BSC 3364 RESEARCH IN TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS/

GLY 3630 RESEARCH IN TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS

FALL 2003, MW 3:30-4:45, PC 432

SYLLABUS

 LAST MODIFIED 12/03/03

NOTE:  If you lose this syllabus, you can download it from the web sites of the Department of Biological Sciences or Department of Earth Sciences.

 

Course and Learning Objectives –  Most courses cover the details of a particular discipline, but rarely do students come out of classes with a general comprehension of how scientific research is accomplished. This course has two learning objectives:  1) to provide the information all educated people should know about how scientific research works, using environmental science research as an example; and 2) to give students who intend to pursue careers in environmental biological science the basics of how to do research. The course’s objectives are to orient students to general scientific principles and practice in the first four weeks, and to present to students case studies in research on the topic of  Environmental Biology of the Caribbean to South Florida, for critical review and discussion. This course is designed for science majors, and in particular those in biology, geology and environmental studies. If your major is not in science, please discuss this with one of the instructors to ensure that your background will be sufficient.

 

Course Description –  This course includes both lectures and group discussions. In the first four weeks, lectures cover the scientific principles and practices of doing research, including scientific methods, selecting research topics, scientific proposals and peer review, and critical thinking.  The rest of the semester will put these principles into practice with research presentations by faculty from the departments of Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Environmental Studies. Students take notes on presentations and ask critical questions of speakers following their talks. The speakers are grouped into five sections by discipline: (1) Earth Sciences, (2) Evolution, (3) Marine Environmental Biology, (4) Botanical Environmental Biology, and (5) Biodiversity/Conservation. Following the speakers in each section, we have a discussion of a selected reading from that discipline. 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

(Textbook chapters corresponding to lectures are shown)

 

 

Note about the exam times:  In keeping with university policy, we will try to make accommodations for students who wish to observe their religious holidays. Students should make these requests known at the beginning of the semester.

 

 

INSTRUCTORS	Department	Email address	Phone (305)	Office Hours
Dr. David Lee	Dept. Biological Sciences	leed@fiu.edu	348-3111	announced in class
Dr. Laurie Collins	Dept. Earth Sciences, Dept. Biological Sciences	collinsl@fiu.edu	348-1732	M 2:00-3:30,. T 8:30-10:00, PC 435

 

 

Course Policies –  You are expected to be on time to class, and to stay the full period. Each student is expected to participate in discussions and ask questions of lecturers, although not in every class. Read the section below on “In-class speaking and active, responsive listening.”

 

You are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. Any student found in violation of these standards will earn an automatic F and be reported to the Deans Office, no exceptions made. In accordance with FIU's policy on academic honesty, as set forth in Section 2.44 of the Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (http://academic.fiu.edu/docs/aapolicies.htm), it is expected that students in  BSC-3364 and GLY-3630 will not submit the academic work of another as their own. Additional discussion of academic honesty and integrity may be found in the Manual.

 

All cell phones and beepers must be turned off during class, unless they are set to vibrate only.

 

Dropping a Class –  Students who wish to drop a class for the fall 2003 semester must do so by 1 p.m. on August 30 if they do not wish to incur a financial penalty, or by 1 p.m. on Oct. 18 to receive a DR grade for the course.

 

Textbook – Fred Leavitt, 2001, “Evaluating Scientific Research, Separating Fact From Fiction,” Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-012845-7. This costs about $30 new in the bookstore.

 

Reading scientific articles – One article will be assigned for each of the DISCUSSION classes (5 total), and one reading will be recommended by each speaker (15 total). They will be available as downloadable files through the library’s Course Reserves listing. The articles assigned for DISCUSSIONs will be general scientific publications on the subject of one of the five disciplines. We will discuss the objectives, results, implications for larger questions, and failures of these articles. DISCUSSIONs are meant to give you practice in critical thinking and voicing your views. The speakers’ readings are meant to orient you to the subject matter before the presentations, so you are expected to read the article assigned by each speaker BEFORE the lecture.

 

Grading Criteria – The breakdown of points earned during the semester is as follows: 

EXAM (Sept. 23) = 25 points, FINAL EXAM = 35 points, CLASS PARTICIPATION = 40 points.

Both exams will have an essay format. The first will cover material from the textbook and lectures pertaining to the book. The final exam is not comprehensive and will cover only the lectures and discussions on research given after the first exam. The Final Exam is “open-book” so you may bring notes and articles to the final for use during the exam.

Determination of final grades by points earned:  A=90-100 points, B=80-89 points, C=70-79 points, D=60-69 points, F=0-59 points.