally, please feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism as the semester progresses. We are all students.
Academic dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and all infractions of academic
dishonesty will result in a zero for the assignment, a referral to your academic Dean for appropriate earthly disciplinary action, and ultimately lead to eternal damnation in the fiery pits of Hell. Please note that the most common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, especially given the ease of copying material from the Internet.
Special needs: “A student with a disability that qualifies for accommodations should contact
Sarah Mead Smith, Director of Disability Services at 865-‐2990 (Academic Resource Center, Room 405, Monroe Hall). A student wishing to receive test accommodations (e.g., extended test time) should provide the instructor with an official Accommodation Form from Disability Services in advance of the scheduled test date.”
Life is uncertain: This syllabus is subject to revision. All changes will be posted on Blackboard
and/or via email and it is your responsibility to keep up with changes in expectations.
Tentative Schedule BIOL Z237 Summer 2010
Tentative schedule that you should follow in order to complete all materials by end of summer online session. Although quizzes are taken at your own pace (i.e., when you finish reading each chapter), it is a mistake to wait until the end of the online session to try to finish all or many quizzes! Other assignments are due by midnight on dates listed below. You should email me the assignments (as opposed to using Blackboard).