LEGACY OF LIFE

Dr. Stuart S. Sumida

Natural Sciences 360, Summer Session – II – 2009

Monday & Wednesday 1:00-4:50; PS-10

 

ENROLLMENT:  STUDENTS MUST BE ENROLLED IN THE COURSE TO PARTICIPATE IN LECTURES AND CLASS EXERCISES.  ENROLLMENT IN NATURAL SCIENCES 360 CONSTITUTES LEGAL ACCEPTANCE OF ALL THE GUIDELINES LISTED BELOW.  PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY.

 

Required Texts: 

 

Cowen, R.  2005.  History of Life.  Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 324 pages. (“RC” in readings)

 

Vonnegut, K.  1985.  Galapagos.  Delta Publishing, New York, 323 pages. (“VK” in readings)  (Other editions are acceptable.)

 

Students are expected to have read all assigned material prior to the beginning of the designated lecture section.

Course Packet:  A packet of materials to be used as course supplements consists of printouts of all lecture PowerPoints images. The packet is available at Copy-Plus.  Students are not required to purchase the packet, as all materials are freely available on-line at www.stuartsumida.com; however many students find it convenient and less expensive to purchase the packet as a whole at the beginning of the term. Copy-Plus is located at the corner of Kendall and University Parkway (near the Econo Lube-and-Tune and el Pollo Loco)

 

Grading Procedures:

There will be two midterms of 175 and 250 points each.  The final examination will be worth 375 points. Included in those examinations will be questions on the reading from the novel Galapagos worth 25, 25, and 50 points respectively for a total of 100 embedded points.  Total points possible equals 800 points.  No extra cedit projects are available.

            Examinations that are missed due to unavoidable problems (e.g. military service, illness, or a death in the family) will normally be made up as an oral examination administered by the instructor.  Family trips and vacations are NOT considered proper excuses for missing an exam.

 

Grading Criteria:

The course is not graded on a curve.  Letter grades are not assigned for individual exams or quizzes; rather they are based on the cumulative points.  Grades will be set according to the criteria listed below. There is no extra credit work available.

 

Grade

Percentage of Total Points

 

 

A

93-100

B-

77-79

D

50-54

A-

90-92

C+

71-76

F

Below 50

B+

86-88

C

60-70

 

 

B

80-85

C-

55-59

 

 

 


LECTURE SCHEDULE and READING ASSIGNMENTS

 

Week

Date

Topic and Readings

Reading Assignment

1

8/3

Course Organization and Introduction; “Moving at the Speed of Rocks”

“Am I already behind!?”

VK-Book 1, Ch. 1-5

 

8/3

Why you can’t walk from Utah to Germany (anymore): “Deep Time” and continental drift.

RC Chapters 1 and 6

 

 

8/5

What’s all the fuss about classification and phylogeny? – or – Why we need to know what’s what and who’s who (and how you do it).

RC Chapters 2-4; VK-Book 1, Ch. 6-9

 

8/5

I: An ecosystem approach: individual organisms and whole ecosystems are filled with single-celled things

II: What does an animal have in common with a martini?

 

2

8/10

I:  Plants: they aren’t just for salad anymore.

II: Flowering plants (It’s all about sex…)

RC Chapter 14; VK- VK-Book 1, Ch. 10-14

 

8/10

 

Midterm 1 (175 Points) including Galapagos questions

 

 

8/12

Heterotrophy: Fungus (No fungus = no wine, no beer…)

VK-Book 1, Ch. 15-18

 

8/12

I: Specialization:  Ya gotta have segments.

II: “All you need is your hat and your shoes and you’re ready to go.”  The life of a mollusk

RC Chapter 5

3

8/17

“It’s a Bug’s Life!” and Other Arthropods

RC Chapter 5; VK-Book 1, Ch. 19-24

 

8/17

Radial symmetry (Can a starfish suck the life out of you?)

RC Chapter 6

 

8/19

I:  It’s all about backbones.  Or is it? (The importance of developmental biology)

II:  Fish!  More than just sushi

RC Chapters 7 and 8; VK-Book 1, Ch. 25-29

 

8/19

Making it on land: The fish to amphibian transition is a “water to land” transition; Living amphibians – the living environmental monitors

RC Chapter 8

4

8/24

I:  Amniotes and reptiles – more than creepy crawlies

VK-Book 1, Ch. 30-35

 

8/24

II:  A a case study of convergent evolution.  Starting Dinosaurs

RC Chapter 8

 

8/26

Midterm 2 (250 Points) including Galapagos questions

 

RC Chapter 9; VK-Book 1, Ch. 36 – Book 2, Ch. 2

5

8/31

Dinosaurs – the truth is stranger than fiction!

RC Chapters 12 and 13; VK-Book 2, Ch. 3-7

 

8/31

Birds:  The dinosaurs aren’t dead!

 

 

9/2

Mammals:  More than fur.  (“You are what you eat”)

RC Chapters 10 and 15; VK-Book 2, Ch. 8-14

 

9/2

I:  The Origin of Humans

II:  People, Anatomy, and Animation – Biology Informs Art (Again)

RC Chapter 17; KV-Book 2, Ch. 8-14

Final

9/9

WEDNESDAY! Final Examination 1:003:00 P.M.  (375 Points) including Galapagos questions

 

 


Services to Students with Disabilities

If you are in need of an accommodation for a disability in order to participate in this class, please let me know ASAP and also contact Services to Students with Disabilities at UH-183, (909) 537-5238.

 

Policy on Attendance and Recording of Lectures: 

All lectures are the copyrighted property of the instructor.  Audio recordings of lectures may be made for individual use only.  They may not be sold, reproduced, or redistributed in any way.  Although tape recorders may be used as a study aid, they may not be used in lieu of attendance.  Attendance is not monitored, but it is expected of all students.  Students who miss a class session must acquire the course notes from a fellow classmate.  The instructor’s lecture materials will not be distributed to individuals in the class.

 

Office Hours: 

Dr. Sumida’s office hours will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays immediately after class in room BI-314 from 12:00 to 1:30.  Additional hours will be added once the instructor’s and students’ schedules are evaluated.  Additional hours are normally scheduled near midterm and final examinations.

 

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