Introduction to Biotechnology
BSC 2420 (4307)
Fall 2016 T/R 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM CL/NM-203
Instructor: Katherine L Siegler
Email:
Office Hours: Seminole LSC M/W 10:45 to 12:00; T/R Clearwater NM131 11:00 to 11:30 PM, or by appointment
Office: NM131 Clearwater campus
Academic Department:
Dean: John Chapin
Office Location: UP 337B (Seminole Campus)
Office Number: 727-394-6995
Academic Chair: Dr. Jill Harper-Judd
Office Location: NM 212
Office Number: 727-791-2503
Pre-requisites/ Course Description:
This lecture course serves as an introduction to the concepts, infrastructure and a survey of the multiple disciplines within the biotechnology industry. The major areas of biotechnology that will be covered include molecular biology, nucleic acid purification, recombinant DNA technology, protein biochemistry, forensics and use of animal and plant models in agricultural, marine, bioredmediation and biomedical applications. Emphasis will also be placed on ethics and regulations within the specified disciplines as well as current topics and local job opportunities.
Pre-requisites: Prerequisite: BSC 2010 with a minimum grade of C, BSC 2010L with a minimum grade of C.
Course objectives: Curriculum and Instruction document is located in MyCourses
Criteria Performance Standard:
Upon the completion of this course the student will, with a minimum 70 percent accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.
Student/Classroom Expectations:
Students are responsible for reading and studying the assigned material in the textbook in order to assimilate the key terms and analyze and understand the topics presented.
Students are advised to establish regular weekly study habits and seek tutoring help, if necessary, early in the semester. The concepts from one lecture class build a framework for the next. Contact me at any time with concerns by phone or email.
This syllabus is currently available in MY COURSES for your convenience
Textbook:
Required Text: Molecular Biotechnology with access code (this is required)
Author: Dehlinger
Publisher Information: Jones and Bartlett
ISBN Number: 9781284031409
Meeting Information: NM-203
Course Location: Clearwater Campus
Meeting Days: T/R
Class Times: 12:30 AM to 1:50 PM
COLLEGE CALENDAR: http://www.spcollege.edu/calendar/
Important Dates:
August 15 Classes begin
August 19 Drop Add date
August 19 Last day to withdraw with refund
September 5 Labor Day – NO CLASSES
October 18 All College Day – NO CLASSES
October 20 Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W”
November 11 Veterans’ Day – NO CLASSES
November 23 – 27 Thanksgiving Break
December 5 – 8 Final Exams
Note to students: The syllabus addendum is an important part of your syllabus and can be easily accessed by using the link below. Do take the time to read this very important information— http://www.spcollege.edu/addendum/
Academic Integrity: The college has an official policy on academic honesty and proper classroom behavior. It is the student’s responsibility to review the online Academic Honesty Policy or "Academic Honesty and Student Behavior: Expectations of Students at SPC" brochure. It is important to remember that everyone’s goal should be to learn. Behavior that impedes the learning process of others will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior includes talking at inappropriate times, text-messaging or talking on the phone during class or repeatedly coming to class late. Students are expected to be actively engaged in the learning process, and should ask the instructor questions as needed. The professor will assign a grade of "0" to any exam or other course work for admitted or alleged academic dishonesty pending appeal. Penalties may include expulsion from college.
Attendance Policy: The college-wide attendance policy is included in the Syllabus Addendum http://www.spcollege.edu/webcentral/policies.htm.
For this class, attendance is defined participation in the associated in class activities. Attendance at all class sessions is essential (You are working on collaborative group projects that may require multiple class sessions, therefore make-ups may be impossible). Any student who misses three consecutive classes will receive a grade of WF for excessive absences.
REQUESTS TO MAKE UP ANY CLASS ASSESSMENTS MUST BE COMMUNICATED IN ADVANCED AND MAY REQUIRE DOCUMENTATION.
Faculty must file lack of attendance reports (exceeding 2 absences) for veterans, dual-enrolled, Early College and Collegiate High School students.
SPC Withdrawal Policy:
Instructors can no longer withdraw students from classes. If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, it is the responsibility of the student to withdraw either online through MySPC or with the help of an advisor in the registration office. If the withdrawal is completed by October 20, 2016, a grade of “W” will be recorded which does not impact the student’s GPA. If the withdrawal occurs after October 20, 2016 the student will receive a grade of WF (withdraw-failing). The WF grade is punitive; it has the same impact on the GPA as an F. Students in the third attempt of a course who withdraw will receive a WF regardless of the date of withdrawal. Students who do not attend during the first two weeks of classes will automatically be withdrawn from the course by the college and will still be responsible for the tuitionand fees. Also, students who do not show sufficient active participation (completion of Skills assessment #1 and #2 ) in the course by June 24, 2016, will be administratively withdrawn by the college and receive a WF. Students who withdraw from all classes may be required to repay some or all of the financial aid received for the term. Should you consider totally withdrawing from all classes before October 20, 2016 (for the Spring session) it is important that you consult the Scholarships & Student Financial Assistance office on your home campus to understand your options and the consequences of total withdrawal.
Disability Statement: St. Petersburg College provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A student who is in need of one or more accommodations for a disability must make a request either verbally or in writing to the College. In the event that a request is made directly to an instructor or other staff member, the instructor or staff member must refer the student to the Disabilities Office. The student must self-identify the disability by completing the Self Identification and Authorization Form for Students with Disabilities (SDS-1) as well as provide documentation of the disability that complies with the SPC published Guidelines for Documentation of a Disability. Confidentiality is strictly maintained for any records provided to the Office of Disabilities Services related to the student’s disability. Under the law, SPC is allowed to request documentation that reflects the current functioning of the student.
