Biology 120
Plants and People
Fall Semester, 2004
Instructor: Fred Landau; Office WHI 314; 895-4752; landauf@unlv.nevada.edu
Tuesdays and
Thursdays,
Required Text: Levetin, Estelle and Karen MacMahon.
2003. Plants and Society, 3rd edition. WCB McGraw-Hill.
This course is designed to provide students who are non-biology majors with an introduction to some basic principles of plant biology, along with historical and modern applications of plants to the human experience. The course goals include developing an understanding of plants as living organisms, and the unique role of the relationship of plants to humankind.
Grading
Two exams 40%
Final exam 25%
Presentation 15%
Class participation 10%
Self-evaluation 5%
Instructor’s discretion 5%
In addition to the two exams, students will have the option of doing a paper, a 15-20 minute presentation on a chosen subject relevant to the course of study, or an appropriate project. Papers must be done individually; presentations and projects may be done in groups of two, if applicable. I encourage class participation in the form of questions and discussions. I hope to occasionally include group debates on controversial subjects throughout the semester. The objective for this class is to have a fun-filled and enlightening experience in exploring our relationship with the world of plants.
Class notes can be accessed from the Bio 120 website at: http://www.unlv.edu/faculty2/landau.
Please be advised that these class notes are made available
to you as a supplement to your notes and readings, not in lieu of them. Class
attendance will be factored into your final course grade.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should have a comprehensive understanding of the topics included in the course syllabus presented above. Assessment of these objectives will be based on exams, completion of assignments, presentations, active class participation, and self-evaluations.
Exam Details:
No make-up exams will be given as a rule. Students with unavoidable conflicts (e.g. religious, medical, see below) must make arrangements with me well before the exam.
Academic Dishonesty:
No form of academic dishonesty is acceptable. This includes cheating on exams or plagiarizing (using as one’s own the ideas or writings of another). Violations will be met with dismissal and a failing grade for the course.
UNLV Statement of
Disability:
If you have a documented disability that may require
assistance, you will need to contact the
UNLV Statement on
Holidays:
It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor no later than the last day of late registration of his/her intention to participate in religious holidays which do not fall on State holidays or periods of class recess. This policy shall not apply in the event that administering the exam at an alternative time would impose undue hardship on the instructor of the University, which could not reasonably have been avoided.
Course Syllabus
Fall Semester, 2004
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Note: Topics are subject to change during the semester, especially with respect to the date presented. Please keep in touch and be apprised. Please read the required materials (chapters and/or hand-outs) before the topic is to be presented.