BIOL 4500 - Biology Seminar
Spring 2008

Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, 678-466-5445, disabilityservices@clayton.edu.

Course Description:

Number and Title:

BIOL 4500 (CRN 26031)
Biology Seminar

Credit Hours:

1.0 semester credit hours

Catalog Description:

Experts from industry, government, and academe address current topics in Biology. Students enrolled in the seminar prepare for the talks by performing electronic literature searches and submitting questions for the speakers. This course gives students the opportunity to meet with and question experts in the field. Examinations and projects are based on seminar topics.

Course prerequisite and co-requisite:

Prerequisites: BIOL 1108/L and CHEM2412/L and  MATH 1231.

Computer Requirement:

Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access.  For further information on CCSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm .

Course Objectives:

Student Learning Outcomes:

Term:

Spring Semester 2008

Instructors:

Dr. Stephen Burnett
phone: 678-466-4774
fax: 678-466-4899
e-mail: StephenBurnett@clayton.edu
internet address: http://a-s.clayton.edu/burnett/

Office: Arts and Sciences Building, G110F

Office hours: 3-5 pm Mondays, 9-11:30 am and 1:30-3 pm on Thursdays, some lab times, and other times by appointment.  During office hours, I may be found in either my office (A&S G110F), the Biology lab rooms (C23, C29, or C32) or in the Biology research rooms (C60 or C62).  If I am not in my office, I will leave a note on my door indicating where I am.  I am also available during some lab times and by appointment outside of my office hours.

Class Meetings:

Classroom: University Center UC 322

Class Times: Thursdays 12;00 - 1:15 pm

Text Information:

There is no text.

Evaluation and Grading:

    Tentatively, the points will be awarded as follows

    Your final grade will be assigned as follows:

The mid-term grade in this course which will be issued by February 26th, reflects approximately 25% of the entire course grade.  Based on this grade, students may choose to withdraw from the course and receive a grade of "W."  Students pursuing this option must fill out an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, by mid-term, which occurs on February 29th.

Course Schedule

The course schedule is provided on a separate page - you should check this page often for updates to the schedule.  Due dates for assignments may be changed at the instructor's discretion.  You are responsible for keeping track of due dates and turning in your work when it is required.

Please note that the schedule is tentative and the dates of the exams and the chapters that each exam will cover are tentative and subject to change. Exam dates are not set until they are announced in class. The exam date will be announced at least one week in advance

Course policies:

General policies

Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook.  Students are also expected to abide by the guidelines in the "Basic Student Responsibilities" document. 

Visitors (friends, children, etc.) are strictly prohibited from attending class without the permission of the instructor.

No smoking, eating or drinking is permitted at any time in the classroom.

Academic integrity

Cheating in any form will not be tolerated; all work that you turn in must be in your own words and must be your own work.  If your brainpower did not generate what you turn in, it is considered cheating.  The following are examples of cheating:  copying the work of another person, allowing another person to do your assignment,  sharing your work with another student, working in a group on a graded item, copying or closely paraphrasing referenced sources, falsifying any information provided on course assignments, using anything but your brainpower on an exam, etc.  Cheating in any form will result in a zero on the assignment for all students involved and academic misconduct forms will be filed with the Office of Judicial Affairs for any violation.  Judicial procedures are described on the webpage of the Office of Judicial Affairs.

Disruption of the Learning Environment

Behavior that disrupts the teaching-learning process during class activities will not be tolerated.  This includes belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior.  A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class.  If dismissed from class, the student is still responsible for the material covered during the missed time, and may forfeit points that are given during the time he/she misses.  A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal.  If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.  A more detailed description of examples of disruptive behavior and appeal procedures is provided at:

http://a-s.clayton.edu/DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.htm

Attendance

Attendance is expected at all class meetings. Attendance will be taken at each class meeting with the student's signature on the class roll. Quizzes and tests will be given at the beginning of the class; if you arrive late, you may be permitted to take the quiz/exam as long as the materials have not been collected from the class.  However, you will be required to turn in the assignment at the same time as the rest of the class - NO extra time will be given.  Exceptions to this policy can be made only under extenuating circumstances and with a WRITTEN excuse or explanation for tardiness or absence.  Some class assignments may be given during class time and absence from that class period will result in a zero for that class assignment.  If you have an acceptable excuse, those points will not count in your grade.

Absences from tests must be accompanied by a note from a competent authority (doctor, judge, etc.).  The excuse must specifically indicate the dates that are to be excused, must be presented upon the first class day that the student returns to school.  In general I do not give makeup exams; instead, the points do not count in your final grade (which means that the remaining graded work will be responsible for a greater weight in determining your final grade).  You are only permitted one excused absence from class exams.  If you miss more than one with an excuse, you will receive a zero (0) for the second missed exam.  In this case you will probably need to seek a hardship withdrawal as the exams are the majority of the points in the class.  In addition, excuses will not be accepted for routine procedures (checkups, teeth cleanings, eye exams, etc).  Students should not schedule such appointments for class times.

Electronic devices

All electronic devices including cell phones, PDA's, pagers, calculators, etc. are not allowed during exams or quizzes unless otherwise specified.  During such activities, these devices are not permitted to be in your possession at all (which means they cannot be clipped to your belt, in your pocket, etc.).  Unauthorized possession and/or use of these items during an exam or quiz will result in an automatic zero on the graded activity.

Late assignments

For class assignments, unless otherwise specified, all work is due in class on the due date.  Any work that is turned in after the set time will be considered late and penalized 20%.  Assignments will be penalized an additional 20% for each extra day late.

E-mail

Each student must activate his/her e-mail account at Clayton State University. The class list serve will be the only method for communicating with the class by email.  Important announcements will be sent to the class on the class list serve.  You should also check my web page regularly for new postings. Handouts given in class and other important items will be posted on the web page for this class.

This page last updated 06/07/2008