BOT 1010 Introductory Botany
Spring Semester 2012
9:30 – 10:45 am Tuesday and Thursday
Dr. Suzanne Koptur OE 232

Office hours T 11 am - 1 pm; W 11 am - noon; R 11 am - noon; and by appt.

BOT 1010 - Introductory Botany Syllabus


Course Goals:  The purpose of this course is to introduce non-major students to the world of plants, including their scientific and cultural importance.  We accomplish this through lectures emphasizing plant structure and evolution, plant diversity, plants and the environment, and global issues involving plants.  The lecture is paralleled by closely related laboratory and field exercises that provide hands-on experiences with plants, including gardening and the identification of plants in the local environment.  This course has the following learning goals:

  • To see the world from a plant’s perspective, which includes understanding the similarities and differences of plant structures and processes as compared to human/animal structures and processes.

  • The diversity of plants--what is and isn't a plant? and what are the major types of plants?

  • The evolution and function of plants and the distribution of ecosystems throughout the planet

  • The central place of plants in global cycles and their relationships to environmental issues, including climate change.

  • The importance of plants in all cultures, emphasizing their roles in providing food and medicine in societies throughout history.

  • The domestication of crops and the origins of agriculture and forestry.

  • The importance of plants as commodities driving the historical forces of exploration, trade, colonialism, and contemporary economies.

        This course meets the Core Curriculum Natural Sciences requirement when taken with the lab.

Grading:
        Grades will be based on 4 exams (either 4 hour exams or 3 hour exams plus the cumulative final exam) plus in-class activities.  The in-class activities will include quizzes.  Attendance is mandatory and you must attend class to get credit for the in-class portion of the grade.  Each exam is worth 20% of your grade for a total of 80%, while the in-class activities are worth 20% of your grade.

       
Laboratory:  
        The lab associated with this lecture is BOT 1010L, Introductory Botany Lab.  Lectures and labs are coordinated so that material covered in lecture is seen in lab, though not always simultaneously.  The lab syllabus can be found at http://www.fiu.edu/kopturs/BOT1010/Lab/index.html.

 Course Policies:

You are expected to be on time to class, and to stay the full period. You are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. Any student found in violation of these standards will earn an automatic F and be reported to the Deans Office, no exceptions made. In accordance with FIU's policy on academic honesty, as set forth in Section 2.44 of the Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (http://academic.fiu.edu/docs/aapolicies.htm), it is expected that students in Introductory Botany will not submit the academic work of another as their own.

Textbook (required):
        Graham, L.E., J.M. Graham and L.W. Wilcox.  2006.  Plant Biology, 2nd ed. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.  This book will provide background reading for all topics covered in class.

Highly recommended book:  Lee, David W.  and Stacy West.  2011.  Wayside Trees of Tropical Florida: A Guide to the Native and Exotic Trees and Palms of Miami and Tropical South Florida [Paperback].  This book will help you to learn and identify many common plants, and enhance your enjoyment of plants and your local environment.

 

Schedule of events

Week

Date

Topic

Chapters in textbook

1

10 Jan T

Introduction

1

 

12 Jan R

Plants and People

2

2

17Jan T

Cell Structure

4

 

19 Jan R

Plant Development

8

3

24 Jan T

Stems and Roots

9 & 10

 

26 Jan R

Leaves

11

4

31 Jan T

Plant behavior and hormones

12

 

2 Feb R

Exam 1

 

5

7 Feb T

Plant Diversity

17

 

9 Feb R

Prokaryotes and the Origin of Life

18

6

14 Feb T

Protists and Eukaryote Origins

19

 

16 Feb R

Fungi and Lichens

20

7

21 Feb T

Plants without seeds

21

 

23 Feb R

Gymnosperms

22

8

28 Feb T

Angiosperms

23

 

1 Mar R

Coevolution of Plants and Animals

24

9

6 Mar T

Exam 2

 

 

8 Mar R

Photosynthesis and Respiration

5

10

13 Mar T

SPRING BREAK

 

 

15 Mar R

SPRING BREAK

 

11

20 Mar T

DNA and RNA; Mitosis and Cell Division

6 and 7

 

22 Mar R

Reproduction, Meiosis, and Life Cycles

13

12

27 Mar T

Cinematic interlude and subconscious review

 

29 Mar R

Exam 3

13

3 Apr T

Genetics and Inheritance; Genetic Engineering

14 and 15

 

5 Apr R

Evolution

16

14

10 Apr T

Ecology – Plants and the Biosphere

25

 

12 Apr R

Ecosystems

26, 27, 28

15

17 Apr T

Plants, Humans, and Global Climate Change

29

 

19 Apr R

Exam 4

 

16

24 Apr T

FINAL EXAM (cumulative)

9:45 – 11:45 am