Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

General Biology I (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 1610-05

Course: BIOL 1610-05
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30970

Course Description

This course is intended for science majors. (Non-science majors should enroll in BIOL 1010 or BIOL 1020). It provides a basic foundation in the areas of biochemistry, organization and function of cells, as well as the transmission of genetic information. Three (3) hours of lecture per week. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 1615 Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Life Sciences

Required Texts

Text: OpenStax Biology 2e. Available online for free. Print version also available for purchase.

 Canvas: additional materials will be made available to students throughout the course via Canvas. Access to Canvas (via website or app) will be necessary.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

·         Apply Scientific Methods: Describe and apply approaches to scientific discovery and interpretation of experimental data;

·         Understand: Demonstrate understanding of matter, energy, and their influence on biological systems;

·         Apply Knowledge: Describe and apply evolutionary concepts in terms of inheritance, adaptation, and diversity of life;

·         Explain: Explain the mechanisms of information storage, expression, and exchange in living organisms or eco-systems; and

·         Reflect: Reflect on the relevance of life sciences in a broader context. 

Course Requirements

Preparation Notes: It is expected that you will watch the videos/complete reading assignments assigned to each chapter covered in class before coming to class. To ensure that you are getting the most you can out of these, you’ll submit preparation notes from each chapter—due before class on the day that chapter will be covered. Reading the chapters in advance is optional but encouraged. 

Chapter Quizzes: A quiz will be given at the end of class each day and will cover material from the assigned chapter reading. The questions in these quizzes will be multiple choice and will be representative of what to expect on exams. Completing the video/reading assignments prior to meeting with your group is extremely important as your ability to complete learning activities will be greatly affected by your preparation beforehand. 

Learning Activities: each chapter of the text will have an associated group learning activity based on the key points from each chapter. Group work has been shown to increase students’ abilities to retain the information they learn in a course well past the time the course is over. You will be graded on your engagement and participation in these group activities. This requires you to complete activities IN CLASS with your team.  Activities will be submitted through Canvas before the end of day the material is covered in class.

Q&A Discussion Boards: for each chapter assigned you will be required to post a question on Canvas that you still have after completing your preparations. You will then answer at least one question posted by another student. Your answer must be clear and precise. This opportunity to teach each other will help everyone to gain a greater understanding of the concepts covered in the reading. Questions may be taken from the discussion boards for unit review, exams, etc. Discussion boards will be due for 4 chapters at a time. I suggest posting questions as soon as you finish reading the chapter to allow other students time to answer them. Up to 5 extra questions can be answered for 5 extra credit points.

Journal Club: groups of 3-4 will be assigned at the beginning of the semester. Three (3) journal clubs will be held throughout the semester. Each group member will be responsible for choosing an article for the group to discuss once throughout the course (a new group member will choose each time). Articles should be related to the topics we have been studying in class. Articles must be peer reviewed scientific articles from legitimate sources. Each article must be approved in advance. Submit via Canvas. Students are expected to have read their group’s article PRIOR to meeting. A great source for finding articles is: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.

YouTube Series: as a class we will be creating a BIOL 1610 YouTube Series to facilitate the learning of future 1610 students. Each group will prepare a 2-minute video covering their topic to be uploaded via Canvas. Groups will choose their own topics. Students are encouraged to be as creative as they desire, following the style of their favorite YouTube artists. Videos will be submitted through Canvas.

Unit Exams: exams will consist on 50 multiple choice questions and 5 open ended questions. There will be a comprehensive final worth 200 points. Exams will be given during scheduled class time. Missing an exam will result in a zero.

Course Outline

This course covers 4 units: 

Unit 1: The Chemistry of Life
Unit 2: The Cell (pt 1)
Unit 3: The Cell (pt 2)
Unit 4: Genetics

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Nothing will be accepted late unless prior arrangements have been made. Discussion boards will never be accepted late. Message me PRIOR to missing an assignment for exceptions.

Attendance Policy

While attendance is not required, you will receive a zero on learning activities and quizzes missed when absent without excuse. Please contact me if you'll be missing class PRIOR to the class missed.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.