GRADING

As you will read below, the course will be split into four sections. Your grade will be determined based upon:

· your score on 4 equally-weighted exams (3 midterm exams and the final exam, all 100 points each), one at the end of each section to make 400 points. Although the focus of the material covered by each exam will be from that section, any information presented up to that point in the course may be tested or referenced.

· In addition, there will be 10 short homework assignments or pop quizzes in class, worth 10 points each to make 100 points.

· At the end of the course, your total points out of a possible total of 500 points will be compared to the class average. Students with total points equal to the class average will earn a C+, then grades will be assigned based on a standard distribution of point totals above and below the class average. The instructor may make minor adjustments in grading based upon factors such as: overall class performance, individual interactions with instructors, attendance, class participation, and individual performance trends through the semester.

There will be a 20-point extra-credit project available that will be due in the middle of the semester. These points will be added to individual point totals after a class mean is calculated.

INSTRUCTORS

The instructor for this course is Dr. Larry Smart. There will also be a graduate student teaching assistant (noted below). The instructors will be doing their best to assist you in learning the material presented in this course. Please don’t hesitate to interact with them by coming in during office hours, arranging an appointment by e-mail or phone, talking after lecture, or just leave a note if you can’t find us.

LECTURES, ATTENDENCE, AND CLASSROOM COURTESY

Lectures will be presented Mon, Wed, and Fri in 5 Illick from 12:45 - 1:40 pm. Your attendance is highly encouraged, but to help maintain a classroom environment conducive to learning, please . . . arrive on time, do not chat or read the paper in class, turn your cell phones and pagers off, and remain in your seat until class is excused. I have a no tolerance policy for any instances of academic dishonesty and encourage students to report any instances of cheating to me in confidence.

TEXTBOOK, CD-ROM, AND WEB SITE WITH LECTURE NOTES

The required text is: Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition (2004) by Alberts, Bray, Hopkin, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, and Walter (ISBN 0-8153-3480-X) and is available in both Follett’s Orange Bookstore and the Syracuse University Bookstore. The CD-ROM "Essential Cell Biology 2 Interactive" packaged with the text is also required. Lecture notes, homeworks, sample exams, and exam answer keys will be provided on a course web page: http://www.esf.edu/efb/course/efb325/. You can reach this page from the ESF Home Page by clicking on: “Academic Departments” selecting Environmental and Forest Biology, then click on “Courses” in the blue box on the right, then scroll down to EFB325.

E-MAIL

The instructors will periodically send e-mails to communicate with individuals or the entire class. Assignments and supplemental information may be distributed by e-mail. We will expect that you will either: check your syr.edu account regularly or have it set to forward e-mail to the account (hotmail, yahoo, road runner, etc.) that you do check regularly. Click here to have your syr.edu e-mail forwarded.

When you are struggling. . . (having difficulties, missing classes, personal or family problems)

As noted in the ESF Student Handbook, there are offices at both ESF and SU available to provide academic support, as well as career and personal counseling. The ESF Office of Career and Counseling Services, 110 Bray Hall, 470-6660, can direct you to the proper source of help. Confidentiality is assured. If you experience family or health emergencies that will interfere with your ability to succeed in this or other courses, see or call Tom Slocum at the ESF Office of Career and Counseling Services (110 Bray). He can give official endorsement to your need for accommodation. His office will also contact all of your class instructors for you, should such an emergency require you to be absent from campus.

If you must be absent from lecture and may miss a homework deadline, quiz, or exam . . . you must discuss your excused absence with me beforehand to receive any accommodation. In cases of illness, court appearances, death in the family, job interviews, military service, etc., I am very willing to make a fair accommodation - IF you come to me ahead of time.

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