HIGHLINECOMMUNITY COLLEGE SPRING TERM 2004

BIOLOGY 103:

SEABIRDS AND MARINE MAMMALS

COURSE NUMBER:6006 INSTRUCTOR:Woody Moses

OFFICE HOURS:TTh9-11 AM, W 12- 1 PM or by appt. OFFICE: Bldg 29 Rm 233

WEBPAGE: PHONE:(206) 878-3710 x3649

CLASS HOURS:6006:MaST Center TTh 11:30 AM- 2:30 PM EMAIL:

REQUIRED TEXTS:Whales and Dolphins of the WorldMark Simmonds, MIT Press (W)

Birds!From the Inside Out Dan Gleason, CraneDance Communications (B)

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:Nat. Geog Field Guide to Birds of N. America, by Nat.Geog.Soc.

Smithsonian Handbooks: Whales Dolphins and Porpoises, by Carwardine and Camm

REQUIRED MATERIALS:Field Journal, Writing and Drawing Implements

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This class is an introduction to the birds and mammals that live in and around the sea. The course covers the evolution of birds and marine mammals, their taxonomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, and current threats to their survival.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1) To stimulate an interest in seabirds and marine mammals 2) To increase scientific literacy 3) To create better informed citizens who will be able to make decisions about the state of our local environment 4) Understanding of the following basic concepts as they relate to seabirds and marine mammals

  1. Evolution
  2. Taxonomy
  3. Physiology
  4. Behavior
  5. Ecology

ATTENDANCE:

  • DON’T MISS CLASS!
  • You must attend at least
  • Class attendance is not mandatory. However, missing class will greatly impair your ability to perform well on tests and assignments and will inevitably make the course more difficult than it needs to be.
  • If you do miss class, it is YOUR responsibility to get any notes or assignments.

LECTURE NOTES:

  • I will post my lecture notes on my webpage () each week.
  • These notes will not supplement the lecture, but are designed to complement it.
  • Students seem to do best when they take notes during class and then compare their notes with the posted lecture notes.
  • However, everyone has his or her own learning style and I encourage you to find a method that works best for you.

ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES:

  • Turn in all assignments by the deadline. In order to receive full credit, an assignment must be turned in when it is due.
  • Late assignments will not receive full credit and assignments that are never turned in will receive no credit.
  • You will lose 10 % for every week that an assignment is late.
  • If you know you will miss a class and therefore cannot turn in an assignment, contact me before that class and you will not lose credit. Assignment due dates are listed in the back of this syllabus.
  • Always turn in all assignments, even late ones. Some credit is better than no credit at all.
  • The last day I will accept assignments is 1 PM Friday June 2, 2006.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY:

  • The last day to officially withdraw is May 26, 2006.
  • Students who stop coming to class and do not officially withdraw from the class will be graded according to points received.

CIVILITY CONTRACT AND CHEATING:

  • In order to participate in this class, you must sign a Civility Contractthat defines what the students can expect from this class, what I can expect from the students and what we as a learning community can expect from each other.
  • You, the student, are expected to conduct yourself with integrity. When you cheat*, or aid someone else in cheating, you violate a trust. If you cheat, disciplinary action will be taken. At a minimum, you will receive a zero on the assignment in question and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Student Affairs.
  • *Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying answers on tests and assignments, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, stealing, plagiarizing, and illicitly giving or receiving help on exams and assignments.

LABORATORY POLICIES:

  • To receive credit for a lab course in the Life or Physical Sciences, you must attend at least 75% of the labs as scheduled.
  • Attendance will be taken on lab days.
  • Unless otherwise noted, lab assignments will be due one week from the date of the original lab.
  • We will be outside everyday. Please wear shoes and clothing that can get dirty and will keep you warm and dry.

