Course Information and Syllabus for

Biological Sciences 490: Plant-Human Connections

Fall 2003

Professor: Dr. Kurt Schulz

Office: Science 3313, 650-3005 Lab: Science 3229

Office hours: 1:00-2:00 MT, or by appointment. (Please don't assume the instructor is always available for drop-in visits)

email: kschulz@siue.edu

Class Meeting Times: lecture 10:00-11:00 MWF, lab 1:00-3:00 R

Text: Simpson, B. and M. Connor-Ogorzaly. 2001. Economic botany: plants in our world, 3^rd ed. McGraw-Hill, Boston.

Course Objectives:

1. Explain and reenforce the scientific method as an objective mechanism for learning and knowing.

2. Develop an appreciation of evolution and natural selection as the unifying principles in biology.

3. Emphasize the inseparable relationship between human life and plants

Grades and Examinations:

A total of 450 points will be distributed as follows:

50 points each for two lab practicals

150 points, 75 points each for two lecture exams

100 points for the final exam

50 points for a PowerPoint presentation on an important medicinal or poisonous plant of your choosing

50 points for a research paper on the role of a "keystone" plant species in any modern or ancient culture

50 points for the presentation of your research results in a PowerPoint talk

All papers and talks will be graded on an A-F scale, with intermediate grades denoted as AB, BC, etc. Letter grades will be assigned point values (e.g., A = 95% or 48 of 50 points; AB = 90% or 45 points) for computational purposes.

No extra credit will be given. Please don't ask.

The following grades are guaranteed:

90-100% = A

80-89 = B

70-79 = C

60-69 = D

< 60 = F

Attendance, etc.

1. Students are expected to attend every class unless sickness, family emergency, or religious observances prevent attendance. The instructor will not assist students who cannot provide evidence of an acceptable reason for missing class. Do not plan vacations or other activities that conflict with class meetings.

2. The instructor must be notified in advance for students to postpone examinations. The instructor may demand evidence that the absence was legitimate.

Study Advice

1. Just as a fishing license is not a promise of catching a fish, paying tuition is not a promise of a specific grade. What you take from this course is largely of your own making.

2. Course notes are a custom-made tool which connects the themes in lecture to the details in the text. Use them to organize ideas and provide a context for factual material. A looseleaf binder is the flexible way to keep notes and handouts together.

3. Acquire the discipline of promptly reviewing and correcting course notes. Good notes not only record important information, but provide clear indications of what was stressed in lecture. Make it a habit to spend time after each lecture reviewing and correcting notes. Additional time will be required for reading the text and studying exams.

4. Read the text and other assigned materials.

Ethics in the Classroom

Cheating and plagiarism are academic crimes. Don't tolerate or engage in cheating. Please see page 14 of the Fall Class Schedule for details.

Schedule

N.B. Minor schedule changes will be made to accommodate course objectives.