Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Biology Seminar (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 4999-01

Course: BIOL 4999-01
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 33135

Course Description

Investigation and discussion of advanced topics in biology through faculty and invited speaker presentations. One one-hour meeting 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. (As Needed) [Pass/Fail] Prerequisite(s): BIOL 1610 and BIOL 1615 and BIOL 1620 and BIOL 1625 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Required Texts

No Required Texts. Any materials relating to talks will be provided by the instructor.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World: Students demonstrate knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in the fine arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and life and physical sciences.

Lifelong Learning: Students demonstrate that they possess the skills and dispositions that are necessary for a self-sufficient learner to engage in purposeful, ongoing learning activities with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence.

Integrative Learning: Students make connections among ideas and experiences and can synthesize and transfer their learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.

Course Requirements

Course Policies and Grading
Grades will be based on the following assignment categories:
Attendance (30%): Students will be expected to attend seven of the seminars, including all of those hosted by the Department of Biology and at least one hosted by each of the other departments. Engineering talks (Tuesday Lunch and Learn) can be used as substitutes for seminars.

Questions (30%): Each seminar will include time to ask questions of the speaker. Students must ask at least one thoughtful question of the speaker during two seminars. These will be turned in through Canvas

Quizzes (20%): The instructor will write a quiz on Canvas for each speaker, based on what was said during the lecture. Students must take the quiz for each of the seven seminars which they attend

Reflective Essay (20%): In lieu of a final exam, students must write a short (1-2 page) reflective essay by the end of the semester. This essay should discuss one scientific idea that they learned during the seminars, and one helpful piece of advice about career choices, work-life balance, succeeding in graduate school, or another topic of personal significance that they learned about during the seminars.

Exams (0%): Note that this course is uniquely focused on active participation in seminars, thus there are no exams – neither midterms nor a final exam.

Final Grades will be assigned according to the following grade scale:  Note that this is a Pass/Fail course
Percentage Grade Percentage Grade
100–70.0 P
 < 70.0 F

Course Outline

This class will meet on Mondays 4:00 to 4:50 in room 108 of the Geosciences building (GEO 108)

A list of speakers will be provided in Canvas.  Any papers or materials provided by the speakers will be provided in Canvas.

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

Your Responsibilities as a Student: 
• Show up to class on time! 
• Turn off cell phones during class! 
• Course requirements must be completed independently. Plagiarism of any of the course requirements will not be tolerated (including the use of AI to complete your assignments). If you have been determined to be dishonest in completion of any course requirement, you will receive a zero for that work and depending on the extent of the dishonesty, may fail the course and may receive further action from the university.

Policy on Missed or Late Work: Exams and assignments are due during the class period one week following each seminar and will not be accepted late without either prior approval or if you experience a serious injury/illness or death in the family. You must notify me immediately and take the exam or turn in your late assignment within a day of your return back to school. Other excuses must be discussed with me and evaluated on an individual basis. 

Students will be expected to attend seven of the seminars, including all of those hosted by the Department of Biology and at least one hosted by each of the other departments. This means that if you do not attend a seminar or talk you will not be responsible for the questions or quiz.  For each seminar/talk that you attend you need to provide your questions and take the quiz within one week of attending the talk. Assignments will be turned in through Canvas.

Attendance Policy

Students will be expected to attend seven of the seminars, including all of those hosted by the Department of Biology and at least one hosted by each of the other departments

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.