GRADING: Assignment#ValuePoints

Project1100100

Articles3 20 60

Movies/Labs (approx.)5 20100

Exams2100200

Quizzes (approx.) 7 50350

Nature Journal1100100

910 Total (approx.)

GRADING SCALE :95-100=4.070-74=1.5 - 1.9

90-94 =3.5 – 3.965-69=1.0-1.4

85-89=3.0 – 3.460-64=0.5-0.9

80-84 =2.5 - 2.955-59=0.0-0.4

75 -79=2.0 – 2.4

PROJECT: Students will collect into groups of three and then prepare and deliver to the class a 15-minute oral presentation, which will include visual aids. The topic of your project must cover some aspect of cellular biology, and it must be cleared with me before you can begin your research. This project will be in lieu of a final exam. I suggest you begin thinking of people with whom you’d like to work, as well as your potential topic, as soon as possible. Please refer to the handout entitled The Group Project for further details

ARTICLE SUMMARIES:

Each student will read three articles concerning current issues facing seabirds and/or marine mammals.

Each review will be worth 20 pts.

Please refer to the handout entitled Article Review Grading Rubric for details on what is expected from the article Reviews.

Two extra credit articles will be accepted (10pts each).

Two extra credit articles will be accepted (10pts each).

Articles can be taken from magazines, newspapers, journals, the world-wide web, etc. Please refer to the handout entitled Writing Summary Grading Rubric for details on how the article summaries will be graded.

EXAMS AND QUIZZES:

  • We will have a quiz (30 pts) every Tuesday (unless otherwise stated), on the previous week’s material.
  • Exams and quizzes are to be taken on the day they are given, unless previous arrangements have been made.
  • If you miss a quiz or exam, you must ask meto place a copy of it in the testing center for you to take. You will lose 10% of the total grade and you will have one week to take the quiz or exam.
  • If you know you will miss a class and therefore cannot take a quiz or exam, contact me before that class. You will have one week to take the quiz or exam you will not lose credit.
  • There will be two exams (100 pts each) during the term, the second of which is noncumulative.
  • You may bring 1 page (8.5” x 11”)of handwritten notes for each exam. Typed or photocopied notes will not be allowed
  • Notes are not allowed for quizzes.

NATURE JOURNAL:

  • You will be making semi-weekly observations of the natural world, in particular those relating to the marine environment and the birds and mammals that live there.
  • Please see the Seabirds and Marine Mammals Nature Journal Grading Rubricfor more information.

STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY:If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with the instructor, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please provide the instructor with the Letter of Accommodation you have received from the Office of Access Services. Access Services is located in Building 6 in the StudentDevelopmentCenter

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE:

Week / Dates / Chapters / Topic
1 / March 28, 30 / (B) Chapter 1 / Introduction to Birds and Seabirds;
Bird Evolution
2 / April 4, 6 / (B) Chapters 2-4,7 / Bird Adaptations;
Bird Anatomy and Physiology
3 / April 11, 13 / (B) Chapters 5,6 / Bird Classification; Bird Speciation;
4 / April 18, 20
(Earth Week) / (B) Chapters 8-11 / Bird Behavior;
Seabird Ecology and Natural History
5 / April 25, 27 / N/A / Seabird Breeding Habitats and Populations; Seabird Threats and Conservation
6 / May 2, 4 / (W) pgs 12-58 / Introduction to Marine Mammals;
Marine Mammal Evolution; Exam 1
7 / May 9, 11 / (W) pgs 64-97 / Marine Mammal Adaptations;
Marine Mammal Anatomy and Physiology
8 / May 16, 18 / TBA / Marine Mammal Ecology and Natural History
9 / May 23, 25 / (W) pgs 106-146 / Marine Mammal Behavior;
Marine Mammal Threats and Conservation
10 / May 30, June 1
(No School
Memorial Day 5/29) / N/A / Presentations;
Exam 2

List of Important Tentative Dates for Seabirds and Marine Mammals Spring 06

Date / Assignment
Tuesday April 11 / Article 1 Summary
Thursday April 27 / Journal Check
Tuesday May 2 / Article 2 Summary
Thursday May 4 / Exam 1
Tuesday May 23 / Article 3 Summary
Tuesday May 30