• BIOL 201 Introductory Biology
• Schedule # 30770 MWF 8-8:50; 4-6 F
• Schedule # 32346 MWF 11-11:50; 4-6 F (Course Offering Directory)
• 130 Gilmer Hall

• Life: The Science of Biology, 5th Ed. by William K. Purves, Gordon H. Orians, H. Craig Heller, and David Sadava, Sinauer Associates, Inc./W. H. Freeman and Co., 1998
• Study Guide for Life: The Science of Biology, by Jon C. Glase and Jerry A. Waldvogel, Sinauer Associates Inc./W. W. Freeman and Co., 1998. Not required but students may find this study guide useful for reviewing the material.

Each student should have ready access to the textbook. Reading assignments from the text are not heavy for the entire semester but do seem rather demanding at particular times. Try to follow the reading as suggested in the course outline and do not fall so far behind that studying for a test or exam becomes impossible. The best approach (if you have the interest, time and discipline) is to read the material prior to the lecture. The textbook will provide you with the basic information but lectures will cover material in more depth and will introduce additional facts and concepts. The Tests and Final Exam will draw heavily from lecture material, much of which will not be found in the textbook. In summary, lectures and readings are both essential components of the course and complement, but do not duplicate, each other.

The course has a Web page located at the following address: http://faculty.virginia.edu/bio201/bio201/bio201.html This page has links to the course outline, some of the illustrations to be used during the semester, reading assignments, web resources, and supplementary material. During the semester, handouts, problem sets, and other information will be posted to the Web page as needed. The Web portion of the course is available at all times (as long as the server is functioning). The course Web page has a link to the Instructional Tool-Kit pages for each section where you can sign up for the e-mail roster or send us anonymous feedback.

All lectures will be given in Gilmer Hall Room 130 and regular attendance is expected. Be punctual and respect the starting time of the class by quiet, attentive behavior. Also, do not pack up books, be otherwise noisy, or leave early as this is distracting to the rest of the class and irksome to the professor.
Attendance at lectures may be monitored periodically since we have found that there is a strong correlation between attendance and the amount of material learned, test scores and appreciation of the course. According to college regulations, any student who does not attend class regularly may be dropped from the class roll at any time deemed appropriate by the instructor. Students with poor test scores should attend all lectures. Attendance may be used to decide grades for borderline students. If sickness or other serious problems cause an extended absence of several class periods, an explanatory note should be submitted to the professor.
Students will be assumed to be aware of announcements made in lecture and of materials distributed in lecture. Every effort will be made to place such information on the web site but students can not assume that such materials will be available later.

A time of opportunities! Ask questions about lecture material and assigned readings. Discuss topics and interrelationships. Answer questions that probe your comprehension. Find out what the lectures were really about.
Taught/moderated by Leo Racich.

Test and exam questions will be based upon the assigned readings and lecture material. A variety of question types may be used, including multiple choice, fill in the blanks, short answers and essays of ranging lengths. Factual, analytical and more subjective,"thought", questions will be employed. Three (3) tests will be administered during the Friday recitation period (4 - 6 PM)on the dates indicated on the syllabus and a final exam is scheduled at the end of the semester. The final exam will consist of two parts: a test of the material presented in the last quarter of the semester and a comphrehensive final exam. All of these examinations are given under the spirit and regulations of the honor system except that they must be done in the lecture room and not at other sites except in response to requests concerning students with special needs. The tests and exam must bear the signed, written-out honor pledge as suggested by the honor system. If you do not already know the official pledge, find it and memorize it. It will be considered a violation of the honor code if , during the tests or exam, you consult your notes, textbook, other reference materials, or obtain an answer in any way from another student.
Make-up tests will be given at one specific date following each test and are only for students with medical and/or other unavoidable emergencies that caused absence on the test day. We will be very strict in enforcing this regulation. Make-up tests will consist of essay-type questions; students tend to find them more difficult that the scheduled quizzes. Anyone missing a test should contact the instructor as soon as possible regarding a make-up and before the scheduled test if a legitimate absence is anticipated.

Test and Exam Schedule:

• Test I............Sep. 24 (F)
• Test II...........Oct. 22 (F)
• Test III..........Nov. 12 (F)
• Test IV and Final Exam....Dec. 16 (Thr.) 2 - 5 PM

Grades will be determined from the following weighting of scores:

• Test I...................20%
• Test II..................20%
• Test III.................20%
• Test IV.................20%
• Final Exam...........20%

Read and ponder the attached How To Study, Taking Lecture Notes, and Pointers on Scheduling Your Time. A surprisingly large number of college students, even upper level students at the University, do not know how to take decent class notes or how to study on their own. As someone once said,"Students who want to learn find ways, not excuses!"

1. Attend class and keep up with the reading. Take good notes and rework them as soon after class as possible, with a friend or alone.
2. Learn the terms in the text. Without the basic vocabulary, you will be lost.
3. Study the diagrams. They provide a good summary and may clarify major points.
4. Work through the review material and exercises at the end of each chapter and in the study guide.
5. Teach what you have learned to someone else; this is a sure way to discover what you don't understand.
6. Devote quality time to the material on a daily basis. Don't put off studying for long stretches of time or you will forget much of the previous information.
7. See the professor if you have problems or send e-mail. It is best to act before you are in serious trouble; even luck and wishful thinking may not help at the last moment.
8. Give us feedback on the course, both negative and positive. You may do so anonymously from the Tool-Kit home page for the course. It is much easier to improve the course if you let us know what you are thinking.

This class has been designed for students who plan to major in Biology or another science or who need to satisfy the pre-medical requirement. We co-taught this course a decade ago but we have planned an entirely new approach this year. We hope that all of us will be working together to develop the course into an interesting, informative, and valuable experience. We hope that you will also find it to be intellectually challenging, of practical value, and fun.