Vertebrate Endocrinology
BIOL 40473, Spring 2015
Dr. Marlo Jeffries, 521 WIN
, 817-257-6171
Meeting Times and Locations
Lecture. Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 to 10:50, 406 WIN
Lab. Wednesday, 12:00 to 2:50, 406 WIN
Office Hours. Monday 11:00 to 12:00 and Tuesday 9:00 to 10:00 or by appointment
Catalog Course Description
BIOL 40473 - Vertebrate Endocrinology. Prerequisite: Biol 40403. Two hours of lecture and one laboratory period per week. The course will focus on the structure and function of hormone signaling systems in vertebrate organisms. Contemporary primary literature will be discussed and the laboratory will expose students to the experimental design and methods utilized in modern endocrinology research.
Detailed Course Description
The course will focus on the structure and function of the vertebrate endocrine system. Lectures encompass three major topic areas. The first topic area will focus on general principles of endocrinology includinghormone synthesis and secretion, hormone receptors, endocrine feedback mechanisms and the basic molecular mechanisms of hormonal action. In the second topic area of the course, the hormonal regulation of growth, energy metabolism, reproduction and homeostasis will be presented using a “systems” rather than “hormone-by-hormone” approach.When relevant, endocrine disorders will be highlighted. The third topic area will focus on contemporary issues in endocrinology such as hormonal contraception, environmental endocrine disruption, sports “doping”and obesity. Students will draw upon concepts discussed in the first two topic areas of the course to critically evaluate peer-reviewed journal articles, newspaper articles, etc. related to these issues. The “hands-on” laboratory portionof the course is designed not only to reinforce the concepts presented in class, but to expose students to the experimental design and methods utilized in contemporary endocrine research.In addition, students will complete several writing assignments designed to introduce them to the format and rhetorical conventions of both informative and persuasive scientific writing.
This course is designed for upper level Biology majors and all enrolled students must have successfully completed BIOL 40403 (Mammalian Physiology).
Course Goals
The course will provide students with a broad understanding of the hormonal regulation of physiological processes in vertebrate animals. Upon completion of the course, students will have gained an understanding of: 1) the structure and function of endocrine glands, hormones and hormone receptors, 2) the general mechanism of endocrine regulation and 3) the hormonal regulation of growth and development, energy metabolism, reproduction and homeostasis. Students will also become familiar with current issues in endocrine research and will gain experience in critically evaluating scientific literature and media reports pertaining to these issues. In the laboratory portion of the course, students will obtain knowledge of theexperimental methods/designs used in endocrine research and will develop both their informative and persuasive scientific writing skills.
Course Resources
Books/Other Materials. “Vertebrate Endocrinology” by Norris and Carr, 5th edition (required)
Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (highly recommended)
Student Lab Notebook (required)
Pearson Learning Studio (PLS).Grades and other materials will be posted onPLS. If you have used PLS before, use your previous login information. If not, use your student ID and your birthday (format: mmdd) as your password. If you need assistance with PLS, contact .
Course Policies
As stated in the TCU Official Student Handbook 2012-2013, “Each student is expected to be fully acquainted with all published policies, rules, and regulations of the University and will be held responsible for compliance with them.” You will be expected to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct.
Attendance.Absence from class and tardiness will negatively impact your grade. Participation in this course is essential and comprises a percentage of your grade. Daily quizzes will be given promptly at the beginning of class and students arriving after the quiz has been initiated will not be allowed to take the quiz and will receive a quiz grade of 0.
Academic misconduct. Cheating, plagiarism, collusion, etc. are not acceptable and will result in a failing grade for the assignment. Students caught cheating may be subject to other sanctions, including disenrollment from the course and a failing course grade. Additional information regarding academic misconduct and TCU’s policies is available in the undergraduate bulletin ( If you are unsure whether actions you are considering constitute misconduct, ASK BEFORE ACTING.
Electronics. Cell phones, iPods, beepers, PDAs, recording devicesand computers are to be turned off and out of sightduring lectures. Students in violation of this rule will be asked to leave class for the day and participation points will be deducted accordingly.
