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GENERAL COURSE PROCEDURES:
- You will need a COMPUTER (not just a tablet or a cell phone) and a reliable Internet connection for this course.
- Students are expected to read Class Notices and other online postings several times each week
because they are subject to change, especially just before exams.
- Regular class attendance is expected. Students who repeatedly miss classes always do poorly.
- Students are expected to read chapter assignments before class, then again after class.
- Tests are listed on the syllabus (and any changes are posted on Class Notices).
Please DO NOT USE GOOGLE DOCS (or any link to a cloud-based service) to submit your tests or any other assignments; just use regular email.
- Remember that all plans are subject to change, so you need to check Class Notices frequently.
- Please email me at any time if you have a question or a problem.
Suggestions are always welcome.
ALL STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED:
- To view class materials frequently, at least a few times each week.
- To be prepared for studying each day both mentally and intellectually.
- To pay attention, work hard and do their best.
- To read the textbook and other course materials carefully and thoroughly,
with the aim of learning the material.
- RECOMMENDATION: Before class, read the assignment, paying attention to boldface words
and to the illustrations (and their captions). After class, reread everything thoroughly for full detail.
- To ask for assistance when they need it. (Extra help can be arranged.)
- To enjoy learning new skills.
- To develop new and increased understanding of the scientific inquiry process.
- To develop new and increased understanding of living systems.
- To develop new and increased understanding of the world around them.
- To become familiar with the web pages posted for this class.
- To keep an alert mind, focused on learning, not sleep-deprived
or impaired in any other way.
- To e-mail me with any questions, concerns, or special needs.
- To cooperate with other students in an environment of mutual learning and mutual respect.
- To treat their fellow students and teachers with respect.
- To be familiar with and to abide by the University's policies on academic honesty,
as explained here.
- Meeting the above expectations is your responsibility.
"A teacher can open the door to learning, but you must enter on your own."
—Confucian proverb
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME, the teacher:
- Love of learning (a life-long passion)
- Love of teaching (another life-long passion)
- Willingness to help every student, as much as they need
- Fairness to all
- A commitment, which I take seriously, to make sure that
every student who takes seriously their commitment to live up to the expectations
listed above will:
(a) learn a lot and acquire knowledge, (b) acquire many useful skills, and (c) earn a high grade.
Individual help is available for those who need it.
If you have any special needs, it is your responsibility to inform your instructor, preferably by email.
If the information that you seek can be found online, please look there first. I will try to respond to emails as soon as I can.
As a student, you might experience any of a range of issues that can be barriers to learning.
These include strained relationships, anxiety, high levels of stress, alcohol/drug problems, financial challenges, feeling down,
or loss of motivation. If you feel yourself struggling with an issue, such as mental or physical health, please feel free to approach me.
I will try to be flexible and accommodating as well as to assist you in getting the help you might want. You may also wish
to contact Counseling Services (508-929-8072) or Health Services (508-929-8875) directly if you need them.
OUTCOMES— WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO GET OUT OF THIS COURSE:
From any educational experience, you will get two kinds of outcomes. They are both important, but very different:
CREDENTIALS, like a degree, a certificate, or a grade in a course: These will help you get your
first job or college (or graduate or professional school) placement.
For more about grading in this course, see section G, below.
KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS: These will help you do well
in your first job or in further schooling, or your second or third job as well, so the importance
is more lasting.
If you work seriously to fulfill the expectations listed above, you will gain both
subject knowledge, including an understanding of
science, biology and biological systems at all levels,
and also important learning skills, such as:
- How to plan your work
- How to read, carefully and critically
- How to evaluate what you read (especially
when different sources say different things)
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Now go back and look at the above list of skills, and think about why an employer would value
an employee who has those skills (and can teach them to others), but would be more inclined
to get rid of an employee who displays a lack of one or more of these skills. Your knowledge and skills,
not your credentials, will help you to keep your job, or get a promotion, or get a good letter of recommendation for your next job.
MORE SPECIFIC SUBJECT MATTER:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
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Explain the logical structure of science and of scientific reasoning
Explain and apply scientific methods to problems within science and in society at large
Summarize the general history of biological revolutions in their social and historical contexts,
including those outlined above
Recognize the influences of scientific theories in politics, literature, and other social contexts
Explain Kuhn's concept of scientific revolutions
Explain the principles of branching evolution, natural selection, genetics, DNA structure, and
the structure of biological communities
Recognize the implications of the cladistic groupings of organic species
Recognize faulty reasoning and faulty logic in various contexts
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To contact Dr. Minkoff: please e-mail me at
eminkoff bates.edu
I am here to help.
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