" Educated persons are those who have a fair knowledge and an appreciative understanding of the environment in which he/she lives, and of the part humans play in modifying it."

 

"We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, rather we borrow it from our descendants, thus we are only temporary custodians who should be judged on the quality of our stewardship of the earth's biosphere and held accountable for those things that we do to the quality of the environment and our moral behavior towards our fellow humans and all other living things."  LKM adapted from an Amerind proverb.

 

INSTRUCTORS:

Dr. L. K. "Larry" Magrath; Office: 204 Austin Hall;  phone:  405-574-1292 or [405-222-0904 home]; email: facmagrathlk@usao.edu

Dr. C. M. "Mike" Mather;  Office  211B Austin Hall;  phone   405-574-1282   email:  facmathercm@usao.edu  

 

TEXTBOOK:

Campbell, N. A. & J. B. Reece.  2001.  Essential Biology. Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco

 

NOTE: When a new topic area is covered -- you should use BOTH the "Table of Contents: and the "Index" to look up background information relevant to the topic(s) under discussion.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for doing the appropriate readings outside of class.     

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

  1. To develop an aesthetic appreciation of "scientific method" as a tool for problem solving, science in general and biology in particular, and the involvement of these disciplines in the development of modern and post-modern "Western" culture, and the currently evolving "Global" culture.

  2. To expose the student to selected basic concepts and information in selected fields of biology.

  3. To give the student an exposure to current topics of social, economic, ethical and cultural importance that relate to the biological sciences, and to assimilate information and data and integrate them with information from these and other disciplines.

  4. To develop the student's effective use of both oral and WRITTEN communication skills [use of English across the curriculum].  Remember you are college students and your writing should reflect this in terms of skill and sophistication.

  5. To develop the mental abilities to organize material and data into logical and coherent thought patterns {i.e. to learn to think critically and discern the difference between "fact and fiction"; "science and pseudoscience"}.

  6. To help you become more aware of the events occurring in the world around you (local, state, national and international) and how they affect the earth's biosphere.

  7. You will be expected to become (if your are currently not) geographically literate (continents, countries, rivers, oceans, deserts, cities resources, etc.).

               

GRADES:  Grades will be based on percentages of total points accumulated during the trimester.  Points may be accumulated by means of: hour exams, homework assignments and/or lab reports, an "in class" essay, unannounced short quizzes, etc.

 

                All percentage points will be converted onto an absolute scale of 100 points, in the following way:

                                10 pts for "in class" essay over "The Tragedy of the Commons" by Garrett Hardin

                                85 pts for exam grades

                                 5 pts for homework assignments and/or lab reports

                                100 pts TOTAL
 

                NOTE: ONE-TENTH [1/10] of your course grade will come from the "in class" essay over "The Tragedy of the Commons" and NINE-TENTHS [9/10] from all other class work [exams, homework, etc.].

 

EXAMS:

  1. There will be 3 major "hours" exams given (including the Final Exam)
  2. There will be a series of short (5-10) exams over the content of each videotape shown (one per tape).  Normally these quizzes will be given the day after the video was shown (in night sections of the class the quiz will probably be given the same night that the tape was shown).  These quizzes will count as an hour exam for purposes of assigning course grades.
  3. There will also be "daily" short quizzes which will be given nearly every class period. These exams will also count as an "hour" exam for purposes
    4. of assigning course grades. (This means that there will be a total of 5 "hour" exam grades used to compute your final grade.)

 

                GRADE SCALE: 90% = A; 80% = B; 70% = C; 60% = D; 59% or lower = F

                (NOTE: a grade of "I" will be awarded to any student who has not taken the "in class" essay.)

