Weber State University
Weber State University
Department of Botany
BOTANY SL1203 - PLANT BIOLOGY - SPRING 2003
Prerequisites: none
Lecture: Sat, 9:00-11:50
Instructor: Dr. S. Harley; Office: SL409M, 626-7434;
Office hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 or by appointment
Course Description
An introductory course for non-majors that emphasizes the unique features
of plant biology. Included are discussions on: the origins of
life; important plants of the world and their habitats; plant diversity,
structure, function, and reproduction; plants and environmental science;
plants that changed history; practical botany; and botany as a science.
Three lecture/demonstration hours per week.
Students with disabilities
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must
contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the
Student Services Center. SSD can arrange to provide course materials
in alternative formats, if necessary.
Support materials
There is no required textbook for this class. However, if you wish
to purchase a general botany textbook, you may do so at the WSU bookstore.
Two books are for sale there:
Moore R, Clark WD, Vodopich DS. 1998. Botany, 2nd ed.
McGraw-Hill, Boston.
Uno G, Storey R, Moore R. 2001. Principles of Botany. McGraw-Hill,
Boston.
The following general botany books are on reserve in the Stewart Library:
Raven RH, Evert RF, Eichhorn SE. 1999. Biology of Plants, 6th
ed. WH Freeman and Co., New York.
Stern KR. 2000. Introductory Plant Biology, 8th ed. McGraw-Hill,
Boston.
In addition to the books listed above, you might find
The Online Biology
Book authored by M. J. Farabee at Estrella Mountain Community College, in
Avondale, Arizona, useful
You will also be able to access expanded course topic lists/notes/overheads,
exam reviews, and web links to relevant material at the
Botany LS1203 Home Page.
You should check this site at least once a week for updates.
Course Schedule (subject to change)
|
Date |
Topic |
|
January 18 |
Why study plants Criteria to be alive: Cell Theory Prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic cells Classification of organisms |
|
January 25 |
|
|
February 1 |
Survey of the Traditional Plant Kingdom: Fungi continued, Algae First newspaper summary due (15 points) |
|
February 8 |
Survey of the Traditional Plant Kingdom: Lichens, Bryophytes Second newspaper summary due (15 points) Term paper topic due |
|
February 15 |
First Exam (100 points) Exam 1 Review List Survey of the Traditional Plant Kingdom: Seedless Vascular Plants, Gymnosperms |
|
February 22 |
Survey of the Traditional Plant Kingdom: Angiosperms Summary Table of the Plant Kingdom Vegetative plant structure and vegetative reproduction |
|
March 1 |
Fruits, seeds, and seed dispersal (video) Third newspaper summary due (15 points) |
|
March 8 |
Fourth newspaper summary due (15 points) |
|
March 15 |
Second Exam (100 points) Exam 2 Review List Plant Cell Structure and Organelles Progress report on the term paper due |
|
March 22 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
March 29 |
Plant Cell Structure and Organelles continued |
|
April 5 |
Fifth newspaper summary due (15 points) |
|
April 12 |
Carnivorous Plants (video) Biomes Economic Botany summary due (25 points) (Antelope Island Field Trip, April 18) |
|
April 19 |
|
|
April 26 |
Survey of Economically Important Plants and Plant Products, including Plants and Plant Products of Historical Importance Term paper due (100 points) |
|
May 3 |
Third Exam (130 points) Exam 3 Review List |
Grading
Your grade will be based on three exams and several written assignments that
include five summaries of newspaper articles, a summary of an article from
a scientific journal (or participation in the Antelope Island Field Trip),
and a term paper.
Exams
You will be given three exams. The first two will be worth 100 points
each, and the third will be worth 130 points. While the second and
third exams will not be formally cumulative, the later material in the course
builds on earlier material. The format of the exams will be a mixture
of multiple choice, matching, identification, short answer, and essay.
If you are so late for an exam that one has already been turned in, you may
not take the exam.
NO MAKE UP EXAMS!!
Written Assignments
All written assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date.
Late assignments will lose 5 points per calendar day.
Any assignment that is more than three calendar days late will not be graded.
Any plagiarism in an assignment results in an automatic zero. All assignments
are to be typed (word processed), double spaced, with one inch margins and
12 point font. Do not use a cover page.
Click here
for details on citing references, assignment formats, etc.
| Newspaper Articles In order to enhance your awareness of current botanical issues and develop an appreciation for the “plant perspective” of things, you will summarize five newspaper articles related to botany. For each summary, you will write a one paragraph summary followed by one paragraph in which you explain the botanical importance or relevance of the article. (Be aware that the second paragraph is difficult to write if you select an article about a medicinal plant.) If you use any references, be sure to cite them. You are to turn in a copy of the article with your summary. You may use an online newspaper. Each summary is worth 15 points.
|
|
| Journal Article You are to summarize an article from the scientific journal Economic Botany. (You cannot substitute any other journal. The Stewart Library has received this journal - call number SB1.E19 - since its inception in 1947. Surely there will be something since then that will interest you. An electronic version of the journal is also available via the Stewart Library web site.) If a paper in Economic Botany is headed "Utilization Abstract," "Notes on Economic Plants," or "Book Review," it may not be used. (Basically, avoid anything three pages or less in length.) Your summary will include a one paragraph summary of the article. This paragraph will be followed by one paragraph in which you state the importance or relevance of the paper as well as why you chose the paper. The chosen paper should be the primary reference. Additional references could include other periodical articles, web sites, and encyclopedias. If you use any references, be sure to cite them. A photocopy or printout of the chosen article is to be turned in with your summary. If a hard copy of the article does not accompany the summary, the summary will be docked 10 points. The hard copy will be returned with the graded summary. As an alternative to the journal article summary, you can go on the Antelope Island Field Trip on April 18. If you go the Antelope Island Field Trip Home Page, you can access the field trip information. To use the field trip as a substitute for your journal article summary, you must turn in a summary when you turn in your term paper.
|
|
| Term Paper The term paper should be 4-5 pages long with at least five annotated references. The topic will be of your own choosing, but it must be related to the subjects of this class. Your paper will cover a specific plant or aspect of Botany that you want to learn more about. Do not write a term paper that is a summary of your class notes; you need to go beyond that information. Be careful not to make your topic too broad. |
Calculation of your grade:
|
Three exams (2 @ 100 points each; 1 @ 130 points) |
330 points |
|
Five summaries of newspaper articles @ 15 points each |
75 points |
|
Summary of an Economic Botany article or the field trip |
25 points |
|
Term paper |
100 points |
|
TOTAL |
530 points |
Point totals to achieve a specific grade are as follows:
|
A = 493-530 |
B = 440-475 |
C = 387-407 |
D = 334-369 |
|
A- = 477-492 |
B- = 424-439 |
C- = 371-386 |
D- = 318-333 |
|
B+ = 461-476 |
C+ = 408-423 |
D+ = 355-370 |
E = 0-317 |
Be sure to
read the Botany Department Statement of Expectations of Students.
Contact: sharley@weber.edu Return to Harley Home.
Return to Botany 1203 Home Page.
26 April 2003