DEPARTMENT OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
SYLLABUS, FALL 2016
COURSE INFORMATION
Number: BSC 2011
Section: 003
Title: Biological Diversity
Meeting times: Tuesday &Thursday, 2:00-3:15pm, SOC 150

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name: Dr. Chantale Bgin
Office: SCA 329
Office Hours: Tuesday 10-11am, Thursday 9-10am, and by appointment
Email: cbegin@usf.edu
Phone: 813-974-7325

TEACHING ASSISTANT INFORMATION

Name: Fargam Neinavaie
Office: SCA 224
Office Hours: Thursday 1-2pm, and by appointment
Email: fargameneinavaie@gmail.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to introduce students to the diversity of life. We will start by reviewing
evolutionary theory and then conduct an overview of the major groups of living organisms. We
will finish by looking at how organisms interact with each other and their environment and how
populations grow and interact with one another.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completing this course, students will have a better understanding of several major
concepts:
1. mechanisms of evolution and how evolutionary relationships are inferred
2. development of biological diversity, and relationships among the major taxa
3. basic aspects of form and function for representative members of the major taxa
4. general interactions between organisms and the environment

REQUIRED CLASS MATERIAL

(1) Text: Campbell Biology. Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky and Jackson, 10th
Edition, Pearson Education 2014. USF Custom edition for BSC 2011 with access to Mastering
Biology: ISBN 9781323442982. You may also elect to purchase the entire book (ISBN 9781
323442968) rather than the USF-specific one with only the chapters we cover.
(2) Classroom response system - aka clicker. See Attendance section below in Grading.
(3) Access to Mastering Biology. If you purchase the textbook package from the bookstore
(ISBN 9781323442982), then Mastering access will be included. Simply enter the code you
received in the package the first time that you access Mastering homework via Canvas (see
homework section below). If you only want the Integrated Canvas Access to Mastering (e.g. if
you already have a copy of the textbook), you can purchase it (with or without e-book included)
through our Canvas course. If you purchased access to Mastering via Canvas as part of BSC
2010 at USF, your code most likely will still work for BSC 2011 as well. Any other Mastering
biology access codes WILL NOT WORK with our course set up.

CLASS COMMUNICATION:
Students are required to check the course Canvas site on a regular basis to keep track of
announcements, messages and upcoming assignments. You may elect to set up alerts (email,
text message or other) so that you are notified when assignments are due or when there is
relevant activity in the Canvas site. Even if you choose not to receive these notifications, you
are responsible for the information presented on Canvas.

GRADING:
The course will consist of 100 total points, consisting of lecture exams, online homework
assignments, and lecture attendance and participation.
Exams (75%): There will be four non-cumulative lecture-period exams as well as a cumulative
final exam. Your lowest of the lecture exams grade will be dropped, and each remaining exam
will be worth 18.75% of your grade. The final exam will not be dropped, and is also worth
18.75% of your grade. If you arrive late for an exam, and any students have already
completed and left the exam, you will not be allowed to take the exam. Only exams missed for
excused and documented absences will be eligible for a make-up. You must request the
make-up ahead of time if possible, and at the latest on the day of the missed exam, unless you
are physically unable to do so (e.g. due to grave illness and hospitalization). You will be asked
to present your student ID during exams.

Homework (15%): Homework will be accessed through the Canvas site for the course. Some
assignments will be assigned as Canvas quizzes, others with Mastering Biology via Canvas.
There will be two types of assignments: 1. Pre-class assignments (Dynamic Study Modules or
Canvas quizzes; 5%) due at 11:59am on the day we are scheduled to cover a topic in class
and 2. Post-class homework (Mastering Homework; 10%) due at 11:59pm a few days (exact
number variable) after we have covered a topic in class.
To access Mastering homework, click on the Modules tab in Canvas, then under Pearson
MasteringBio Student Access click on course home. You will be prompted to load the
course home into a new window (which may actually create a new tab in your browser, rather
than a new window). Quizzes in Canvas can be accessed through the Assignments tab.
Please note that there are no dropped homework grades, and that extensions will not be
granted, except for documented university-excused reasons that cover a significant portion of
the time that the assignment was available.
Extra credit homework assignment (up to 1%): Homework assignments will be set up in
Canvas, which can earn students up to 1% extra credit. Each assignment will be open for one
week and will not be reopen once it closes. Each assignment is worth proportionally to the
points associated with it. Students must complete all assignments to get the full 1% extra
credit. Note that the extra credit points will NOT be automatically calculated in Canvas and
instead will be added manually at the very end of the semester.
Attendance & Participation (10%): Attendance and participation in the lecture are required,
and will be assessed using i<Clicker 2 response pads (clickers). These can be purchased
from the bookstore. Your clicker should then be registered by clicking on the iclicker button
on the left panel of our Canvas page, then selecting iclicker registration, and following the
instructions. Clickers will be used to take attendance and to record your answers to questions
during class. Questions will be asked throughout the lecture and may 1) cover material from
the previous lecture and/or reading assignment; 2) aim to assess your comprehension of the
material just discussed or 3) make you reflect on concepts before we fully cover them in class.
Calculating your clicker grade: A single clicker point will be awarded for a recorded response to
each question on a quiz and a correct response will earn an additional clicker point. Therefore,
an incorrect answer on a quiz will earn a total of one clicker point; while a correct answer will
earn two clicker points. The attendance for each lecture meeting will be worth 5 clicker points;
to earn attendance points, you must have answered at least 75% of the questions asked on
that day. The 2 lectures in which you earned the lowest score of the semester (i.e. those that
are most detrimental to your grade) will be dropped from your overall attendance and
participation grade. There will therefore not be further opportunities to make-up attendance
and participation points if you miss class, forget your clicker or if it does not work during a
given class. It is your responsibility to make sure your clicker is working properly. The
professor or lecture TA cannot fix it for you. If you miss class meetings for a universityaccepted reason (see below) and deliver the proper documentation to Dr. Bgin before or
immediately after the missed classes, you may receive attendance points for those lectures by
providing Dr. Bgin with a set of detailed notes about the material covered on that day (to be
developed based on the textbook). We will work out the make-up points on a case by case
basis. Your total attendance/participation score will be taken as a percentage of all available
clicker points to make up the 10% of the clicker grades.