 


ABSENCES: IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE and HABITUAL TARDINESS will seriously affect your grade.  Remember it is your responsibility to be to class on time.  You will be allowed a total of 3 absences without  having an effect on your grade -- but keep in mind that these three absences include any and all reasons that you may have for being absent ( including sickness & late enrollment).  Once you have used up those three absences every additional absence -- for whatever reason will result in the lose of 1% point per absence subtracted from your course total.  [Example:  if you have a course average of 93 and have seven absences, then your course average will drop from a 93 (A) to an 89 (B), etc.  Deaths and medical emergencies will be excused.  ABSENCES WHICH CAN BE ANTICIPATED  such as weddings, dental and routine medical appointments, vacations, etc. will not be excused.  Classes missed due to late enrollment are also considered as unexcused absences.  REWARD FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE!! Perfect attendance will be worth three (3) extra percentage points on your final grade average.  One absence is worth two (2) points; two absences are worth one (1) point; three absences are worth nothing (i.e. no change in your grade point average).  Normally roll will be taken from daily short quizzes.  No one may take a quiz "late" or "early," (unless your absence is due to something totally beyond your control) they must be taken and turned in at the time designated by the instructors.  These quizzes may be given at any time during the class period.  Leaving the class after the quiz has been taken and before the class period is officially completed will also count as an absence and that daily quiz grade will not count!


CLASSROOM COURTESY:  If you must be late for a class, COURTESY requires that you enter the classroom quietly and with a minimum of disturbance to the class.  If you are late for class, PLEASE do not come down to the front of the classroom to pick up materials when your instructor(s) are lecturing -- this is distracting both the instructor(s) and to other students.

 

 Individuals or groups who persistently disrupt the class by their actions may be requested to leave the class by the instructor(s).  This is especially true with regard to TALKING IN CLASS -- it is most distracting both to the instructor(s) and to other students to have to try to speak [or listen] over a constant background drone of conversations.

 

CELL PHONES & PAGERS:  Either turn your cell phone/pager off or set it to vibrate during class time.  It is extremely distracting to everyone when they ring.

 

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO YOU is an excellent concept with regard to classroom courtesy.

 

STUDY TIME:  IT IS AN AUTOMATIC ASSUMPTION THAT YOU WILL SPEND APPROXIMATELY TWO (2) HOURS OUTSIDE OF CLASS STUDYING FOR EACH ONE (1) HOUR SPENT IN THE CLASSROOM.  YOUR READING AND OTHER ASSIGNMENTS ARE PREDICATED ON THIS ASSUMPTION.  Time is like money, if invested carefully it will eventually pay big dividends!!

 

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS (or comments) about material being covered in class or things being reported in the NEWS MEDIA please feel free to bring them up in class, or stop by the instructors office or contact them by EMAIL.  We will do our best to try to deal with your questions and concerns.

 

HOUR EXAMS:  In most trimesters there will probably be a total of three "hour" exams [including the final exam].  Hour exams will be based on the lecture material, any films or videotapes shown (or that you are required to watch outside of regular class time), homework assignments, assigned readings, etc.  IT WILL HELP TO TAKE GOOD LECTURE NOTES IN CLASS AND TO KEEP ALL HANDOUT MATERIALS, class notes should be more than just copies of what the instructor(s) put on the board or overhead.  [NOTE: if you are having difficulty in class -- one of the first things that your instructor(s) will want to see are your class notes!!!]  Exams are normally derived from the lecture and handout materials, videotapes watched and the assigned readings.  Exams will be both objective and subjective [to see whether you are able to assimilate data and information and integrate them with information from other areas and disciplines].

  1. Everyone will be required to take the FINAL EXAM.  The final exam will be a COMPREHENSIVE exam.

  2. All exams must be taken at the time scheduled.  If you do not take an exam at the scheduled time, you WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE THAT EXAM [unless there are truly extenuating circumstances].

  3. Any cheating on an exam will automatically cancel that exam grade for the person caught cheating [i.e. a zero grade will be recorded for that exam].

 

MISSING CLASSES:  If you must miss classes for an extended period of time due to illness, accident or other reasons, YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE (405-574-1278) and ask them to send a memo to ALL of your instructors.  This will save you or whoever calls for you the trouble of trying to locate specific instructors.  IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTACT US IF YOU CANNOT BE HERE FOR A CLASS.

 

DROPPING A CLASS:  If you need to drop this class, or any other class, please make certain that you have gone through the proper procedure which involves getting a drop/add slip from the Registrar's Office and getting it signed by your instructor(s) and your advisor, and then returned to the Registrar's Office.  If you just stop coming to a class, you will discover that you will receive an "F" at the end of the trimester.

 

WEB SITES:  You will be expected to access the following web sites when the appropriate material is being discussed in class.

