BIOL 101

Foundations of Biology I

Fall 2014

Title

BIOSC 0150, Foundations of Biology I

Description

This introductory course in biology covers the cellular basis of life including a
discussion of simple chemistry; cells as units of structure and function; and
energy transformations. For students planning to major in biology, psychology,
health-related professions or natural sciences, the topics in this course provide
background for further study in biochemistry, botany, microbiology, animal
physiology, vertebrate morphology and other areas.

Faculty

Dr. Suzanna Lesko Gribble, A230A Langley Hall

sgribble@pitt.edu
412-624-4261
Office hours: Thursday 11-12 and Friday 1-2
Meetings outside of regularly scheduled office hours are by appointment only.

Course Meetings

Lecture:
Class #
10208

Day
MW

Class #
10791
19524
10793
10792

Day
W
T
F
F

Time
6:00-7:15 PM

Location
Clapp L9

Recitation:

Required Text

Time
7:30-8:20 PM
1:00-1:50 PM
11:00-11:50 AM
12:00-12:50 PM

Location
Clapp L9
Langley A224
Langley A224
Langley A224

Biological Science, 5th edition (2014). Freeman, Quillin and Allison

Hardcover ISBN: 1269936018
Loose leaf ISBN: 0321862155
Biological Science Study Guide, 5th edition (2014). Freeman, Quillin and Allison
is recommended

Websites

www.masteringbiology.com

Software

I-Clicker Classroom Response System

Smart phone apps are permissible
Mastering Biology
Access code is part of textbook bundle or can be purchased from website

Assignments

Assessment
Preliminary Exams (I-III)
Mastering Biology (MB)
Recitation Participation
Reading Quizzes (via MB)
Final Exam
Total

courseweb.pitt.edu

Points Available
180
10
10
10
60
270

BIOL 101
Exams

Foundations of Biology I

Fall 2014

Please note the dates of the preliminary exams and final exam to avoid any future
scheduling conflicts. Preliminary exams are given during regular class meetings.
The final exam will be held on Wednesday 10 December, 2014 from 6:007:15 pm in Clapp Hall L9.
The three preliminary exams will consist of 60 multiple-choice questions, valued
at 1 point each. Exam questions will be weighted toward material covered in
lecture and that which is supported by the required text; therefore, it is important
to stay current on the assigned readings and to ask questions during lecture and
recitation

Missed exams

There are no make-up preliminary exams or extra credit opportunities in

this course. If you miss more than one preliminary exam you should discuss the
options available to you with your advisor or the SAS Deans Office. All
students are required to take the final exam, regardless of course standing.
Students who miss the final exam due to an emergency should pursue the G
grade option as outlined below. If you arrive late to any exam, you will have the
remaining time to complete as much of the exam as possible. Transportation
problems and weather issues are not considered an adequate excuse. If you have
to travel to reach campus, please allow sufficient time to ensure that you arrive
by the time the exam begins.

Challenging an
Exam Question

If you believe that the answer to an exam question you gave is more correct than
the answer listed on the answer key, you may challenge the question. Your
challenge must be in writing, using the form provided on CourseWeb. You must
include a detailed justification for the correctness of your answer, including
references to either the lecture notes (by date) or to the text used in the course
(page, paragraph). You should refer to the color of your exam, the question
number, and then present your case. All challenges must be received no later
than one week after the exam is given. Challenges will be kept on file and
considered when calculating the final course grades.

Grading

Final Point Total

270-264
264-248
248-243
243-237
237-221
221-216

%
>98
98-92
92-90
90-88
88-82
82-80

Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
B-

Final Point Total

216-210
210-194
194-189
189-183
183-167
167-162
160-0

%
80-78
78-72
72-70
70-68
68-62
62-60
<60

Grade
C+
C
CD+
D
DF

All work will be graded according to the scale above. Further, scores may be reweighted to reflect the degree of difficulty of the work at the discretion of the
instructor. In such circumstances, the process will be explained upon return of
the exam.
Upon completion of the semester, a final grade is determined for each student
using the above scale. Factors such as attendance, sustained improvement, and
class participation may be considered when making a decision in borderline
cases.

BIOL 101

Foundations of Biology I

Fall 2014

G Grades

G grades are assigned to students who have been attending a course and have
been making regular progress are prevented, by circumstances beyond their
control, from completing the course after it is too late to withdraw (25 October,
2014). If you wish to petition for a G grade, you must submit a request for this
grade in writing to Dr. Gribble, and you must document your reason(s). If you
miss the final exam, you may receive a G grade if the above conditions are met.

