Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

General Biology Lab II (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 1625-04

Course: BIOL 1625-04
Credits: 1
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: BIOL
CRN: 12683

Course Description

Lab to accompany BIOL 1620. One two-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. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 1620 Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll

Required Texts

Biology: Diversity of Life Laboratory Manual, by Helen Boswell; Macmillan. (ISBN: 9781533914408)
All other required materials will be supplied for you during lab.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
  1. Gain factual knowledge about diversity of life (terminology, classifications),
  2. Learn fundamental principles about biology and the diversity of life,
  3. Analyze and evaluate information gathered from disciplined scientific observation.

Course Requirements

Pre-lab Quizzes: (9 @ 25 pts. ea.): 225 pts. - read through lab manual for that week and complete on Canvas prior to lab
Post-lab Handouts: (9 @ 15 pts. ea.): 135 pts. - due on Canvas by the end of the week after attending lab
Lab Participation: (10 @ 10 pts. ea.): 10 pts. - attend lab during your assigned time unless you make other arrangements
Lab Midterm: 100 pts. - complete on Canvas
Lab Final: 100 pts. - complete on Canvas
Research Proposal: 25 pts.- submit on Canvas
Weekly Field Research Entries: (5 @ 20 pts. ea.): 100 pts. - submit on Canvas
Final Research Presentation: 50 pts. - present during lab 
Final Research Report: 75 pts. - submit on Canvas
Total: 910 points

Course Outline

Date & Laboratory activity
Jan 14 The Scientific Method
Jan 21 Variation & Mechanisms of Evolution
Jan 28 Classification
Jan 31 Phylogenetics
Feb 4 Diversity of Seedless Plants
Feb 11 Diversity of Seed Plants
Feb 18 LAB MIDTERM (Labs 1-6)
Feb 25 Diversity of Invertebrates: Survey
Mar 4 Diversity of Invertebrates: Dissections
Mar 11 Spring Break - No lab |
Mar 18 Diversity of Vertebrates Dissection\
Mar 25 Independent Lab Project: Methods and Results
Apr 1 Festival of Excellence Week - no lab
Apr 8 Independent Lab Project: Introduction and Discussion
Apr 15 LAB FINAL PRACTICAL (Labs 7-9)

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

Late Work: Late assignments are reduced by 10% of the maximum point total on the assignment per day late, down to a minimum of 50%. You may submit assignments more than five days late which I may accept or not at my discretion (so it’s a good idea to check with me first if an assignment is very late).

Attendance and Make Up Assignments: Labs take a while to set up and in most cases, it won't be possible to do a lab activity outside of the week it runs in class. For this reason, attendance is required. If you need to miss lab due to an for a valid reason, let me know ahead of time. The best option is to attend another lab section in the same week that will be covering the same topic. If that's not possible, I can give you an alternate assignment in the case of a valid excused absence (i.e., absence for an athletic event, university-sponsored event, or legitimate personal reason such as family illness, a funeral, or a wedding).

Attendance Policy

See "Attendance and Make Up Assignments" above.

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.