  1. Garrett Hardin (1968); Tragedy of the Commons.  http://dieoff.org/page95.htm

  2. Thomas Robert Malthus (1798); Essay on the Principle of Population. 
     http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/malthus/malthus.0.htm  http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/Theorists/Malthus/SocMalthus.htm

 

IN  CLASS  ESSAY:  All students are required to successfully complete an "in class" essay over "The Tragedy of the Commons." Hardin's paper can be accessed at the following web address:  http://dieoff.org/page95.htm.  You will be expected to access the paper on the web.  FAILURE to write the in class essay will result in an automatic grade of INCOMPLETE (I) for the course.  The GRADE for the in class essay will be assigned as follows: 

1.             50% on the content of the paper, and 2.50% on the correct use of ENGLISH as an effective medium of communication  to your readers (the instructors).

FORMAT  FOR "IN-CLASS" ESSAY

  1.  Sign your name and the date in the upper right hand corner of the first page.

  2. The title of your "in-class" essay is: SUMMARY OF: THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS

  3.  Clearly state the MAJOR PREMISE (IDEA) of the paper.  [5 pts]

  4.  Clearly DEFINE and/or explain the MAJOR PREMISE [10 pts]

  5. Give TWO EXAMPLES [example 1, example 2] from the paper, that Hardin used to backup and/or illustrate his major premise.  [10 pts each example, for 20 pts total]

  6.  Define the term "COMMONS" as used by Hardin in his paper and/or as we have defined it in class.  [5 pts]

  7. In the last [final] paragraph GIVE YOUR REACTION (OPINION) to the paper and Hardin's major premise.  [10 pts]
          [Hint: it will help your grade if you start out your paragraph with "In my opinion" or "It is my opinion".]

  8. Proper use of English (spelling, syntax, punctuation, etc.) is worth 50 pts (50% of the total grade for the essay).

  9. You will be allowed to bring a copy of "The Tragedy of the Commons" and a one (1) page outline into class with you to facilitate the writing    of your essay.

  10.  Only essays written on the PAPER PROVIDED by the instructor(s) will be graded.

GRADING CRITERIA FOR IN-CLASS ESSAY:

  1. Your demonstrated understanding of the material being discussed in the paper that you have read.

  2. YOUR ABILITY TO USE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION:

  1. The essay must be written in good standard English.

  2. Use complete sentences (i.e. subject and verb).

  3. Do not use double negatives.

  4. Use of pronouns must be correct with regard to number, person, and reference (i.e. "he has" NOT "he have," etc.).

  5. Do not have "run-on" sentences [watch out for comma splices].

  6. Verb and subject must agree in number (i.e. "atoms are" NOT "atoms is," "data are" NOT "data is," etc.).

  7. Punctuation (i.e. .,?;:'"!/ - -- etc.) must be used correctly.

  8. Do not use the same symbol for hyphens and dashes, the proper usage is: hyphen (-), while the symbol for a dash is (--).

  9. Hyphenate only between syllables of words.  Monosyllabic words are not hyphenated.

  10. Scientific (binomial) names of organisms are always written in italics, underlined, or in boldface (i.e. Homo sapiens, or homo sapiens, or Homo sapiens).

  11. Punctuation is normally included inside of quotation symbols (i.e. He said, "she is a good writer.")

  1. CONTENTS OF SUMMARY:  Summarize the main points (ideas, concepts, etc.) found in the paper.  BE CAREFUL TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE MAJOR PREMISE and the ideas and information (data, etc.) used to support the major premise.

 

 One of the main reasons for having your read this paper and write a summary of it is to help you to develop your ability to READ CRITICALLY, to learn to pick out the main ideas in what you are reading, and to learn to DISCERN "FACT FROM FICTION" and to expose you to various ideas and problems in contemporary biology and the world.  The other major reason is to give a chance to further polish your writing (communication) and logic skills.

 

Beore you turn in your paper, be certain that have put YOUR  NAME  and  DATE in the UPPER  RIGHT  HAND  CORNER  OF  YOUR  PAPER  ON  THE  FRONT (FIRST)  PAGE.