You should obtain your clicker and have it registered by Tuesday, August 30th. We will use
clickers prior to this date as practice and I strongly encourage you to start using it on these
earlier dates. We will not modify grades on the 30th because of any technical difficulties that
stem from not understanding how to use the clicker.
Cheating policy:
The use of someone elses clicker is academic dishonesty. If we find anyone doing this, all
students involved will be penalized a course letter grade! A second offense will result in an F
for the class and possible further sanctions.
Forgotten clicker policy:
Please realize that we will be using i>clicker in almost every class and clicker points will make
up 10% of your final grade. Please remember that it is your responsibility to come prepared to
participate with a functioning remote every day. However, I do realize that difficult
circumstances do arise, and for this reason I will drop the 2 lowest i>clicker sessions from your
total participation grade.
Broken/lost clicker policy:
If you have lost or broken your i>clicker remote, you will have to purchase another one.
Please email me with your new Remote ID so that I can manually register your new remote.
iClicker Go
iClicker makes an app that can be used on a smart device as an alternative to physical clickers
and that use wireless signals to send responses. USF IT cannot guarantee that we have
enough bandwidth to support iClicker Go. Should you prefer to use this rather than the
physical iClicker 2, you do so at your own risk and with no expectation of USF support.
Duplicate clickers
Each student is allowed to use only one clicker (including both physical and iClicker go) during
the semester (unless we change your clicker ID because a lost/broken remote). Any answers
associated with a clicker ID that is NOT your main one will not be taken into consideration.
Absences
If you miss a class meeting for any reason, you will be held responsible for all material covered
and announcements made in your absence. Electronic slides for most (but not necessarily all)
lectures will be posted on Canvas. It will be your responsibility to consult with students in the
class concerning what you missed.
Excused absences, which are acceptable reasons for requesting a make-up, are medical
(individual or immediate family only; documented), legal (accident or court case; individual
only; documented), funerary (immediate family only; documented), military (call to active duty;

documented), religious (customarily-observed holidays; absence pre-arranged with instructor),

and special requirements of other courses and University-sponsored events (absence prearranged with instructor). You must provide documentation for excused absence for all
missed lectures or exams in order to be allowed a make-up. The reason for requesting a
make-up must relate specifically to the time periods of the missed coursework and must be
documented in writing by an involved professional, when documentation is required. The
instructor retains the right to make additional inquiries concerning the documentation. If you
are sick, you MUST contact the instructor in advance of the exam or class and then you have
one week to present a doctors note for ALL excused absences and still get your attendance
points or be allowed a make-up. The same holds true for other university excused absences.
Within reason, the Department accommodates students religious beliefs. The University
compiles a list of established religious days when classes may need to be missed for religious
observances, and only these established religious days are addressed by University policy
(http://generalcounsel.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-10-045.pdf). Students who
anticipate the necessity of being absent from class because of the observation of an
established religious day must provide notice of the date(s) to the Instructor, in writing, by the
second class meeting.
Finally, tardiness is disruptive and unacceptable. Please do not arrive late to lecture. Points
may be deducted for tardiness, and the student may be asked to leave.
Final grades:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

97% & above

93 to 96.9%
90 to 92.9%
87 to 89.9%
83 to 86.9%
80 to 82.9%
77 to 79.9%
73 to 76.9%
70 to 72.9%
67 to 69.9%
63 to 66.9%
60 to 62.9%
below 60% *