Make-up work. Any student missing an exam or quiz will receive a zero. Thetwo lowest daily quiz scores will be dropped from each student’s final grade; therefore, make-up quizzes will only be given for official university absences. Exams can only be rescheduled for official university activities, illness and family emergencies verified by adequate documentation.
Late assignments. Assignments are to be turned in via PLS and must be uploaded to the appropriate Dropbox before 5 pm on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Laboratory Safety and Animal Use. As part of this course, students will conduct research experiments on live vertebrate animals. To ensure student safety and animal welfare, it is critical that each studentfollow all protocols and instructions as written, unless explicitly given permission to deviate from these protocols by the instructor. Some labs will involve the handling and sacrifice of live animals. Students are expected to treat laboratory animals with respect and will be required to follow all guidelines for all procedures pertaining to these animals at all times. Failure to comply with safety and animal use guidelines will result in dismissal from the laboratory and repeated violations of guidelines may result in a failing grade for the course.
Disability statement. Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 1010. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at
Course Grading System
Grades will be determined by the student’s performance on daily quizzes, comprehensive lecture exams, a comprehensive final, research proposals and reports, a presentation and participation. Point distributions and the grading scale are outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to keep graded quizzes, exams and assignments until their final course grade is posted.
Point distribution (500 points possible)Grading Scale (based on points received)
Daily Quizzes (5%)25 points A450 - 500 points
Participation (5%)25 pointsB400 - 449 points
Exam I (16%)80 pointsC350 - 399 points
Exam II (20%)100 pointsD300 - 349 points
Final Exam (24%)120 pointsF< 300 points
Research Report 1(5%)25 points
Research Proposal(10%)50 points
Research Report 2(10%)50 points
Poster Presentation(5%)25 points
Total500 points
Daily Quizzes. A total of 27 daily quizzes, each worth 1 point, will be given at the beginning of each class. You will be allotted 2 minutes to complete the quiz and extra time will not be given for students that arrive late to class. Students absent from class or arriving after the 2-minute quiz period will forfeit the chance to take the quiz and will be given a zero. For each daily quiz, you will be given the name of a hormone and will be asked to state it’s: 1) chemical class, 2) source, 3) target and 4) major function. Your two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
Participation. Participation is a vital part of this course and all students are expected to be prepared to contribute to class discussions on a regular basis and to actively participate in the laboratory portion of the course. We will routinely discuss journal articles, readings from the textbook and assigned worksheets as part of the course. Failure to complete the assignments before class will substantially impair your ability to participate and will undoubtedly have an adverse effect on your grade in the course. Of the 25 participation points available, 13 will be awarded for regular participation in class discussions and 12 for regular participation in the lab. For each unexcused absence, a point will be deducted from the participation grade.
Exams. All exams will consist of between 8 and 12 short essay/answer questions. All exams will be comprehensive and may include information from the lecture, assigned readings, worksheets, discussions or laboratory. Exams I and II will be given during the first 90 minutes of the laboratory portion of the course.
Research Reports. Each student will turn in two research reports based upon experiments conducted in the laboratory portion of the course. While labs will be conducted in small groups, each student is responsible for preparing and turning in their own research report.Reports are to be written in the format of research articles published in Journal of Endocrinology. For each research report, students will be required to submit drafts, so that feedback can be provided before turning in the final report. Students failing to submit drafts by the due date will receive a 10% point deduction on their final report grade and will forfeit the opportunity to receive feedback on their draft report.
Research Proposal. Student will work in pairs to craft a proposal outlining a potential research project to be conducted in the lab portion of the course. Students will submit a “pre-proposal” for approval prior to submitting their full proposal. A subset of these proposals will serve as the basis of research projects that will be carried out in the laboratory portion of the course.
Poster Presentation. Groups of up to four students will work together on a research project in the laboratory portion of the course. The group will work together to design and present a poster detailing their research project. The posters will be presented to and evaluated by faculty members in the Biology Department.
Lecture Schedule
Laboratory Schedule