BOT 112 THE PLANT KINGDOM:
SPRING QUARTER 2014 SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE
Instructor:
Office:
Telephone:
email:
Website:
Office Hours:
John Wiseley
Lecture:
11:00-11:50 MWF
SAM 311
Room 203
(206) 934-5436
Laboratory: 11:00-12:50 TTh
[email protected]
Room 302
http://www.seattlecentral.edu/faculty/jwiseley/ (being replaced by Canvas)
Room 311 from 12-1 MWF, 1-2TTh, or by appointment
TEXTBOOKS AND SUPPLIES:
•
•
Lab Manual, BOT112 - General Biology – available from the copy center, BE room 3105A.
Recommended: Rushforth, et al. “A Photographic Atlas for the Botany Laboratory” 6th Edition
(2012) – ISBN-13: 978-0-89582-948-7 (not in the bookstore)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Botany 112 is an introduction to the science of plant biology, and satisfies the lab science
requirement for the AA degree. The course will introduce you to a wide variety of material
concerning the plant kingdom. We will investigate how plants are structured from the level of
the cell to the whole organism and will consider their basic physiological processes—how they
do the things they do in order to stay alive, grow, and reproduce. We will also consider the
diversity of plant species that have evolved over time and the features that distinguish them
from one another. In addition, we will explore botany as a field of active scientific inquiry,
conducting experiments on the responses of plants to changes in their environment.
COURSE GOALS:
•
•
•
Impart an understanding of the scientific process and its application and importance in
our world
Survey the major themes and topics of modern plant biology
Provide an understanding of how plants work including their unity and their diversity
COURSE OUTCOMES (Upon completion students should be able to):
•
•
•
•
•
•
Locate reliable sources for scientific information and comprehend the information
presented
Develop botanical hypotheses and design a scientific experiment to test that hypothesis
Describe the structure and function of plants
Characterize the different groups of land plants
Describe the different strategies that plants employ to survive in different ecosystems.
Personally relate to and understand the biology of plants
COURSE FORMAT:
This course includes both lecture and laboratory work. The laboratory exercises found in the lab
manual available at the copy center are designed to familiarize you with concepts discussed in
lecture. The assigned readings are online in an e-book that I compiled for this class
at http://www.nature.com/scitable/group-join/botany-112-18552761/45689. This book is not a
traditional text, and if you know that you will be uncomfortable with an ebook, you may wish to
purchase a used Botany text book. I will also provide lecture notes and animations on Canvas.
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LABORATORY:
Students are required to read the assigned exercises in preparation for lab. Lab worksheets are
due at the start of the first lab period after you completed the lab. You cannot receive credit for
reports from laboratories that you do not attend. If there are extenuating circumstances and
you notify me PRIOR to the laboratory you will not receive a zero, it will simply be left out of your
grade (i.e. you will have fewer points possible in the class than students who attend all lab
sessions). This does put you at a disadvantage in the class because lab reports are much easier to
earn than points on exams.
TESTING:
There will be four mid-terms and a comprehensive final during the quarter on the dates indicated
in the schedule. Exams will be a mix of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false and short
answer questions. No makeup exams will be given unless I am notified 24hrs before the exam
and the absence was the result of an unavoidable serious accident, a death in the family, or a
serious illness. Exceptional circumstances must be verified by an appropriate third party, i.e.
police report, a funeral notice, or a note form the student's doctor stating the patient's inability
to take the test. Make-up exams will be more difficult than the exam administered in class. If you
take a make-up exam, you can view the exam but it will not be returned to you. You can have a
copy of the exam taken by the rest of the class for your studies (prep for the comprehensive final).
If you take issue with how a question was graded, we can discuss this within one week of the date
that the exam was returned. I will not, under any circumstances, address complaints about
grading criteria the day that the exam is returned. I want you to think about what was missing
from your answer before we discuss it. If you notice errors in my math, no waiting period is
necessary, just bring it to my attention and I will correct the error.
Exam policies:
•
•
•
•
Arrive on time! You will not be able to take the exam if you arrive after students have left.
Come prepared! You will not be allowed to leave the class and return to finish the exam.
Have integrity! I am very serious about cheating. Don’t put yourself in that position.
o Pencil cases need to be put away; have the things you need out before the exam.
o No electronic devices are allowed during the exam. I can reword questions for you.
o I need to be able to see your eyes and your hands during the exam.
If I hear your phone, you may be asked to leave. If I see your phone you will receive a zero.
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GRADING:
Mid-term Exams
Final Exam
Lab Exercises (points may vary slightly)
Group Research Project
Quizzes/Homework (points may vary)
4 x 60pts.
