Biol 220-01: General Zoology

Class Syllabus – Fall Semester 2010

Instructor:Dr. George Harper

DW Reynolds, Room 414

Phone: 450-1359

Email:

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Office Hours: Monday 9 – 10 AM, Wednesday 10 – 11 AM, Friday 10 – 11 AM, plus any other time by appointment

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:10 – 9:00 in DW Reynolds 10

Lab: Wednesday 1:10 – 4:00 PM. DW Reynolds 223.

TEXTS:

Required: Hickman et al. 2008. Integrated Principles of Zoology. 14th ed. McGraw-Hill is required for lecture (obtain from bookstore), and Johnson, Sutton, and Moran General Zoology Laboratory Directions is required for lab (obtain from Charlotte Shaw – 1st floor of DW Reynolds).

Strongly Recommended but optional for Lab: Rust, A Guide to Biology Lab and Van De Graaff and Crawley, An Illustrated Laboratory Text in Zoology. Each pair of lab partners might want to have one copy of each between them.

Course Description. In this course we will study one kingdom of living organisms, the animals. The animal kingdom contains an amazing diversity of species that take on many forms. This course will focus on the evolution, taxonomy, and anatomy of animals. This is a very intensive course that requires a lot of out of class study due to the large amount of material covered. The lab and lecture portions of the course are equally important and are closely coordinated in content.

Course Objectives. At the end of this course you should:

  • Understand the evolutionary history of the animals and how the various animal phyla are related to one another;
  • Know animal anatomy and understand the function of major organ systems;
  • Be an accomplished dissectionist with well-developed microscopy skills.

Grading. The final grades will be calculated based on 1200 total points composed of:

  1. 3 Exams during the semester, each worth 100 points (300 points total);
  2. Comprehensive Final Exam(200 points);
  3. 4 Lab Practicals during the semester, each worth 100 points (400 points total);
  4. Lab report (100 points) and Behavior experiment Poster (100 points);
  5. Participation in lecture (100 points).

The grading scale will be 90% and above for A, 80%-89% for B, 70%-79% for C, 60%-69% for D, and 59% and lower for F. I reserve the right to lower the threshold for each letter grade (i.e. curve the grades), but I will not raise the threshold for any letter grade (e.g. a 90% will always be an A, an 80% will always be at least a B, etc.)

Exam dates: September 15, October 20, November 17. I will explain what is covered on each exam at least one class prior to the exam.

Final Exam – Monday, December 13th at 2:00PM. The final will be cumulative, and will include a few chapters covered after the third regular exam.

Lab Practicals: Lab practicals are given in the lab room (DW Reynolds 223) during a regularly scheduled lecture period. We will begin at 8:10 and you will have to be done at 9:00. The four lab practicals will occur on September 20, October 11, November 1, and December 6.

Course Policies:

Participation. Your active participation in both lecture and lab are expected. You are encouraged to ask questions (and be prepared to answer them) during lecture meetings. Read the material that will be covered prior to lecture. By reading and understanding the material ahead of lecture you will find the classroom experience much more enjoyable and you will be able to better participate in classroom discussions.

Make up labs and exams. It is extremely difficult to schedule a time to make up lab, so if you know you will not be able to make it to lab (for an excused absence) in a given week let me know ASAP so that we can make alternate arrangements. To get a make-up exam you must have documentation that validates your absence (email from coach, evidence of religious observance, etc.).

Cell Phones, PDAs, etc. Please remember to turn off or silence your cell phone during class and lab. Please do not bring phones and other hand-held devices to the exams.

Laptops in Class. I strongly encourage you to take notes using whatever tools you find most useful. If you choose to take notes on a laptop computer, I ask that you refrain from accessing the wireless network, playing games, or accessing other non-class related programs during class time.

Academic Integrity. Your education and your character are both extremely important. Please don’t jeopardize either of them for a few points or the chance to look good. Any instances of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating on exams, etc.) will be reported to the Academic Integrity Committee. For details on the procedures involved with academic dishonesty issues please refer to the Hendrix College Catalog.

Students with Disabilities. It is the policy of Hendrix College to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal and state law. Any student who needs accommodation in relation to a recognized disability should inform the instructor at the beginning of the course. In order to receive accommodations, students with disabilities are required to contact Julie Brown in Academic Support Services at 505-2954.

