Human Biology BSC 2023 U02 Florida International University Spring 2012(January 9 – April 21)

1. Human BiologyBSC 2023 U02Florida International University
Spring 2012(January 9 – April 21) 
 Florida International University BSC 2023 U01 Human Biology Fall 2012 Instructor: Steven Reinhardt Office: OE 215 Email: reinhard@fiu.edu Office Hours: Monday through Friday; 9:30AM - 11:00AM (Please make appointments in advance) Office phone: 305-348-7614 Meeting Time / Place: Lecture: Monday, Wednesday & Friday; 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM / SCH. INTER. & PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 125 Learning Materials: Text; Visualizing Human Biology, 3rd Edition, K.A. Ireland Course Description: In Human Biology (BSC 2023) you will learn the key concepts governing the scientific method and human body structure, function, variation, and evolution. In addition, you will learn how to apply these concepts to solve problems related to human biology. We will examine a broad scope of topics including homeostasis and communication mechanisms of the body, movement and support, reproduction, growth and development, genetic variation, and environmental plasticity. The course is primarily designed for non-science majors, and there are no prerequisites for the course. A separate laboratory course (BSC 2023L) is taught in conjunction with this course and is recommended. Syllabus: https://ecampus.fiu.edu/moodle/

2. Grading policy and Assessment: Your grade will be assessed based on your performance in three exams, one 10% assignment, one final cumulative exam, (if you take it) and PLTL (if you decide to participate). Thefinal exam is not obligatory unless you miss a previous exam. If you miss an exam, you have to take the final exam. PLTL is not obligatory and will not count against you if you do not participate. PLTL and the final exam can only improve your final grade not reduce it. Three Exams and Final Examination will consist of multiple-choice, matching, and true-false questions answered on computer-graded forms (Scantron). Grading scale: Grade Distribution: Exam Dates:  A 90% - 100% 30% - 1st Exam Exam 1 – Sept. 6th Monday B 80% - 89% 30% - 2nd Exam Exam 2 – Oct.5th Monday C 70% - 79% 30% - 3rd Exam Exam 3 – Nov. 26th Monday D 60% - 69% 10% - Assignment Assignment due no later then Nov. 26th F <60% 100% - Total FINAL EXAM – Dec. 3rd Monday, 12pm-2pm If you miss an exam, the final exam is obligatory and will account for 30% towards your final grade. If you take all 3 exams and take the final exam, your lowest exam grade will be omitted.

3. Grading policy: MISSED EXAMS WILL RESULT IN A ZERO SCORE There will be no make-upexams administered unless circumstances beyond the student’s control arise and are IMMEDIATELY accompanied by the appropriate documentation: -Death of an immediate family member requires official bereavement statement. -Student/immediate family member with acute/terminal illness require an official hospital/clinic notification. -Traffic accident requires official accident report. -Jury duty requires county clerk summons. -Military duty with official documentation. The aforementioned will be taken into consideration or, if applicable, allow students to request an “Incomplete” grade. Candidates for grades of “Incomplete” include those students that have completed 60% of the course work satisfactorily (C grade or higher) and cannot justifiably finish the course (pre-planned vacation/business trips do not constitute a serious interruption).

4. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL): PLTL:
BSC 2023-U01, students have the option of participating in the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) sessions. Registered students will have weekly meetings with a PLTL leader along with a small group of students. The PLTL leader’s role as facilitator will guide students through assigned activities that can only enhance comprehension of human biology. If you decide to fully participate in PLTL, your PLTL score will be converted to 100 points and averaged into your lowest exam score (If the final exam is taken or if you opt-out of the final exam, the 3 highest exams grades will be recorded and of these 3, the lowest exam will be combined with the PLTL points accumulated. i.e., lowest exam score + 100 PLTL points/2=adjusted lowest exam score). All students are encouraged to utilize the PLTL resources to the utmost; however,students opting not to fully participate in PLTL will not accrue any semester points. PLTL can not hurt your grade it can only help it.

5. The Day of the Exams: PLEASE BRING TWO SHARPENED #2 PENCILS WITH ERASERS AND YOUR STUDENT ID OR OTHER PICTURE ID WITH YOU TO ALL EXAMS. All other materials will have to be placed at the front or back of the class, so it is best not to carry anything to the room on exam day. NOTE: this includes hats, phones, computers, purses, backpacks, tissues, sweaters and jackets, calculators, lunch boxes—everything except pencils. Please turn off all phones. You will be asked to remove your hats. We will check your student ID before you are allowed to turn-in your test and leave. Please do not forget to bring ID. You may write on the test sheet. You will be supplied a scantron. I use a database to record the grades.  The identifier is your Panther ID Number/Student Number.  If you incorrectly bubble in your Student Number, you will receive no grade for the exam.  You must also bubble in your name correctly (Last name first, First name last). When you are finished, your name must be written on the test and turned in with the scantron sheet, whether filled-out or not. The scantron will not be accepted unless they have returned the test with it. Class rules during exams; No looking around or talking after the exam has started, even if you are not cheating I will take your test and you will receive a zero for that exam. Cheating, you will fail the course (see below). Arriving late for exams: If you arrive to an exam more than 30 minutes late, or after the first person finishes the exam (whichever comes first) you will not be allowed to take the exam.  You must take the exam during your registered class.

