CELL PHYSIOLOGY
Biological Sciences 121 – Fall 2008
I. Course Information
Prerequisites: BIO 01 and 02(or BIO 11,12); CHEM 161 (may be taken concurrently)
Instructor:Dr. Tom Landerholm, Humboldt 211E, 278-6152, e-mail:
Lectures: Section 1, Monday and Wednesday 2:00-2:50pm, Eureka 108
Laboratory:Section 2, Tuesday 9:00-11:50am, Sequoia 212
Section 3, Thursday 9:00-11:50am, Sequoia 212
Laboratory Fee: $15. Payable at MySacState or at Lassen Hall 1001.
Office Hours:Monday 1:00-2:00pm, Wednesday 3:00-5:00pm, Humboldt 211E, or by appointment
Recommended Textbook:
Alberts, et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell. 5th edition. Garland Publishing, Hamden, CT. 2002. The text is available in the bookstore and two copies have been placed on reserve in the library.
Downloadable Course Materials:
1. Course Web Link:
2. Syllabus and course schedule, study questions, previous exams
3. Cell Physiology Lab Manual. Ewing, N., Landerholm, T., Meeker, G. and Nguyen, H. CSU, Sacramento. (Can be downloaded from my website)
Grading:
Grades will be based on the result of three midterm exams, a cumulative final exam, the proposal for the lab project, the presentation of the project, participation in the lab and the lab notebook as follows:
A(-) 90%, B(+) 80%, C(+) 70%, D(+) 60%, and F < 60%.
Midterm Exam IWednesday 09/24100 points
Midterm ExamIIWednesday 10/29100 points
Midterm ExamIIIWednesday 12/03100 points
Final ExamWednesday 12/17150 points
Project proposalFriday10/31100 points
Final project presentationTues/Thurs 12/09-11 50 points
Notebook and participationDue Wednesday 12/17 50 points
650 total points
Graded Activities:
The First Midterm Exam: The semester’s first exam covers both laboratory and lecture material on research methods and design. You will be responsible for reading all of the material in the Laboratory Manual and the first short section of lecture notes. Exam questions will be a mixture of Levels One and Two of Dr. Landerholm’s Three Levels of Thought described on page 4 of this syllabus. The exam is worth 100 points.
The Remaining Midterm Exams: The other two Midterm Exams will exclusively cover the material presented in lecture. They are cumulative to date and entirely essay. While exam questions will only cover the concepts discussed in class, material from the assigned readings that enhances your understanding of these concepts will make for better answers! The first of these Midterms will be mostly Level Two of Dr. Landerholm’s Three Levels of Thought, with one or two Level Three questions. The last Midterm will be mostly Level Three questions, with one or two Level Two questions. Both exams are worth 100 points.
The Final Exam: The final exam in Cell Physiology is cumulative and requires two hours instead of one. This exam focuses on the big ideas presented in lecture throughout the semester. It consists of an exam very similar in length to those that you have taken throughout the semester, along with a 50 point question that allows you to demonstrate your integrative knowledge of Cell Physiology. You will be given the 50 point question two weeks before the exam but, as you will see, this may not make the answer easier!
The Project Proposal: The written proposal for the group research project is due in draft form the week of October 13 during your scheduled lab period. The draft needs to address all of the relevant sections for science proposals as described in the Laboratory Manual. The final Project Proposal is dueFriday October 31. Detailed information for the determination of research questions and writing proposals can also be found in the Laboratory manual. The project proposal is written by the team and each member of the group will receive the same score. The written proposal is worth 100 points.
The Project Presentation: Groups will orally present the results of their projects, either in PowerPoint or in poster format, during their assigned lab sections the week of December 08. Each team member will participate in the presentation. Detailed information on the presentation can be found in the Laboratory manual. The project presentation will be worth 50 points.
Notebook and Participation:Your attendance and participation in each of the foregoing aspects of the lab is expected. Maintaining a personal laboratory notebook is required and is exceptionally important for keeping yourself organized in the lab. The lab notebook is due on or before Wednesday December 17. Attendance, participation and the lab notebook are worth 50 points. Failure to attend the lab sessions, to participate in the group project, or to keep a satisfactory lab notebook will result in the loss of points at the instructor’s discretion, and may exceed 50 points.
II. Course Policies
Make-Up Exam Policy:
If, due to personal illness or emergency, you are unable to take the scheduled exam you must contact me at 278-6152 or leave a message for me in the departmental office at 278-6535 prior to the exam. No make-up exams will be scheduled without prior notification.
Adding/Dropping the Course:
1. Adding during the first two weeks of class (09/02-09/12): adds in all courses in the Department of Biological Sciences are completed by the instructor (not through CASPER). Please see me.
2. Dropping during the first two weeks of class (09/02-09/12): CASPER. Failure to attend at least one of the first two class meetings (09/03and 09/08) will result in the instructor administratively dropping you from the class.
3. Adding or dropping between 09/15 and 09/26: requires a green add-drop petition signed by the instructor and the Department chair at the discretion of the instructor. Petitions may be picked up in the Biological Sciences Department office and are processed in the Department office. September 26th is the last day to drop this class without a ‘W’ appearing on your transcript.
