Botany

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Course

BIOL 200

Semester

Spring

Year

2022

Catalog

School of Arts and Sciences

General Course Information

Course Lecturer Name(s): Leon Radix

Course Director Name: Leon Radix

Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: lradix@sgu.edu (WhatsApp # 473-456-0374)

Course Director Contact Information: lradix@sgu.edu

Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 am (M & W)

Course Director Office Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 am (M & W)

Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Caribbean House, 2nd floor

Course Director Office Location: Caribbean House, 2^nd floor

Course Support: Akima Ventour, Email: aventou2@sgu.edu, Phone: Ext 3435

Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf

Course Curriculum Information

Course Description:

This course is an introductory botany course. As such, one of the primary goals of the course is to introduce students to the principles and general concepts of botany. In this course, we will cover a broad range of topics including the biology of the plant cell, photosynthesis and respiration, plant organs, plant diversity, and human interactions with plants. We will also take an in-depth look at the plant ecosystems of Grenada. This course has been created to cover these numerous important topics to ensure a foundational knowledge of botany and plant science is achieved.

Botany 200 will be intensive in terms of reading, writing, and self-expression. Students will be expected to verbalize their thoughts and observations from lectures, field trips, and labs during classroom discussions. Students will have numerous opportunities for self-learning in a variety of laboratory experiments, presentations, fieldwork, and a paper. Botany is in many ways a visual art, and students will work on illustrating and identifying a variety of plant parts.

The formal concepts introduced in this class will be presented by your professor and will be supplemented by group discussions, lab/class activities, and fieldwork.

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to:

Provide a general introduction that supports student understanding of the key concepts of botany and plant science including:
1. Plant cell biology
2. Respiration and photosynthesis
3. Genetics
4. Evolution and adaptation
5. Plant organs
6. Plant diversity
7. Environmental factors that affect plants
8. Human-plant interactions
Increase student understanding of the complex plant communities of Grenada and the ecosystems they create.
Develop scientific skills including:
1. Learn to ask the questions that scientists ask
2. Gather, interpret, and communicate quality information
Provide the opportunity for students to explore the natural environment to gain first-hand experiences and knowledge of the unique flora of Grenada
Demonstrate the importance of botany as an active research field that promotes the understanding of the flora as it relates to the environment and the long-term survival of humankind.

Technical Skills Outcomes:

Use the clinometer, densitometer and measuring tape to determine tree height, percentage canopy cover and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH).
Use of microscope to observe cell, tissues, organs and other important anatomical features of a plant and prepare annotated diagrams.
Use of field guides and keys to identify plant species

Student Learning Outcomes:

Please see Course and Session Learning Outcomes document in the Resources folder.

Program Outcomes Met By This Course:

BIOL – PLO1: Apply the scientific method for designing and conducting controlled field and laboratory experiments, testing hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data, and interpreting and communicating results.

BIOL – PLO2: Apply the scientific method for designing and conducting controlled field and laboratory experiments, and effectively use scientific literature and communicate scientific knowledge.

BIOL – PLO3: Analyze key ecological issues across Planet Earth, with a focus on ensuring longterm species viability, and the health of marine and terrestrial environments.

SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:

A = 89.5% or better

B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%

B = 79.5 - 84.4%

C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%

C = 69.5 - 74.4%

D = 64.5 - 69.4%

F = 64.4% or less

Course Materials:

Text: Text: Raven, P. H., Evert, R. F., Eichhorn, S. E. 1999. Biology of Plants 6th ed. W. H. Freeman and Company. New York, New York.
Supplementary Readings/Resources: Hawthorne, W. D., Jules, D., Marcelle, G. 2004. Caribbean Spice Island Plants. Oxford Forestry Institute.

Course Grading Requirement:

This course consists of three exams worth a total of 20 percent of the overall course grade. Exam questions will come from the assigned reading material, class lectures and discussions, guest lectures, and class labs/activities. Note: Exams may consist of multiple choice, true or false, short answer, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions.

THE REMAINING POINTS TO BE EARNED AS OUTLINED BELOW:

Assignment 1 (10 percent)
Assignment 2 (10 percent)

There will be one FIELD TRIP in this course that is worth 20 percent of your grade. This field trip is integral to student success in this course and will provide first-hand experiences for every student to increase their connection and understanding of the terrestrial ecosystems of Grenada. There will be a field trip paper due for the FIELD TRIP.

Note: Additional information on field trips, group presentations and labs will be provided during the course.

You will be required to conduct two laboratory-based activities that will account for 20 percent of you overall grade.

There will also be two group presentation activities that will be worth 20 percent each.

Course Requirements:

N/A

Course Schedule:

BIOL 200: 2022 Tentative Spring Lecture Schedule
Week		M: Lecture 1	W: Lecture 2
17-Jan	01	Introductions & Syllabus Review	What is Botany
24-Jan	02	Plant Cells	Plant Molecules
31-Feb	03	Membrane Structure and Function	Group Presentation I
7-Feb	04	Independence Holiday	Catch Up Day
14-Feb	05	QUIZ 1	Cellular Respiration
21-Feb	06	Photosynthesis	Ethnobotany I
28-Feb	07	Ethnobotany II	Group Presentation II
7-Mar	08	Midterm Exam	Midterm Week
14-Mar	09	Genetics	Evolution
21-Mar	10	QUIZ 2	Plant Diversity I
28-Mar	11	Plant Diversity II	LAB I
4-Apr	12	Plant Structure I	Plant Structure II
11-Apr	13	Secondary Growth	Humans and Plants
18-Apr	14	Holiday	QUIZ3
25-Apr	15	Poisonous Plants I	Poisonous Plants II
2-May	16	Final Exam—likely today	Final Exams Week

School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections

Plagiarism Policy

Academic Integrity

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).

Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.

Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.

Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.

Attendance Requirement

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).

Examination Attendance

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).

For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services Policy

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

“A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).

Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.