* F or FF also assigned for academic misconduct

There is no curve in this course and students WILL NOT be awarded a higher letter grade simply
because they are close to the next highest grade. However, if the exams turn out to be more
difficult than anticipated, the individual exam grades may be adjusted upwards. The absence of a
curve guarantees that students who earn 933 points will receive an A regardless of the grade
distribution

CONTINUITY IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY

Weather alerts and other warnings issued by the University are not valid reasons for missing a
class: as long as the University is not closed, classes are in session, and students are

expected to attend. In the event of a campus closure resulting from a pandemic escalation or
other emergencies, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that
include but are not limited to: Canvas, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an
alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor Canvas site for each class
for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites,
emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Assigned readings: assigned chapters should be read before attending class this will
help you follow what we cover. After reading the assigned chapters you can complete the
Sapling pre-assignment.
2. Monitor the course Canvas site and your USF email regularly for communications from
instructional staff pertaining to the course.

DISHONESTY POLICY:
USF expects all members to behave with academic integrity. Should we find evidence of
academic misconduct (cheating, or complicity in academic dishonesty) by a student, we will
inform the student of the action to be taken. Cheating on an exam will result in a grade of F for
the course. If the offense is extremely serious, charges against the student will be brought
before the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. This can include a punitive F that cannot
be "forgiven" from the records.

BSC 2011L LABORATORY:

Note: The laboratory for BSC 2011 is operated separately from the lecture. However, you must
be enrolled in the lecture part of this class to take the laboratory. If you withdraw from the
lecture, you must also withdraw from the laboratory.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

The Department accommodates the special needs of students with documented disabilities.
Students with special needs should meet with the Instructor, preferably during the first week of
the semester, to make arrangements to accommodate those needs. For students with special
needs, the following statement applies. Students in need of academic accommodations for a
disability may consult with the Office of Students with Disabilities Service to arrange
appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice prior to
requesting an accommodation.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:
Recording of lectures is permitted for personal use only. Sale of such items is forbidden.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES:
Personal computers may be used during lectures for taking notes and other class related
activities only. Use of cell phones, including texting, is prohibited at all times during the class.

COMPUTER AND NETWORK ACCESS:

The use of Canvas must be consistent with the agreement that a student signed to obtain a
NetID.

DISRUPTION OF THE ACADEMIC PROCESS:

Students are expected to show proper respect for the instructor, the teaching assistant and for
other students. Punishment will be imposed for disruption of academic process of any kind.
Disruption of academic process is defined by the University as an act, words, or general
conduct of a student in a classroom or other academic environment which in the reasonable
estimation of the instructor: (1) directs attention from the academic matter at hand (e.g., noisy
distractions; persistent, disrespectful or abusive disruptions of lecture, exam, or academic
discussions) or (2) presents a danger to the health, safety, or well-being of self or other
persons. Students coming to class late or leaving class early can be a disruption of academic
process and can be dealt with accordingly.
Department guidelines for punishment are based on University guidelines (see the current
Undergraduate Catalogue). If the unacceptable conduct is serious enough to warrant dismissal
from the course, then the student shall receive a final grade of W, if he/she is passing the
course, and a final grade of F, if he/she is not passing the course.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDELINES:

This course adheres to the instructional guidelines posted on the webpage of the Department
of Integrative Biology (http://biology.usf.edu/ib/admin/).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (subject to change during the semester):

Date
23-Aug
25-Aug
30-Aug
1-Sep
6-Sep
8-Sep
13-Sep
15-Sep
20-Sep
22-Sep
27-Sep
29-Sep
4-Oct
6-Oct
11-Oct
13-Oct
18-Oct
20-Oct
25-Oct
27-Oct
1-Nov
3-Nov
8-Nov
10-Nov
15-Nov
17-Nov
22-Nov
24-Nov
29-Nov
1-Dec
6-Dec

Day Topic
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue

Introduction
Descent with modification: a Darwinian view of life
Evolution of populations
Origin of species
The history of life on earth
Phylogeny and the tree of life
Phylogeny and the tree of life
Test 1: Evolution and taxonomy
Bacteria and Archaea
library research
Protists
Plant diversity 1
Plant diversity 2
Plant diversity 2
Test 2: Biodiversity 1: Prokaryotes, protists & plants
Fungi
Animal diversity
Invertebrates: Parazoa, Radiata, Lophotrochozoa
Invertebrates: Ecdysozoa & Deuterostomes
Vertebrates: early vertebrates to tetrapods
Vertebrates: Amniotes
Test 3: Biodiversity 2: Opisthokonts
Introduction to ecology and the biosphere
Population ecology
Community ecology
Ecosystems and restoration ecology
Conservation Biology and climate change
Thanksgiving
Exam 4: Ecology
Reading day
Final exam, 12:30-2:30pm in SOC 150

Chapters
22
23
24
25
26
26
22-26
27
28
29
30
30
27-30
31
32
33
33
34
34
31-34
52
53
54
55
56
52-56
All