Total
240 points
80 points
100 points
130 points
50 points
600 points
Grades will be calculated according to the percentage of total points possible that you have earned
according to the following scale. Decimal grades are reported at Seattle Central CC.
A
A-
B+
B
B-
95-100%
93-94%
92%
90-91%
89%
88%
87%
86%
85%
84%
83%
82%
81%
80%
78-79%
77%
4.0
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
C+
C
C-
D+
D
F
76%
74-75%
73%
71-72%
70%
69%
68%
67%
66%
65%
64%
63%
62%
61%
60%
<60%
2.4
2.3
2.2
2.1
2.0
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.0
0.0
A grade of 2.0 or better is required to pass. Students who withdraw from classes before the
deadline will receive W grades. The W grade is not factored into your GPA. The NC grade can be
requested any time before the final, but requires that you are passing the class at that time you
request an NC.
Academic honesty is expected. Cheating will result in a zero for the assignment or exam and may
be subject to discipline.
Closures for Seattle Central Community College will be announced on the SCCC website
and www.schoolreport.org
ADA Statement: Students with documented disabilities who need course accommodations, have
emergency medical information or require special arrangements for building evacuation should
contact the instructor within the first two weeks of class.
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Tentative Lecture Schedule: (any necessary changes will be announced during the quarter)
Wk.
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3
4
5
6
Date
Lecture Topic
Lab Exercises
Readings
Web = Scitable
M
4/7
Tu
4/8
W
4/9
Th
4/10
F
4/11
Macromolecules
Web: Unit 2.2-2.3
M
4/14
Plant Cells
Web: Unit 3.1-3.2,
Tu
4/15
W
4/16
Th
4/17
F
4/18*
M
4/21
Tu
4/22
W
4/23
Th
4/24
F
4/25
Roots
Web: Unit 5
M
4/28
Stems
Web: Unit 6
Tu
4/29
W
4/30
Th
5/1
F
5/2
Review Session
M
5/5
Exam #2 Plant Anatomy
Tu
5/6
W
5/7
Th
5/8
F
5/9
Metabolism + Photosynthesis
Web: Unit 9
M
5/12
Photosynthesis
Web: Unit 9
Tu
5/13
W
5/14
Th
5/15
F
5/16
Introduction
Web : Unit 1
#1 Microscope use & making slides
The Chemistry of Life
Web: Unit 2.1
#2 Plant cell structure & water relations
Group Work – Design Experiments
Membranes & Mitosis
Web: Unit 3.3-3.5
#3 Plant cell types, tissues & organs
Review Session
Exam #1 Chemistry and the Cell
Group Project: Set Up Experiments
Tissues
#3 Plant cell types, tissues & organs
#4 Secondary growth
Leaves
#5 Leaf types, stomata
#6 Transpiration
Transport in Plants
Web: Unit 8
#7 Photosynthesis
Work on Group Research Project
Plant Growth: Regulators and
Response to the Environment
W: Unit 10
Research update #1 – Review Session
NO LECTURE
4
Week
7
8
9
10
11
Date
Lecture Topic
M
5/19
Tu
5/20
W
5/21
Th
5/22
F
5/23
Bryophytes
M
5/26
NO LECTURE – HOLIDAY
Tu
5/27
W
5/28
Th
5/29
Lab Exercise
Readings
Exam #3 Plant Physiology
#8 Sexual reproduction: mosses; ferns
Evolution and the Algae
Web: Unit 11.1-4
Self-Guided Work on Research Project
Web: Unit 11.5
#9 Sexual reproduction: conifers;
representative angiosperms
Seedless Vascular Plants
Web: Unit 11.6
#9 Sexual reproduction: conifers;
representative angiosperms (cont.)
F 5/30**
Gymnosperms
M
6/2
Angiosperms: Seeds, Flowers &
Fruits
Tu
6/3
W
6/4
Th
6/5
F
6/6
Angiosperms
M
6/9
Exam #4 Evolution & Diversity
Tu
6/10
W
6/11
Th
6/12
F
6/13
Plant Breeding and Propagation
M
6/16
Review Session
Tu
6/17
Review Session
W
Th
6/18
6/19
F
6/20
Web: Unit 11.7
Field Trip: UW Botany Greenhouse
Angiosperms: Seeds, Flowers &
Fruits
#10 Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind
Web: Unit 11.8-9
Presentations : Groups 1-3
Ecology
Web: Unit 12
Presentations: Groups 4-6
Web: Unit 13
Finals
FINAL EXAM – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18th 10:30 - 12:30 in SAM203
* April 12th is the last day to withdraw from the class without receiving a “W” grade
** May 24th is the last day to withdraw from the class
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