4. Dropping between 09/29and 10/10: requires a white add-drop petition signed by the instructor and the Department chair and the Dean. Petitions may be picked up in the Department office and are processed in Admissions and Records. Such drops result in a ‘W’ on your transcript for the course.
5. Check the Fall 2008 Class Schedule or for more information. There is no such thing as an automatic drop. You are responsible for entering the drop on either CASPER or by petition. Failure to do this could result in a grade of “U” or “F”.
Student Conduct:
ANY act of cheating on an exam or quiz will result in dismissal from the class and a final grade of “F”. Any cheating, or suspected cheating, will be reported to the Dean of Students. Cheating can result in complete dismissal from CSUS.
Actions that will be considered cheating include, but are not limited to:
1. Communication between students during an exam.
2. Looking at another student’s work during exams.
3. Having written materials other than exam papers out during the exam.
4. Plagiarizing research proposals.
5. Presenting falsified data on research projects.
The Cell Physiology Learning Co-operative
By your Enrollment You Accept the Responsibility to Learn the Material
1. know ahead of class the topic and assigned readings for every lecture
2. take it upon yourself to obtain clarification for any missed concepts
- suggestions:ask questions in class
read the assigned pages in the book
organize student note co-ops
organize study groups
tape the lectures
3. address learning issues with the instructor before it gets too late to help
- suggestions:come to office hours
schedule meetings outside of office hours
schedule review sessions
(everyone learns differently – you must see to it that you get what you need )
I will Provide the Students with Tools that Promote Successful Learning
1. a syllabus that provides the topic and assigned readings for every lecture
2. outlines of the lecture material that provide the focus and structure
3. immediate response in class to requests for clarification, writing or slowing
4. scheduled and unscheduled (with reasonable notification) one-on-one hours
5. weekly examples of exam type questions in the form of review questions
6. question and answer style review sessions outside of class hours before exams
Scientific Learning and Thinking
1. Dr. Landerholm’s Three Levels of Thought
a. Classification and Memorization of Information
b. Understanding through Comparison of Known Information
c. Extrapolation of Understanding to Unknown Information
CELL PHYSIOLOGY
Biological Sciences 121 – Fall 2008
Lecture Outline and Reading
DATETOPICREADING
Sept.03i. Class Business
Sept.08I. Introduction to Cell Physiology (Lab Manual and outline 1)
A. The Cell Physiology Laboratory
Sept.10B. What are Cells? Theories and Definitions
Sept.15C. How do we Study Them? Identification of Cells and Molecules
Sept.17 Identification of Cells and Molecules (cont.)
Sept.22D. Experimental Methods and Design
Sept.24Midterm Exam I
Sept.29II. Organization of the Cell (outline 2)
A. Cell Membranes in the Eukaryotic Organismp. 169, 617-698
Oct.01 Cell Membranes (cont.) “ “
Oct.06B. The Cytoskeleton and Intracellular Movementp. 965-1024
Oct.08 The Cytoskeleton (cont.) “ “
Oct.13C. Vesicular Transport System and Subcellular Organellesp. 749-810
Oct.15 Vesicular Transport and Organelles (cont.) “ “
Oct.20 Vesicular Transport and Organelles (cont.) “ “
Oct.22D. Eukaryotic Cells in Multicellular Organismsp. 1131-1203
Oct.27Review for Exam
Oct.29Midterm Exam II
Nov.03III. The Physiology of Complex Cell Activities (outline 3)
A. Introduction to Signaling Systemsp. 879-954
Nov.05 Signaling Systems (cont.) “ “
Nov.10B. Regulation of Muscle Contractionp. 1025-1035
Nov.12 Regulation of Muscle Contraction (cont.) “ “
Nov.17C. Cell Migrationp. 1037-1039
Nov.19 Cell Migration (cont.)p. 1045-1050
Nov.24D. Cell Cycle and Apoptosisp. 1053-1112
Nov.26 Cell Cycle and Apoptosis (cont.) p. 1115-1129
Dec.01Review for Exam
Dec.03Midterm Exam III
Dec.08IV. Fibroblasts in Wound Healing(outline 4)
Dec.10 Fibroblasts in Wound Healing (cont.)
Dec.12Review for Final Exam?
Dec.17FINAL EXAM – Wednesday, 12:45-2:45
THE CELL PHYSIOLOGY LAB
09/02 or 09/04Lab Business and Check-In
09/09 or 09/11Lab 2: Ciliary Regeneration
09/16 or 09/18Lab 3: Pollen Tube Germination and Growth
09/23 or 09/25Lab 4: Basic Technique in Cell Culture
09/30 or 10/02Teams begin to define potential research problems.
10/07 or 10/09Teams work on research proposals.
Talk them over with the instructor.
10/14 or 10/16First draft of written research proposals due.
10/21 or 10/23Teams start controls and fine tune research proposals.
10/28 or 10/30Final draft of written research proposals due.
11/04 or 11/06Teams work on their experiments.
11/11 or 11/13Preliminary data analysis.
11/18 or 11/20Teams work on their experiments.
11/25 or 11/27Teams work on their experiments.
12/02 or 12/04Teams wrap up their experiments.
12/09 or 12/11Teams report their findings.
Department Evaluation Exam.
Check out of lab drawers.
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