 

ABOVE ALL ELSE, LEARN TO DISCIPLINE YOUR MIND, TO EVALUATE DATA, AND TO FORMULATE DECISIONS BASED ON YOUR OWN EVALUATIONS.

 

IDS 2023

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS 

SUMMER 2003

 

The major themes for this trimester will be: Scientific thought, genetics, ecology/environment/population problems and evolution.

  1. What is Life?  [chapters: 1]
    Attributes of life:  Schrödinger's [Erwin Schrödinger] question [characteristics of life]

    The first and second laws of thermodynamics.

    Scientific Method

 

Logical Thinking, Scientific Method and Serendipity

What is Really Real? -- Form (Formalism) vs Matter (Materialism) vs Aristotelian thought

Inductive & Deductive Reasoning

Serendipity Effect [e.g. discovery of "magnetotatic bacteria"]

Hypothesis and Theory [difference between use of the word Theory in common language and science]

Microorganisms in the environment (the "great Petri plate" experiment)

 

Some Basic Chemistry:

    Atoms, elements, atomic number, atomic mass, isotopes; quarks, protons, neutrons, & electrons
    Bonds -- ionic, covalent & hydrogen; compounds & molecules

    Biologically important organic molecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids & nucleic acids

 

  1. Genetics:  [chapters: 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

"Humans have been in the business of 'genetic engineering' since the beginning of the neolithic, all that has really changed is the sophistication of our technology and the speed with which we can effect genetic changes at the present time."  LKM summer 2003

The Cell structure and function

Cell division -- mitosis (equational division); asexual division,  meiosis (reduction division) required for sexual reproduction

Genetic terminology
Mendelian genetics
Non-Mendelian genetics [linkage, episomes, gene splicing, recombinant DNA studies, etc.]

Project Genome

Mutations, Mutagens, Chromosomal aberrations

DNA Structure

Modern genetics -- the economic, political, religious, medical and societal implications (i.e. test tube babies, embryo transplants, gene therapy, genetic mother vs host mother, who decides who is genetically defective?, genetic screening, genetic engineering, genetic counseling, eugenics, etc.

Why have sex?

Videotapes (tentative list):

Garden of Inheritance (about Gregor Mendel)

Huntington's Chorea

Characteristics of the Minimum Cell:

  1. protoplasm (cytoplasm)

  2. ribosomes

  3. nucleic acids (DNA & RNA)

  4. cell membranes

Endosymbiotic origin of the mitochondria & chloroplasts -- Dr. Lynn Marguilis et al.

"It has become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity" Albert Einstein

  1.  Ecology:  [chapters: 17. 18, 19, 20,]

                                "Not to decide is to decide." 

                                "Every answer generates new questions/problems."

"There is no such thing as a 'free lunch' -- everything has to be paid for in some way, at some time by some one."

                                Definition of terms

                                Succession

                                Energy and nutrient flow in the biosphere: Food chains, webs and pyramids.

Second law of thermodynamics -- entropy & negentropy

                             Closed vs. open systems

                             Cycles & recycling in the biosphere

Populations:

Was Malthus right?  You will be expected to access and read "Essay on the Principle of Population" by Thomas Robert Malthus, published in 1798 at the web addresses previously listed.

                                                Limiting factors

                                                Abiotic (non-living) & biotic (living)

                                                Competition and other density dependent factors

                                                Growth curves -- J-curves & S-curves, etc.,

                                                Optimum populations vs maximum population

                                                Carrying capacity vs standard of living

Infinite vs. finite environments -- spaceship earth (reread: The Tragedy of the Commons)

Homeostatic mechanisms:  Negative feedback (e.g. thermostat regulating room temperature) vs Positive feedback (e.g. nuclear fission)

"We may utilize the gifts of Nature just as we choose but in Her books, the debits are always equal to the credits." Mahatma Ghandi

Human impact on the environment:

                                                pollution (density dependent) of air, water, soil, ground water, acid rain, etc.

                                                soil erosion                           deforestation                        desertification      

                                                nuclear winter                       greenhouse effect                                Tragedy of the Commons

                                                extinctions                             narrowing of the genetic base

                                                ozone depletion                    solid waste disposal, etc.

