Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

General Biology II (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 1620-04

Course: BIOL 1620-04
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: BIOL
CRN: 12682

Course Description

This course introduces science majors to the study of biology and the diversity of life. It provides fundamental knowledge of morphological complexity, physiology, development, environmental adaptation, and the evolutionary history of life on Earth. 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 1625

Required Texts

OpenStax Biology 2e. This is an open educational resources (OER) textbook available to read for free online (or you may purchase a print copy if you prefer).

Previously I have used Campbell Biology, 9th - 12th ed.; by Reece et al. or Urry et al. (these editions are all pretty similar in terms of content). If you already have a copy of this textbook from a Gen Bio 1 course, this would work fine as well.

Because this course has a flipped structure (see “flipped course format” below), a textbook isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s good to have as a supplemental reference. Since the OpenStax option is free, there isn’t really a reason not to have it. For each lecture, I will direct you to the relevant sections of each book.

Learning Outcomes

This is the second course of the two-semester General Introductory Biology series at SUU, covering the fundamentals anyone who wants to work in biology-related fields needs to know.
The course objectives for Gen Bio II are:
1. To gain factual knowledge (terminology, classifications) about the diversity of life, particularly plants and animals,
2. To learn fundamental principles about biology, particularly how evolutionary processes result in biodiversity and physiological adaptations,
3. To learn how to apply scientific thinking in problem solving and decisions, specifically how to identify hypotheses, interpret graphs, and understand correlations.
BIOL 1620 fulfills the General Education (GE) requirement for “Knowledge Area: Life Science (L)”.

Other Course Goals:
Learning to read, study, and take notes effectively
To appreciate the value of biodiversity
To understand and apply phylogenetic trees for elucidating patterns of evolution and biological diversity.

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based on the following:
  • Daily reading notes. These are the notes you take on either the video lecture or the reading for that day (whichever one you choose). There is no particular format for the notes – whatever works for you – they just need to be reasonably complete (~20% of your total grade).
  • Daily in-class activities; your presence in class is required for full credit, but these can be made up if you have an unexcused absence. The lowest three are dropped (~20% of your total grade).
  • Weekly study strategy reflections (~15% of your total grade).
  • Three exams: two midterms and one final with half new material, half cumulative (45% of your total grade).

Course Outline

General Biology 2 is divided into three principal units:
Unit 1: Evolution basics, including the history of evolutionary thought, macro- vs microevolution, the nature of species, and understanding phylogenies.
Unit 2: Plant diversity, land plant evolutionary history, plant life cycles, and plant functional biology.
Unit 3: Animal diversity, animal evolutionary history, and animal functional biology.

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

Late Work:
Daily activities will be due in class. If you miss class, you may turn in daily in-class activity assignments with a late penalty of 50%. All other assignments are reduced by 10% of the total points possible per day after the due date. Due dates and times for all assignments can be found on the syllabus calendar and will be posted on Canvas.

Making Up Exams: SUU-sanctioned events such as athletic events are legitimate reasons for missing an exam. If a sanctioned event is scheduled for the day of an exam, you must provide me with written documentation from your coach or instructor at least one week prior to the exam date. 

If you are unable to take an exam on the scheduled date or dates because of an emergency, you may make up the exam in the Testing Center at a later date. Let me know ahead of time if possible and I will get it set up. If you miss an exam for any other reason, you are not guaranteed a makeup. 

Attendance Policy

In-person attendance is required for full credit on in-class activities. If you will need to miss class for a scheduled event, please communicate with me ahead of time about the upcoming absence and we can make arrangements for you to make up missed work.

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.