Grading System
This course is a seminar course relying heavily on attendance and participation. The final grade is calculated as follows: There will be 30 class sessions: 1) Participation is mandatory and will be counted as a major portion of your grade. (30 total, each worth 10 points). Specifically you are required to engage in discussions and ask questions of student leaders, presenters and fellow students. These discussions should be respectful and as unbiased as possible and should remain focused on the lab topic. The instructor will keep detailed records of weekly participation. 2) Pre-class homework assignments (20 total, each worth 10 points) that will require submission of a written component prior to class (many of these require access to the textbook Navigate companion site). 3) final group project worth 200 points (100 points for presentation and 100 points for paper)
All pre-class assignments must be completed and submitted to the appropriate dropbox one hour prior to the scheduled class time (11:30 AM). Discussion participation and any associated activities must be completed in class and CAN NOT be made up due to excused or unexcused absence. Details and any changes to specific assignments will be posted in the Lessons folder on MY COURSES.
Wikipedia may not be used as a reference in any assignment.
Late assignments will not be accepted for any reason.
Further details will be provided during class or posted on MyCourses.
Student Presentations:
1. Within the first two weeks of class we will discuss the class presentations. Total class enrollment will dictate the size of the presentation group. Successful completion of this student-guided project and discussion will constitute 33% of your total grade and will be determined in terms of individual performance as well as overall group performance.
2. Each student will separately write a 1500 word term paper summarizing the chosen topic (double spaced Times New Roman 12 point font ONLY) including references (minimum of five primary references) in CSE name year format on a separate page and an evaluation of the contributions of the other students in your group on the last page. This will be uploaded into a Turn it in Dropbox by midnight on THURSDAY 11/17/16.
The following is the point distribution for this course:
Participation / 300 pointsHomework / 200 points
Final presentation / 200 points
Make-up Assessments:
Any student missing a participation assessment may make-up the assessment provided they have a legitimate excuse for missing class (i.e. severe illness with doctor’s note, family emergency). All scores on make-up assessments will be reduced by 10% each time you need to take one. This penalty applies to ANYONE taking a make-up, No Exceptions! The 10% penalty is additive, so the first make-up is -10%, the 2nd -20%, the 3rd -30% etc… Make-up assessments must be taken within one week of the original assessment date and note that make-up assessments may be of a different format than the original.
Grading Scale:
630 – 700 points / A560 – 629 points / B
490 – 559 points / C
455 – 489 points / D
< 455 points / F
Student Survey of Instruction (SSI):
The student survey of instruction is administered in courses each semester. It is designed to improve the quality of instruction at St. Petersburg College. All student responses are confidential and anonymous and will be used solely for the purpose of performance improvement.
Course Schedule
Lecture / TR / Topic / Chapter Reading:1 / 8/16 / Genome Structure: DNA, Genes, and Chromosomes / Appendix 1
2 / 8/18 / Basics of Gene Expression and DNA Replication / Appendix 2
3 / 8/23 / A Primer in Classical Genetics / Appendix 3
4 / 8/25 / A Primer in Classical Genetics / Appendix 3
5 / 8/30 / The Emergence of Molecular Biotechnology / Chapter 1
6 / 9/1 / The Emergence of Molecular Biotechnology / Chapter 1
7 / 9/6 / The Molecular Biotechnology Industry Today / Chapter 2
8 / 9/8 / The Molecular Biotechnology Industry Today / Chapter 2
9 / 9/15 / Governmental Regulation of Molecular Biotechnology / Chapter 3
10 / 9/17 / Governmental Regulation of Molecular Biotechnology / Chapter 3
11 / 9/20 / Bioinformatics: Genomics, Proteomics, and Phenomics / Chapter 4
12 / 9/22 / Bioinformatics: Genomics, Proteomics, and Phenomics / Chapter 4
13 / 9/27 / Industrial Biotechnology / Chapter 5
14 / 9/29 / Industrial Biotechnology / Chapter 5
15 / 10/4 / Life Sciences and Health Care / Chapter 6
16 / 10/6 / Life Sciences and Health Care / Chapter 6
17 / 10/11 / Environmental Biotechnology and Conservation / Chapter 7
18 / 10/13 / Environmental Biotechnology and Conservation / Chapter 7
10/18 / College Day – No Class
19 / 10/20 / Agriculture and Food Production / Chapter 8
20 / 10/25 / Agriculture and Food Production / Chapter 8
21 / 10/27 / Forensics and Biodefense / Chapter 9
22 / 11/1 / Forensics and Biodefense / Chapter 9
23 / 11/3 / The Biotechnology of Evolution / Chapter 10
24 / 11/8 / The Biotechnology of Development / Chapter 10
25 / 11/10 / The Biotechnology of Anthropology / Chapter 11
26 / 11/15 / The Future of Biotechnology / Chapter 12
27 / 11/17 / The Future of Biotechnology / Chapter 12
28 / 11/22 / Presentations
29 / 11/24 / Thanksgiving – No Class
29 / 11/29 / Presentations
30 / 12/1 / Final review – 1:00 PM to 2:50 PM
Note: Instructor reserves right to change above information, including, but not limited to, test dates and information covered. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of changes. Instructor will give sufficient notice regarding changes.
After reading this syllabus, read the below signature page, sign it (type your name) and upload it into the dropbox in MyCourses by the end of the second week of class (August 25, 2016)
Signature Page
I have read, understand, and agree to abide fully by the parameters set in this syllabus and Syllabus Addendum.
Student Signature: Date: .