Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Human Physiology (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 2420-05

Course: BIOL 2420-05
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 31063

Course Description

Physiology is the study of the normal function of the body. This semester, we will study physiology at several levels of organization, including cells, organs, and organ systems. By the end of the semester, my hope is that you will have gained an in depth understanding of, and appreciation for, the physiological processes that keep our bodies happy and healthy.

BIOL 1610/1615 are prerequisites for this course, and BIOL 2425 is a corequisite. A minimum grade of “C” must be earned in this course before it can be counted as a prerequisite for any other course.

Required Texts

We will be using the Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook Anatomy and Physiology 2e. This book is free, and can be accessed at: openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Describe the organ systems of the body and explain the physiological processes accomplished by each.
  2. Explain how organ systems are coordinated to maintain a stable internal environment.
  3. Predict how organ systems will respond to changes in the external and internal environment.

Course logistics

This course is listed as “Face-to-Face”, meaning we will meet together in the classroom every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Our class meetings will be a combination of lecture and activities that will get you actively engaged with the course material. This will make for a more productive and enjoyable experience for you than listening to me talk the whole time, and will help you learn more. All of our out of class work will be organized in Canvas, which you should check often to make sure you stay up to speed on everything.

While I won’t be live streaming class this semester, I will record each class and make the recordings available to you on Canvas. You can use these to review material, catch up on anything you may have missed, or stay up to speed in case there is a day you need to be absent. I wouldn’t recommend that you watch the recordings as a substitute for coming to class, though. The classroom microphone might not pick up everything that is said and the recordings won’t include diagrams I draw out on the whiteboard. Your best bet is to come to class as often as you can, and use the recordings for review.

Finally, I am committed to providing an effective, flexible, and understanding learning experience for all of you. If anything comes up this semester that will make it difficult for you to come to class or complete your work, please let me know and we’ll figure something out together. 

Course Requirements

Assessments

There are a number of different assessment opportunities in this class, each one related to the course learning outcomes.

Guided reading questions
Before we start each topic, you will read from the textbook and answer a few questions to familiarize yourself with the material. This will make it easier for you to follow along in class.

In-class activities
Each day will include short activities that you will work on in class to help you learn the course material.

Quizzes
Most weeks we will have a short quiz covering two or three days of material. These quizzes not only help you keep on track, but they are a great way to gauge your understanding of the course content.

Exams
We will have 3 exams, each covering about 3 weeks of material. These will be a mix of multiple choice and free response questions that will focus on your ability to recall content and apply what you have learned. The final exam will cover the last 3 weeks of the semester and will include a cumulative portion with questions covering the entire semester.

Grading

Course grades will be based on the following (675 points total):
  • Guided reading questions worth 75 points total
  • In-class activities worth 50 points total
  • Twelve quizzes worth 10 points each (2 lowest scores dropped, 100 points total)
  • Three exams worth 100 points each (300 points total)
  • One final exam worth 150 points

   Points      Letter Grade
628 – 675            A
608 – 627            A-
587 – 607            B+
560 – 586            B
540 – 559            B-
520 – 539            C+
493 – 519            C
473 – 492            C-
452 – 472            D+
425 – 451            D
405 – 424            D-
0 – 404                F

Course Outline

Date                 Topic                          Reading*
8/27     Introduction                            1.1-1.3 & 1.5
8/29     Nervous system                     12.1-12.5
9/1       Labor Day – no class
9/3       Nervous system                     12.1-12.5
9/5       Nervous system                     12.1-12.5
9/8       Nervous system                     12.1-12.5
9/10     Nervous system                     12.1-12.5
9/12     Autonomic nervous system    15.1-15.2
9/15     Endocrine system                  17.1-17.9
9/17     Exam 1
9/19     Endocrine system                  17.1-17.9
9/22     Sensory systems                   14.1
9/24     Sensory systems                   14.1
9/26     Sensory systems                   14.1
9/29     Sensory systems                   14.1
10/1     Skeletal muscle                     10.1-10.5
10/3     Skeletal muscle                     10.1-10.5
10/6     Skeletal muscle                     10.1-10.5
10/8     Digestive system                   23.1-23.7
10/10   Exam 2
10/13   Fall break – no class
10/15   Digestive system                   23.1-23.7
10/17   Digestive system                   23.1-23.7
10/20   Cardiovascular system          19.1-19.4
10/22   Cardiovascular system          19.1-19.4
10/24   Cardiovascular system          19.1-19.4
10/27   Cardiovascular system          19.1-19.4
10/29   Cardiovascular system          20.1-20.4
10/31   Cardiovascular system          20.1-20.4
11/3     Cardiovascular system          18.1-18.5
11/5     Respiratory system               22.1-22.5
11/7     Exam 3
11/10   Respiratory system               22.1-22.5
11/12   Respiratory system               22.1-22.5
11/14   Urinary system                     25.3-25.8
11/17   Urinary system                     25.3-25.8
11/19   Urinary system                     25.3-25.8
11/21   Immune system                    21.1-21.5
12/1     Immune system                    21.1-21.5
12/3     Immune system                    21.1-21.5
12/5     Wrap up
12/9     Final Exam 11:00 am - 12:50 pm

*Anatomy and Physiology 2e: openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e.
Note: Quiz and guided reading assignment due dates will be posted in Canvas.

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

I understand that life sometimes gets in the way of our best laid plans. Illness, family emergencies, and other challenges don’t always respect your course schedule. If something unexpected happens that will make it difficult for you to take an exam at the scheduled time, please let me know and we can work together to come up with an alternative arrangement. I will open up the answer key for quizzes after they are due. Once that happens you will no longer be able to submit them, so please make sure you turn these in on time. You will have a three-day grace period for submitting guided reading questions and in-class activities, after which they will not be accepted.

Attendance Policy

I do not take attendance or give points just for coming to class. That said, it will be very challenging for you to master the material and do well on the exams if you don't come to class. It isn't a problem if you need to miss class occasionally, but I strongly encourage you to commit to being present every day.

AI

The exams, quizzes, and assignments are designed to help you learn the course content, develop your skills at synthesizing information, and apply what you have learned. While it may be tempting to use artificial intelligence like ChatGPT to help with some of these assignments, doing so will deprive you of important learning opportunities. Therefore, the use of AI to produce any course work is not allowed.

Mental health resources

At SUU, we care about the well-being of our students. If you find yourself struggling with mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can also visit https://www.suu.edu/mentalhealth for resources.

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.