Biochemistry: Chemistry 52.341
Course Policy: Spring 2010
Instructor:Michael Eugene Pugh, Professor
Office:G03 HSC; Phone: 389-4144; E-mail:
Office Hours:M, W, & F: 11:00 -11:50 AM; T & TH: 10:00-10:50 AM and by appointment
Note: all office hours are in Columbia Hall Living/Learning Community Center; Columbia cubicle phone: 389-2833
Lecture:M, W, & F: 10:00 -10:50 AM; 204 BCH
Compressed schedule: 11:40 AM – 12.20 PM
Laboratory:Sec 01: Th - 1:00 - 4:50 PM; 262 HSC
Text:McKee, Trudy M, McKee, James R., (2009) Biochemistry: The Molecular Basis of Life, 4thed., Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, NY
Lab Text:Pugh, Michael Eugene, Schultz, Emeric, and Bell, Toni, (Spring 2010) Concepts and Techniques in the Biochemistry Laboratory, available through the Chemistry Department
Calculator:Bring a calculator to every class meeting, especially for the exams and quizzes. You do not need a fancy one but it should be able to do logs and antilog functions. Calculators that are capable of storing alphabetic characters or transmit information are forbidden for use on exams and quizzes and will be confiscated if caught using. If in doubt, check with me.
Cell Phones,Cell phones, PDAs, and iPods are forbidden. If caught using one during a quiz or
PDAs, iPodsexam you will receive a zero and removed from the course. As a courtesy to me, and others, turn off your cell phones during class. Disruption of the class will lead to a 10% deduction on the next exam grade.
Evaluation:3 hourly exams125.0%
6 Take home Lecture Quizzes210.0%
In class quizzes310.0%
Laboratory425.0%
Final Exam530.0% 100%
1The exams will include both lecture and lab material and will be given: 2/15; 3/22; 4/19
Note- in the event of adverse weather and a class is canceled a scheduled exam will be given the next time the class meets. If a compressed schedule is in effect on the day of an exam it will still be given; the grading will be adjusted to reflect the shortened time period.
2A total of six take home quizzes will be given and will cover both lecture and lab material. The timed (10-20 min) take home quizzes will be given through the online Blackboard system on 1/29; 2/5; 2/26; 3/5; 4/2; 4/9. The quizzes will be available on the afternoon of the quiz date and end at 9 AM the following Monday. It is suggested that you take the quiz early so that any technical problems with Blackboard can be addressed. Taking the quiz at 8:45 AM Monday morning does not bode well. Please note that once you start a quiz you must finish it.
3In class quizzes will be unannounced and cover previous lecture and lab material and/or material covered that day
4See the laboratory syllabus from Dr. Bell
5Final Exam Date:Friday 5/7 (12:30 PM - 2:30 PM)
Last day to withdraw from the course:- 4/5 4:30 PM
GRADE SCALE:'A' 90.0 - 100.0 %'C'70.0 - 74.9 %
'A-' 88.0 - 89.9 %'C-'67.0 - 69.9 %
'B+' 85.0 - 87.9 %'D+'64.0 - 66.9 %
'B' 80.0 - 84.9 %'D"60.0 - 63.9 %
'B-' 78.0 - 79.9 %'E' < 60.0 %
'C+' 75.0 - 77.9 %
The instructor reserves the right to lower the bottom limit for each grade depending on the difficulty of the examinations given. Such changes will be considered only at the end of the semester. For borderline cases, the Final Exam will be a major deciding factor! A better than average performance on the final will help you, and a poor performance will not help you. You should not approach the final with the attitude of "what do I need to get grade X" - this has more often than not resulted in a grade less than grade X! A better approach is to strive for the highest grade possible.
Policies and Expectations:
If you miss an exam or quiz for a legitimate documented reason, as described in the Class Attendance Policy of the Bloomsburg University Undergraduate Catalogue, a make-up exam will be given at a time mutually agreed upon by the instructor and student: overall quiz scores will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the percentage for quizzes above. Valid excuses are:
1)personal illness or accident, a death or critical illness of an immediate family member ora dependent child, as verified in writing by an appropriate authority within 48 hours after the missed exam or quiz.
2)participation in a university-sponsored activity as outlined in the Pilot with an excuse provided no less than 48 hours in advance of the exam or quiz.
3)automobile breakdown or accident, or any other incident will be dealt with as merited on a case-by-case basis. The excuse must be verified in writing by an appropriate authority within 48 hours after the missed exam or quiz.
4)military duty with an excuse provided no less than 48 hours in advance of the exam or quiz.
5)religious observance with missed dates provided in advance no later than the first Friday of the semester.
Note- leaving early for Spring Break is not a valid excuse for missing class. Please make arrangements for your rides/trips to leave after class is dismissed.
Attendance is expected as not attending class can be detrimental to your understanding of chemistry as well as missing in-class quizzes. There will be topics covered in lecture that are not explicitly covered in the text.
Be on time. If you are unavoidably late, please enter the room quietly and quickly find a seat.
Do not get behind! If you are not doing as well as you should, be sureto see the instructor as soon as possible for help! Failure to do so may result in a sub-standard performance! If you cannot make it to any of my listed office hours, please contact me in person, or by phone, or by email to arrange for other times, so there should not be any reason for not being able to see me for help. Always feel free to stop by my office as I pretty much have an open office door policy. Also feel free to call or email me to have questions answered. Note- I typically do not read my email from 5 PM to 9 AM. I do keep track of who comes in for help and I do take that into consideration when it comes time to assign the final course grades if there are borderline cases.
If you have a learning disability please contact Accommodative Services (Ext. 4491) to make arrangements for alternate forms of testing, sign interpreters, note takers, etc.
I expect students to study the assigned textbook material prior to the presentation of the subject matter in lecture. My lectures are predicated on this basic premise. This approach has manifold benefits to both the student and the instructor.
Working the assigned Problems in each chapter will increase your understanding of biochemistry and aid in preparing you for the exams and quizzes. Note: you will definitely see some of them again on exams!
Do not ask me about extra credit- there is none. My course is designed for the normal credit listed above. If you cannot do the regular credit, what makes you think you can do extra credit? You are no longer in high school.