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Aquatic Biology (BIOL 372) Syllabus 2009

This course is designated as "Writing Intensive".

Writing Intensive Goals:

By the end of the term, students will:

1.     learn to write all of the components of a formal scientific paper through a series of informal and formal writing assignments. 
2.     write scientific papers in the style of a peer-reviewed journal and become familiar with the scientific publishing process. 
3.     produce correctly formatted tables and figures that will be used in writing assignments. 
4.     effectively use library resources and incorporate citations into their writing projects. 
5.     use peer review, comments from the professor and other reviewers to learn the importance of peer review in scientific writing. 
6.     ***have written over 20 formal pages and approximately 13 informal pages of scientific writing***

This course will reinforce the following Dragon Core Written Communication Competencies:

         Use a coherent writing process including invention, organization, drafting, revising, and editing to form an effective final written product. 
         Create logical, engaging, effective written products appropriate for specific audiences and purposes
         Locate, use, and cite appropriately primary and secondary source materials from both print and electronic resources. 
         Consult effectively and appropriately with others to produce quality written products. 

Other official language telling you things that you shouldn't have to be told. Summary: Come to class, don't cheat, be a nice person.

Attendance:  Students are expected to attend all classes.  Missing meetings will interfere with your ability to participate in team activities.  However, I will not keep formal attendance during the course. 

Excused Absences & Make-up Exams: 

You must have an excused absence with documentation to be allowed to make-up any work.  Acceptable reasons for excused absences are:  1) a death in the immediate family (documentation required); 2) illness (must present doctor's note); 3) university-sanctioned off-campus activities such as athletic events in which you must participate (documentation is required from the appropriate department).

If you will miss class time (including in-class assignments) because of a university-sanctioned event, you must provide proper documentation from the appropriate department at the beginning of the semester or, at least, before the absence in order to make up the in-class work.

If you are ill or will miss an exam because of one of the reasons given above, you must contact me via phone &/or email (477-5001, wisenden@mnstate.edu) ON or Before the exam date to inform me of your reason for missing the exam AND you must present me with proper documentation of your illness (or other reason) before you will be allowed to take a make-up exam.  If your excuse is not acceptable, or if you do not have documentation or you do not notify me on or before the date of the exam, you will not be allowed to take a make-up.  The make-up exam (or quiz) will not be the same as the exam taken by the class on the exam date. 

 Absence from lab:  Lab work cannot be made up.  If you miss a lab, you miss the points associated with that lab assignment.

 Due dates:  Assignments are due on the date given as a due-date.  Assignments turned-in later than the due date will have 10% subtracted from the overall score for each day that it is late, and assignments 2 or more days late will not be accepted. 

 Academic Honesty: The University expects all students to represent themselves in an honest fashion. In academic work, students are expected to present original ideas and give credit for their ideas of others. The value of a college degree depends on the integrity of the work completed by the student.  When an instructor has convincing evidence of cheating or plagiarism, the following actions may be taken: assign a failing grade to the assignment in question, or assign a failing grade for the course in which the student cheated. For informational purposes, instructors may choose to report the offense, the evidence, and their action to the Dean of their college, or the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the instructor (or any other person) feels the seriousness of the offense warrants a different or additional penalty, the incident may be reported to the Student Conduct Committee through the Student Support Services Office. The Student Conduct Committee will follow procedures set out in the Student Conduct Code. After its review of the case, and fair and unbiased hearing, the Student Conduct Committee may take disciplinary action if the student is found responsible (see Student Conduct Code for details).  A student who has a course grade reduced by an instructor because of cheating or plagiarism, and who disputes the instructors finding, may appeal the grade, but only by using the Course Grade Appeal Policy, which states that the student must prove the grade was arbitrary, prejudicial, or in error.

 CHEATING: Cheating is defined by its general usage. It includes, but is not limited to, the wrongfully giving, taking, or presenting any information or material by a student with the intent of aiding himself/herself or another on any academic work which is considered in any way in the determination of the final grade.

 Examples of cheating include (but are not limited to):  copying off someone else's work, filling in an exam or quiz for someone else, having someone do this for you, bringing in and using notes during an exam, communicating information about the exam during the exam, bringing in false doctor's excuses, and lying about your contribution to group work.

 PLAGIARISM All academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission. When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.

 Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work, whether it be published article, chapter of a book, a paper from a friend or some file, or whatever. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be. Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual work is done, it must be done by the student, and the student alone.

 When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she has employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.

 Plagiarism also applies to use of information from the internet.  DO NOT COPY and paste information from online sources and submit this information as your own work rather, site the website as a reference.  If you do not list a source, this will be considered plagiarism. 

 Respect Statement:  A goal of this course is to create and maintain a learning environment that is respectful and open.  All students are expected to value and respect the views, beliefs and opinions of their fellow class members and to contribute to creating a positive learning atmosphere that is open to inquiry and communication.  Strongly held views should be expressed in assertive terms rather than with accusation, blame or judgment.  Students should also be mindful of using inclusive language to create a classroom in which people with different gender, racial, sexual, ethnic, ability and age identities are treated with equal value and respect. 

 Special Accommodations:  Students with disabilities who believe that they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disabilities Services, at 477-2652 (phone) or 477-2047 (TYY), CMU 222, as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

 Write Site: 

Students will be required to use the Write Site for independent reviews of their writing.  The write site provides assistance with writing assignments and links to grammar/mechanics information, documentation information sites and other resources. http://web.mnstate.edu/write  Write Site hours will be posted on the Library website.