Lecture Schedule

Date / Topics / Reading
Aug. 25 / Course Intro, Symmetry, Cell Types / Ch. 9 – 185-188, 190-198
Aug. 27 / Development, Body Plans / Ch. 8 – 162-170
Ch. 9 – 188-191
Aug. 30 / Digestion, Porifera / Ch. 32 – 708-714
Ch. 12 – 248-257
Sept. 1 / Taxonomy, Phylogeny, Species & Evolution / Ch. 10 – 199-215
Ch. 6 – 108-117
Sept. 3 / Cnidaria, Ctenophora / Ch. 13 – 260-286
Sept. 6 / Labor Day – No Class
Sept. 8 / Nervous System / Ch. 33 –726-734,740-1, 743-4, 746
Sept. 10 / Platyhelminthes / Ch. 14 – 292-307
Sept. 13 / Nemertea, Rotifera, Acanthocephala & Entoprocta / Ch. 14 – 307-311
Ch. 15 – 316-321, 323-324
Sept. 15 / Lecture Exam #1
Sept. 17 / Lophophorates, Mollusca / Ch. 15 – 324-327
Ch. 16 – 331-346
Sept. 20 / Lab Practical #1
Sept. 22 / Mollusca / Ch. 16 – 346-360
Sept. 24 / Circulation & Respiration, Alimentary Canal / Ch. 31 – 686-692, 698-699
Ch. 32 – 714-717
Sept. 27 / Annelida / Ch. 17 – 362-371
Sept. 29 / Annelida, Echiura & Sipuncula / Ch. 17 – 371-382
Oct. 1 / Osmoregulation, Nematoda / Ch. 30 – 666-672
Ch. 18 – 384-393
Oct. 4 / Nematomorpha, Panarthropoda / Ch. 18 – 393-394, 396-399
Oct. 6 / Vision, Chemical Coordination / Ch. 33 – 747-750
Ch. 34 – 753-758
Oct. 8 / Arthropoda (Trilobita, Chelicerata & Myriapoda) / Ch. 19 – 402-418
Oct. 11 / Lab Practical #2
Oct. 13 / Arthropoda (Crustacea) / Ch. 20 – 420-439
Oct. 15 / Fall Break – No Class
Oct. 18 / Arthropoda (Hexapoda) / Ch. 21 – 441-459, 462-466
Oct. 20 / Lecture Exam #2
Oct. 22 / Deuterostomes, Echinodermata / Ch. 22 – 472-485
Oct. 25 / Echinodermata, Hemichordata / Ch. 22 – 485-494
Oct. 27 / Chordata, Urochordata, Cephalochordata / Ch. 23 – 496-505
Oct. 29 / Vertebrata, Skeletons / Ch. 23 – 505-512
Ch. 29 – 648-654
Nov. 1 / Lab Practical #3
Nov. 3 / Vertebrate Systems, Fish / pp. 673-679, 692-698, 699-706, 716-720, 734-739, 741-747
Nov. 5 / Fish / Ch. 24 – 514-540
Nov. 8 / Transition to Land / Ch. 25 – 543-547
Nov. 10 / Amphibians / Ch. 25 – 548-560
Nov. 12 / Amniotes, Reptiles / Ch. 26 – 563-572
Nov. 15 / Reptiles (Dinosaurs & Extant taxa) / Ch. 26 – 572-581
Nov. 17 / Lecture Exam #3
Nov. 19 / Crocodilians, Birds / Ch. 26 – 581-583
Ch. 27 – 585-598
Nov. 22 / Birds / Ch. 27 – 598-610
Nov. 24 & 26 /

Thanksgiving Break – No Class

Nov. 29 / Mammals / Ch. 28 – 612-623
Dec. 1 / Mammals / Ch. 28 – 623-640
Dec. 3 / Vertebrate Endocrine / Ch. 34 – 758-768
Dec. 6 / Lab Practical #4


Lab Schedule

DateTopicLab ChaptersDissection

08/25/10No Lab

09/01/10Introduction & Sponges1, 7

09/08/10Cnidaria & Ctenophora6

09/15/10Platyhelminthes5

Pseudocoelomate Lophotrochozoans4 (in part)

Circulation ExperimentHandout

09/22/10Mollusca & Lophorphorates8, 10Clam

09/29/10Annelida2, 3Earthworm

10/06/10Pseudocoelomate Ecdysozoans4Roundworm

Osmoregulation ExperimentHandout

10/13/10Arthropoda 19Crayfish

10/20/10Arthropoda 29Grasshopper

10/27/10Echinodermata11Sea Star

Animal Behavior Experiment Design

11/03/10Chordates & Vertebrate Microanatomy12

11/10/10Vertebrate Gross AnatomyHandoutPerch

Evolution of Jaws & Ear BonesHandout

11/17/10Vertebrate Taxonomy13

Animal Behavior Experiment

11/24/10No Lab – Thanksgiving Break

12/01/10Animal Behavior Experiment Poster Presentations

Lab Practicals are on Sept. 20th, Oct. 11th, Nov. 1st, and Dec. 6th.