"Are humans an endangered species?"  "Are humans really 'weedy' animals or a form of 'cancer in the biosphere"?"  What are some of the economic, political, religious, philosophical, societal, and biological implications of human activity on the biosphere. Quo vadis? 

Questions:

  1. Can the American (USA) political system deal with the real environmental problems?

  2. Can the global economy deal with the developing environmental problems?

Videotapes (tentative list):

   Acid Rain
   The Gaia Hypothesis
   Poison in the Rockies

The Desert Doesn't Bloom Here Anymore
The New Range Wars

                               

Food for thought:  "It is now time for populations -- whether defined politically, religiously, linguistically, geographically, etc. to begin to grow up, to mature and begin to act as responsible adults with regard to reproduction and the proper use of the environment?" LKM Summer 2000.

 

  1. Evolution and the Origin of Life   [chapters: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & relevant materials from the Genetics & Ecology sections]
        First forms of life -- nucleic acids? proteins (prions)? clays?

Primordial soup hypothesis -- I. A. Oparin (Russian) and J.B.S. Haldane (English); Miller/Urey Experiment to support Oparin/Haldane hypothesis

   Evolution -- the "Western" view from Empedocles to Lamarck to Darwin/Wallace to Stephen J. Gould
      Fixity of species -- Linnaeus
      Lamarckian [inheritance of acquired characteristics] -- Jean Baptiste de Lamarck
      Darwinian -- Charles Darwin & Alfred R. Wallace
      Neo-Darwinian [Punctuated Equilibrium] -- Stephan Gould, et al.

Mass Extinctions and Catastrophes -- "K-T Boundary Event," "P-T Boundary Event," etc.

Plate Tectonics -- (continental drift) -- the driving force behind evolution [66-70]
Major types of rocks [igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic] and their relations to fossil formation
Fossils -- what they are; how they are formed
Dating techniques -- radiodating, dendrochronolgy, etc. [159]
Interrelations between genetics, ecology & evolution

Evolution of Homo sapiens (i.e. modern humans)
Philosophical concepts:
   What is really real?
   Form versus Matter
   What do Formalism and Materialism have to do with Creationism and Evolution?

How are Dualism and the "Disjunctive Syllogism" involved in the arguments about creationism and evolution?
How does the "western (Judaism, Christianity & Islam) worldview" differ from the "Hindu worldview" with regard to the modern concept(s) of evolution?

              Videotapes (tentative list):

                                Fossils of the Burgess Shale              Fit to Rule

                                Human Evolution                 God, Darwin and the Dinosaurs

                                Making of a Continent, part 3: The Mississippi River and the New Madrid Fault

                               

 

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS -- you are expected to access and read this paper at  the following web location:  http://dieoff.org/page95.htm.  As you go through the course (and your daily life), continually ask yourself what the major concepts in this paper have to do with the current topic area(s) under consideration and discussion.  What are "no technical solution" problems and how do they differ from "technical solution" problems?  How are "no technical solution" problems to be solved?

 

TRAGEDY OF COMMONS: In Class Essay will be on Thursday 12 June 2002.

FINAL EXAM DATE:  Thursday 8:00- 9:30 AM, Thursday 31 July 2003.

 

Further Thoughts:"Striving toward civilization is the one character that sets humans apart from other life forms.  C.M. Mather

 

Some Thoughts from Mahatma Gandi:

                "The earth provided enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed."

"It is an arrogant assumption to say that human beings are lords and masters of the lower creatures.  On the contrary, being endowed with greater things in life, they are the trustees of the lower animal kingdom."

                "Wildlife is decreasing in the jungles, but it is increasing in the towns."

                "A society can be judged by the way it treats its animals."

"I need no inspiration other than Nature's.  She has never failed me yet.  She mystified me, bewilders me, sends me into ecstasies.  Besides God's handiwork, does not man fade into insignificance?"

 

"God has permitted us to develop new technologies as a way of checking on our growth and development as moral beings.  Let us pray that we do not fail God's test!"  LKM Summer 1997

 

"Whenever I injure any kind of life, I must be quite certain that it is necessary.  I must never go beyond the unavoidable, not even in apparently insignificant things.  That man is truly ethical who shatters no ice crystal as it sparkles in the sun, tears no leaf from a tree ....  Dr. Albert Schweitzer