Attendance

Students are responsible for obtaining material from missed lectures and
recitations from other classmates.

Email

Each student is issued a University email address (username@pitt.edu) upon

admittance. This email address may be used by the University for official
communication with students. Students are expected to read email sent to this
account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University
communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing
and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides
an email forwarding service that allows students to read their email via other
service providers (e.g. gmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward
their email from their @pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own
risk. If email is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student
from responding to official communications sent to their University email
address. (from the Pitt E-mail Communications Policy)

Cheating

Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of

Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating
this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate
in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the
University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not
limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of
violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized
materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.
All work submitted (i.e. exams and quizzes) must be your own and completed
without consultation or discussion with classmates. The instructor will indicate
whether an in-class assignment is to be completed individually or as a group.

Personal Conduct

Students are expected to arrive to class on-time and fully prepared. Mobile
phones and other electronic devices must be in silent mode during lecture.
Use of any audio or video recording device is strictly prohibited without the
consent of the professor. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in immediate
dismissal from the lecture.
Emailing your professor is considered an official communication. Please treat
your inquiries with professionalism. An acceptable email salutation is Dear Dr.
Gribble. Unacceptable salutations are Hey, Hi, or lack thereof.

BIOL 101
Computer Use

Foundations of Biology I

Fall 2014

While your laptop is useful in this course, appropriate and proper use of the
technology is paramount. Computer use in the lecture setting is an opportunity
to display professional and courteous behavior. As such, the following are
guidelines for appropriate in-class computer use:
1. Computer use should be for note taking or other directly related
lecture activities.
2. Computer use must not distract the instructor nor fellow classmates.
Inappropriate use will be viewed as disrespectful and unprofessional to the
instructor and classmates. If your behavior disrupts lecture, you will be asked to
leave the lecture hall.

Mastering Biology

There will be short online assignments to accompany the lectures and reading
quizzes, as part of the Mastering Biology online study site,
www.masteringbiology.com. The course code for this section is
GRIBBLEBIOSC0150. The course is open for registration. Students may earn
up to 10 points for successful completion of these assignments and 10 points for
successful completion of reading quizzes.

CourseWeb

All current students have access to courseweb.pitt.edu. Some course materials

will be posted on this site. Documents including, but not limited to, syllabus,
schedule, lecture figures, course announcements or schedule changes, and
answer keys will be available. If you have problems accessing your CourseWeb
account, please contact the computer help desk at 412-624-HELP.

Disability Resources
and Services

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an

accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and
Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, 412-6487890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, 412-228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in
the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable
accommodations for this course.

BIOL 101

Foundations of Biology I

Fall 2014

V. Lecture Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

Date
25 August
27 August
1 September
3 September
8 September
10 September
15 September
17 September
22 September
24 September
29 September
1 October
6 October
8 October
13 October
14 October
15 October
20 October
22 October
27 October
29 October
3 November
5 November
10 November
12 November
17 November
19 November
24 November
26 November
1 December
3 December
8 December
10 December

Topic
Course Introduction & Lecture Boot Camp
Water & Carbon: the chemical basis of life
No ClassesLabor Day
Protein Structure & Function
Nucleic Acids & the RNA world
An Introduction to Carbohydrates
Lipids, Membranes, & the First Cells
Lipids, Membranes, & the First Cells
Preliminary Exam #1 (Chapters 2-6)
Inside the Cell
Inside the Cell
Energy & Enzymes
Energy & Enzymes
Cellular Respiration & Fermentation
No ClassesFall Recess
Cellular Respiration & Fermentation
Photosynthesis
Cell-Cell Interactions
Cell-Cell Interactions
Preliminary Exam #2 (Chapters 7-11)
The Cell Cycle
The Cell Cycle
Meiosis
Meiosis
Mendel & the Gene
Mendel & the Gene
How Genes Work
How Genes Work
No ClassesThanksgiving Recess
Wild-card
Preliminary Exam #3 (Chapters 12-14, 16)
Review for Final Exam
FINAL EXAM, Clapp Hall L9, 6:00-7:15 PM

The lecture schedule may be changed by the instructors to better suit the needs of this course.

Reading
-2
-3
4
5
6
6
-7
7
8
8
9
-9
10
11
11
-12
12
13
13
14
14
16
16
------