Syllabus
for Introduction to Marine Biology OCB 2003
Prerequisite: Intellectual curiosity
NB: This course
is for non-science majors only and with the lab fulfills a natural science
core requirement
Term, time
and place: Fall,
2011; M and W 5-6:15 pm in PC 310
Professor: W. Goldberg, Office OE 229, office
hours: Right BEFORE class
by appointment.
e-mail address: goldberg@fiu.edu
Text: Marine Biology, Castro and Huber 8th
edition, 2009
THE RULES
•Class attendance is expected. Students who are repeatedly absent will not get curve points (see below).
•There are 3 exams, about one per month, composed of 50 multiple choice test questions. The mean of these will be your grade in this course.
•Tests
will be curved according to the highest grade in the class, but these points
are earned by attendance.
•There is a voluntary final exam given during finals week (details below)
•There are no makeup exams or extra credit assignments allowed.
•There will be no early or late tests for students who have purchased airline tickets without consulting the syllabus.
•You may be late for a test but you will not be given extra time.
•The latest you can arrive for a test is when the first student finishes and leaves the room.
•I do not keep old tests.
• I use lecture outlines; I do not use lecture notes. If you miss a class you should get the notes from someone who was here.
Tests,and
test policies: Three exams will be given
during class time. There will also be an opportunity to take a voluntary comprehensive test, which is a one-hour final composed of questions covering
the subject from each of the prior tests in roughly equal proportions
(i.e., 1/3 from test one, 1/3 from test 2, ect.). Should you choose to
take it, the comprehensive will replace the lowest of your three prior
grades. If the comprehensive exam is your lowest test grade, that grade
will be the one that is dropped. Therefore, the comprehensive test cannot
lower your pre-final average. NB: The comprehensive is an option only
for students who want a chance to improve one of their three prior grades.
If you miss a test, for whatever reason, you must take the comprehensive
final. Remember, there are no makeup exams, and your grade will be
based on three tests. There is a study guide posted on
each exam date, which will be modified and updated as necessary a week
before the exam.
Grading scale: The following grading scale will apply after curve
points are added:
A= 91 or more; A- = 90 ± 0.5
B+ = 88+ -89; B= 81-88; B- = 80 ± 0.5
C+ = 78+ -79; C = 70-78
D = 60-69
F = less than 60
Please note exam dates. The first and last exam times will not change. The second exam date may change depending
on progress
in the course.
LECTURE
DATE
TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENT
| August | ||
|---|---|---|
| Part One: Physical, geographic and chemical marine biology | ||
| 22 | Introduction: The scientific method | Chapter 1 |
| 24 | Marine geography: What are oceans? | Chapter 2 |
| 29 | Marine geography cont'd: Seas, gulfs and bays | |
| 31 |
Water, salt and saltwater | Chapter 3 |
| SEPTEMBER | ||
| 5 |
Labor Day: University Closed | |
| 7 |
Ocean circulation in the vertical: the 3-layered ocean and the great conveyor belt |
|
| 12 | Ocean circulation in the horizontal : The surface currents | consequences of the circular motion of currents: the North Atlantic concentration of seaweed and North Pacific (and North Atlantic) Garbage Patches |
| 14 | Introduction to the diversity of marine life:
types of cells and plankton; cell function: respiration and photosynthesis;
the building blocks of life; Diatoms |
Chapters 4 and 5; pp. 332-335 (plankton) |
| 19 | Photosynthetic and non-phtosynthetic Protista | |
| 21 |
Seaweeds |
Chapter 6; see kelp forests, p. 300-305 |
26
|
EXAM 1 YOU MUST BRING YOUR STUDENT ID TO THE EXAM! |
|
| PART 2: Organisms | ||
| 28 | Marine fungi and plants | pp. 98-99; seagrass and mangrove communities 110-113; 281-283
|
| 31 |
What is a "species" | The biological species concept and classification: pp. 78-82. |
| OCTOBER |
||
| 3 | Sponges and cnidarians |
Chapter 7 |
| 5 |
cnidarians cont'd | Chapter 7 |
| 10 |
Worms and Molluscs |
|
| 12 |
molluscs cont'd | deep sea squids |
| 17 | Chordates and Introduction to sharks |
Chapter 8 |
|
19
|
Shark week continues | |
| 24 | Bony fishes |
Chapter 8
|
| 26 |
Marine fishes cont'd and Fisheries Biology |
Sardine feast (if the link does not work, cut and paste the following URL into your browser: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7921949.stm>) Chapter 10: p. 239-242 Chapter 17: pp. 387-395 See also "swimming machines", p. 347 |
| 31 |
EXAM 2 YOU MUST BRING YOUR STUDENT ID TO THE EXAM! |
Last day to drop with a DR grade |
| NOVEMBER | ||
| 2 |
Marine mammals | Chapter 9: 187-end Just look at these photos, then read the link below |
| 7 |
Marine mammals cont'd | Whales and the whaling industry |
| 9 |
Keystone species, El Niño, and the Peruvian marine ecosystem | pp. 347-352 |
| Part Three: Ecosystems | ||
| 15 | The Antarctic Ecosystem | The central role of Krill |
| 16 | Coral reefs | Chapter 14 |
| 21 |
cont'd | |
| 23 | Deep sea biology | Chapter 16 |
| 28 | Deep sea biology 2 | |
| 30 | EXAM 3 YOU MUST BRING YOUR STUDENT ID TO THE EXAM! |
|
| DECEMBER | ||
| 5 |
Final comprehensive exam : same time and place as regular exams | This is a one-hour exam composed of 50 questions, roughly 17 from each section of the course. These q's are mostly recycled from the old exams. |
