Biology 201- Botany

Syllabus & Course Information
Instructor:  Sue Kloss
Office:  D-101(In the Science Commons area)
Office Hours:  
Monday & Wednesday 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Monday 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Additional hours are also available by appointment
Email: kloss@ltcc.edu 
*If you email me, please be sure to use Bio 201 or Botany and your name in the subject line!
Course Website: https://www.ltcc.edu/suekloss/bio201 
Phone:  (530) 541-4660 x 244
Final Exam and Discussion:  June 15 – Final Exam during class; June 20, 10 am – 12 noon – field exercise
 

Course Information: 

This course will cover the basic principles of botany.  We will examine the structure and function of plants.  Topics covered will include major plant groups, anatomy, reproduction and taxonomy and field identification of local taxa.  Starting in early May (weather permitting), we will begin identification of local plant species outdoors during the second hour of class on Mondays.  Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Consistent hard work and effort is required for you to do well in the class. One excellent strategy is to work hard at taking good notes in class; in the evening, recopy your notes and review them for 30-45 minutes. Answer the lesson objective questions as we cover that material in class.  Repetition3 is necessary to master the quantity and quality of material you will be required to know for this course. 

To do well in this course, you must spend time to learn the material!  Carnegie Units – 5 units x 2hrs./unit = 10 hrs./week of study time!!

Text:  Plant Biology by Rost, Barbour, Stocking and Murphy, Wadsworth Publishing Company.  2nd edition

Lab Text: Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada and additional lab exercises. 

Additionally, please download and print the Field identification of the 50 most common plant families in temperate regions PDF.

Attendance/Participation:  If you have excessive absences from lab (more than 2!) you will be dropped from the course. 

Course Requirements for Botany Lecture: 
Quizzes/Classroom assignments:  There will be quizzes and/or classroom assignments each week, and 3 or 4 field quizzes each time we are in the field.  Your 3 lowest quiz grades will be dropped.  There are no make ups for any quizzes or classroom assignments. 
 
Exams:  There will be three exams in this course.  You are responsible for all material covered in
lectures, labs, discussions and readings.  Exams reflecting course material are worth a total of 60% of the course grade.

 

Course Requirements for Botany Lab:           
Lab Reports/Participation:  You will receive credit for manuals/reports completed each lab period.  Notebooks will be collected and graded during the quarter as well. You must be present to receive credit for lab reports and lab work. If you arrive late to lab or leave early, you will not receive full lab points.       
 
Term Project:  The project will be explained in lab week 2. 

 

Grading:

Grading Summary   Grading Scale
10%  - Quizzes/in-class assignments   A= 90-100
15% - Midterm I      B= 80-89
20%  - Midterm 2     C= 70-79
25%  - Final Exam   D= 60-69
20% - Lab Reports/Participation      F= Below 60
10% - Term Projects    
100% Total    


Electronic Device Policy: 

Turn off ALL electronic equip. (PHONES, IPODS, LAPTOPS, ETC ) before class begins, please.  All electronic devices are prohibited during CLASSES, LABS, FIELD WORK AND exams.  No electronic submissions of assignments, please.  

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy: 

You may always discuss course information, lesson objectives, and lab assignments together (except on quizzes, exams and home works), but all answers must be your own.  Do not use the same wording as anyone else on any assignment.  When you use someone else’s idea, be sure to provide a citation.  If you are found to be cheating or plagiarizing, you will receive a 0 for the assignment, and if flagrant, an F in the course.  This class will abide by the LTCC’s Student Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy (please see the College Catalog). 


Exam Reschedules:
You may reschedule an exam/assignment only by discussing it with me in advance.  (Emails and phone messages do not satisfy this requirement).  If you arrange a makeup and take the exam within 2 working days of when it was originally scheduled, you forfeit 20% of the total possible.  If you complete the exam within 7 days you lose 50 %.  You may not submit late work/exams more than one week after the scheduled original.  If you miss a lab practical you will retake it in alternate format, subject to the above penalties.  No early final exams will be given. If you have an exam rescheduled, you forfeit prompt grading privileges and extra credit opportunities for that exam.
 

Late Work Policy:  Late work not accepted without instructor approval, subject to rescheduling policies outlined above.

Study Buddies:

Choose 2 or 3 people for your study buddies.  These are the people who will pick up handouts for you if you are absent, and who will share notes with you for the class you missed. With your study buddies, you can ask about material you don’t understand, divvy up study chores, prepare for exams, etc.  Learning cooperatively is wonderful, but it doesn’t work if every one doesn’t do an equal share of the work.  Take good care of your buddies!  Do not take advantage of them! You may always discuss course information and assignments together on collaborative assignments, but all answers must be your own.  Do not use the same wording as anyone else on any assignment. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Model plant structure and function at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.
2. Diagram patterns of plant diversity in major taxonomic groups, and predict the basic taxonomy of a plant using its morphological characteristics.
3. Integrate structure and function of plants and their interactions with the abiotic and biotic environment to analyze patterns of evolutionary diversity in plants.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, students will:

1.    Identify Division and Family taxonomic categories of plants based on morphological features.
2.    Relate  the structure to function of major plant tissues.
3.    Describe organs and process of plant reproduction.
4.    Relate  alternation of generations in plant and plant like organisms to their evolutionary histories.
5.    Describe life cycles of major plant groups.
6.    Relate the evolutionary relationships of major plant groups to physical and geologic changes on earth.
7.    Identify local plants in our Tahoe Basin ecosystems.

*If you require accommodations for a disability, please obtain the required appointments/paperwork at Lake Tahoe Community College's Disability Resource Center;  make sure to email me to let me know of your appointment!