UNM Biology Undergraduate Labs

Fall 2009


Pre/Co-requisites:              Bio 201 and Chem 121 – prerequisites; must have a C or better. 

                                                Chem 122 – if prerequisite, must have a C or better.  Otherwise, must be co-registered.

 

Required:                             All required books are available in the UNM bookstore.  Bring them with you to class every week.

 

 

Preparation:                        Discussions are scheduled to last seventy five minutes.  You can shorten the time spent in lab by coming prepared.  Please read the relevant chapters prior to class, and fully answer all assigned problems.

 

Grading:                               The discussion section will count as 25% of your final grade in Biology 202.  Your discussion grade will be based on in-class activities, homework and an annotated bibliography.  You are also responsible for any University of New Mexico grade policies (refer to UNM Catalog).

 

BE ON TIME TO DISCUSSION!!  You will turn in your lecture homework at the start of the discussion section.  If you are 5 minutes late to discussion, your homework will be considered LATE and will receive a zero!!

 

This is a Biology class, but Biology is NOT an exclusive subject. Language and communication are vital components of any biological endeavor. Therefore, you are expected to WRITE WELL in this class.  Your grade WILL suffer if you turn in poorly written work!!

 

Groups:                                 Groups will be assigned during the first discussion class – NO EXCEPTIONS.  These are your groups for the rest of the semester.  It is very important to learn to work cohesively within a unit because your in-class activities and points will depend on team cooperation. 

 

Presentations:                     You will do a 2-3 min informal presentation with an article over a current topic in genetics that interests you, once during the semester.  If you are selected to present and you decline OR are not present you will receive a zero for the presentation (there are no make-ups).

                                                                                                                                        

Homework:                          Homework will be posted weekly on the course website – there will be 10-13 homework assignments throughout the semester.  It is your responsibility to check the website each week, download the appropriate homework, and complete it.  Answers must include clear, concise explanations; short phrase answers will not receive credit.  WORK MUST BE TYPED (including your name) in 12 pt font & single-spaced, double-sided, in either bold or italics (to easily distinguish answers from the questions) – Handwritten or emailed assignments will receive no credit.  You must show all work you’ve done to answer the question.  If there is a significant amount of work to be done to answer the question, the homework page will indicate that you should include that work on a page stapled to the back of the assignment.  The “work page” does not need to be typed. 

Annotated

Bibliography:                     This is a 3 page double-spaced typed paper reviewing 3 different scientific journal articles on one topic in Genetics.  Topics are selected by the student and approved by the TA, due Oct 26-30 (Wk 10).  The paper is due at the beginning of your discussion section, Dec 7-11 (Wk 16).

 

Late Assignments:              NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS!!  Assignments are considered late if they are not turned in at the beginning of discussion.  If you are 5 minutes late to discussion, your homework will be considered LATE and will receive an automatic zero.

                                                                                               

Attendance:                          Attendance is required.  You are responsible for notifying your TA prior to, or immediately after, missing lab.  If you miss your scheduled lab you MUST obtain an orange excused absence pass from the lab coordinator or technician (Castetter Hall Rm 66/68) to attend a lab later that week.  Failure to notify your TA and lack of an excused absence will result in a loss of points for that lab period.  Labs cannot be made up after the week of the absence and missed section.  With over 1700 students a week attending labs it is not possible to maintain live materials after the last lab of the week.  If you have more than 2 unexcused absences you will be in danger of being dropped from the class.      (Limit - 2 make-up labs)     There are NO make-up assignments should you have an unexcused absence.

 

Academic Dishonesty:          Each student is expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in academic and professional matters. The University reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who is found guilty of academic dishonesty or otherwise fails to meet the standards. Any student judged to have engaged in academic dishonesty in course work may receive a reduced or failing grade for the work in question and/or for the course.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; hindering the academic work of other students; misrepresenting academic or professional qualifications within or without the University; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records.                          
(http://pathfinder.unm.edu/policies.htm#studentcode)

 

AS A COURTESY TO YOUR TA AND FELLOW STUDENTS, PLEASE TURN OFF ALL COMMUNICATION DEVICES!!