BIOS 1030—Human Biology I: Basic Principles
Three Semester Hours
DM 9/18
Prerequisites
None
Course Overview
For non-majors. Humans as biological organisms: our origins, ecology, inheritance, and functioning of our body systems.
Methods of Course Instruction
All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail.
E-Print Option
In this course, an option exists to use e-mail to submit your lesson assignments. Your assignment will be returned to you either as an e-mail attachment or as a hard copy sent through the postal mail, depending on the preferences of the instructor and/or program.
Textbooks and Supplies
- Goodenough, Judith, and Betty McGuire. Biology of Humans: Concepts, Applications, and Issues (loose-leaf). 6th ed. London: Pearson, 2017. [ISBN: 9780134324876]
Number of Lessons
The course has 12 lessons, including one midcourse examination and one final examination. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Human Biology
- Lesson 2: The Cell—Types and Functions
- Lesson 3: The Skeletal and Muscle Systems
- Lesson 4: The Nervous System
- Lesson 5: Maintaining Homeostasis at the Hormonal and Circulatory Levels
- Lesson 6: Midcourse Examination Application
- Lesson 7: Defense Mechanisms, Diseases, and Respiration
- Lesson 8: Digestion, Nutrition, Water Balance
- Lesson 9: Reproduction, STDs, and Embryology
- Lesson 10: Cell Division, Genes, DNA, Genetics, and Cancer
- Lesson 11: Evolution, Ecology, and Population
- Lesson 12: Final Examination Application
Types of Writing Assignments
You will be assigned four short answer questions to submit for each lesson. These questions are not necessarily “parrot questions” where the answer will be found on page x in bold print where you copy the answer directly from your text. You may be given inference questions which will require you to think (gasp, gasp) about what you have read (and hopefully learned) and draw inferences from the material covered. Each question in each lesson has a point value of 25 points for a total possible score of 100 on each lesson. Your answers will be assigned a point value depending on the quality of your answer.
Grading Criteria
When you have finished the class, the average value of your combined lesson answers will comprise 20% of your final score. Your midterm examination and your final examination will be assigned a weight of 40% each. The total of your lessons and your exams will equal your total score and letter grade for the class.
The grading scale for this class is:
100–85 = A
84–75 = B74–65 = C
64–50 = D
This curve is somewhat more liberal than in a classroom situation to make up for the lack of face-to-face interaction. In a few cases, I have used the + and – and reserve the right to do so if warranted. Feel free to earn any grade you want.