6. Checking your grades : Grades will be will be sent to your Panther email account on-line as soon as I receive them and can enter them into my database. Please do not email me asking what your grade is or when the grades will be posted. After posting the grades if your grade is not on the list or you did not receive the email, then email me: reinhard@fiu.edu and I will send it to you. 
 Cheating policy : Cheating (i.e. possession of crib sheets/notes, glaring at another’s paper) during any of the administered exams is a direct violation of FIU’s student conduct code and will not be tolerated in this course. The instructor will be proctoring exams diligently; violators will either receive a failing semester grade or be subjected to university administrative action. This policy adheres to the following: “Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.”

7. Tips on the successful completion of this course: -Attendance is mandatory.Poor attendance can only result in poor grades. The lecture topics will have “objectives” that will only be posted during the class and not available on moodle. I will also cover some topics in class that might not be on power point moodle presentations and these topics could possibly be on exams -Make emphasis on careful note-taking and pre-reading skills. In the case of missed lecture days or impending absences, students are responsible for obtaining lecture notes and in-class announcement information from fellow classmates (do not summon the instructor for this). -All electronic equipment should be silenced (i.e. phones, computers, I-pads), computer are not allowed on in class unless they are used to take notes or augment the lecture in some manner and should be silent. Please be considerate with the use of computers so as to not encumber the learning and thinking process of others. -Disruptive behavior during lectures/exams is deemed inappropriate and will not be tolerated.    
 If any of the preceding information elicits a conflict of interest, you are strongly urged to DROP the course. Please be advised that the course syllabus schedule of events is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

11. Please be advised that the course syllabus schedule of events is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

12. Assignment, 10% of final grade “Drawing to Learn in Science” Instructions 1. Choose a book and have it checked off. From the list provided or check with me first if you have a book you think will be appropriate for a Human Biology class. Bring the book to class or by my office before September 7th (Friday). When I see the book I will check your name off on a list (if you do not bring the book by to get your name checked off you will not receive credit for the report). 2. Read and write. A minimum 2 page summary of the contents and main idea or theme of the book. If you want, give your perspective on the topic at the end of the summary (not counted in as the 2 page summary). 3. Illustrate. Through this illustration explain the main idea or what you believe is the theme of the book, as if you are teaching it to someone else and you had to explain it to them with just your illustration. You will NOT be graded on artistic ability but content will be a major part of the overall grade. Drawings, paintings or whatever you feel comfortable with. No computer assisted drawings, use your hands. You should be able to look at the illustration alone and determine the main idea without the written summary. See student examples provided on my Moodle class site and the references below for more clarity if needed. 4. Deadline. November 26th(Monday). If you turn the project in early I will grade it and give it back, time permitting, you can correct anything that may be needed and resubmit it for an upgrade. If you turn the project in on or close to the deadline I will not give the project back and you will not know your grade until after the final exam (I will email the grade to you) You can pick up your project after the term is over and I have recorded the grade by coming by my office during office hours (see syllabus for office hours). References and further explanation and examples: * Free Podcast; Science Update Podcast, August 26th, 2011; Fears, Lies & Shrinking Brains * Journal; Science; August 26th, 2011. Vol. 333, Issue 6046. in the section; Science Education, pgs. 1096-1097. Article title; “Drawing to Learn in Science”. (Reserved in FIU Library) * Website; www.picturingtolearn.org

13. “Drawing to Learn in Science” Book list Title; Authors A Short History of Nearly Everything; Bill Bryson, (there are two versions of the book, one for adults and one for children, obviously do not choose the children’s book)*** The Paleo Diet (Revised Edition); Loren Cordain, (Two other books; The Paleo cookbook & The Paleo Diet for Athletes, are not on the list but are also good follow up books for self interest)* The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution; Richard Dawkins*** The Selfish Gene; Richard Dawkins*** Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies; Jared Diamond*** Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom; Rick Hanson & Richard Mendius* Proust was a Neuroscientist; Jonah Lehrer** The Hidden Brain; Shankar Vedantam** The Social Conquest of Earth; Edward O. Wilson*** Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human; Richard Wrangham** The level of astride (*) will delineate the level or length of the book; * = Not Difficult, ** = Moderately Difficult, *** = Difficult

14. “Drawing to Learn in Science” • Tips; After looking online at a detailed summary of a book you might be interested in (maybe Amazon.com) and you obtain the book, look in advance at how many chapters the book has, divide how many weeks you have left in the term and set a plan on the number of chapters you must read a week. Leave a couple of weeks before the deadline (Monday, November 26th) to do the summary and illustration. Some books have extensively more pages then others and some have more difficult concepts and require more thought and, or time. I will take this into account when grading. I have a few donated copies of each of the above books if you want to borrow one but they go quick. If you want to donate your book after doing the project it would be greatly appreciated!

15. Suggested Weekly Podcast: free downloads 1. Nature Podcast; Highlighted content fro the week’s edition of the science journal Nature 2. Science Update Podcast; Highlighted contents for the weekly edition of the AAAS, Journal of Science 3. PRI’s, The World: Technology Podcast; Weekly technology podcast highlighting the latest and greatest news in global technology. 4. 60-Second Mind, Scientific American; Weekly one minute commentary on the latest developments in the science of brain and behavior. 5. NPR: Planet Money Podcast; Biweekly podcast with a staff of economist explaining and discussing the rapidly changing global economy in an interesting and humorous format. 6. www.ted.com; TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Click on “Talks” and you can view short informative lectures. Free subscription and the talks will be sent to you.