Description BILD1 is an introductory course on the molecular and cellular biology of microbes, plants and animals for Biology majors. The course focuses on structures and mechanisms of action required for the smallest unit of life – the cell.

Course Website http://www.biology.ucsd.edu/classes/bild1.SP09

Instructor Dr. Amy Kiger

Lectures Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30 – 8:50 AM, PETERSON 110

Office Hours Wednesdays 9:00-10:00 AM, Natural Science Building, Room 6109

Syllabus The lecture and reading schedule is posted on the course website.

Textbook Biology, 8th Edition, Campbell and Reece

Assigned Reading The Chapter reading on the Syllabus refers to the chapters in the 8th Edition text. Students are responsible for determining page conversions if using older editions. Unless noted, the assigned reading is for the entire Chapter. Exams will primarily cover material covered in lecture. However, this may include information briefly discussed in class that is more extensively presented in the textbook.

Text Website http://www.aw-bc.com/campbell/ There is an excellent website associated with the text, including a chapter guide, glossary and self-quizzes for each chapter.  It is highly recommended that you use the self-quizzes to assess your understanding and to prepare for exams. To encourage you to make good use of the website, several questions from the quizzes will be used verbatim in exams.

Discussion Sections are voluntary and begin the second week (starting April 6th). 
Section times and locations are posted on the class web site and in the UCSD Schedule of Classes. Questions about the lectures, reading, problem sets and exams will be answered. You may attend multiple or alternate Sections, although regularly attending the same section is highly encouraged to build a rapport with your TA. This is especially important since your participation in Sections can influence borderline grades at the end of the class.
 
Problem Sets Problem Sets will be assigned through the course website. Problem sets will not be graded, but the material covered will be central to the exams including some identical or similar questions. Answer keys will be posted on the website later.

Exams There will be two Midterm Exams and one Final Exam. The exams are closed book, no notes. The Midterms will be held during regularly scheduled class times. The Final Exam is on Friday, June 12, 8:00-11:00 am (Room TBA). Material covered in the entire course will be tested on the Final Exam. No one may take the Final Exam early. There will be NO MAKE-UPS for missed exams.

Grading The coursework and the class is graded on a curve, with the average being a B-/C+. The final course grade will be derived 25% from each Midterm Exam and 50% from the Final Exam. Disputed exam grades will only be reconsidered if original work was done in pen. There is no extra credit, although there may be extra credit problems on the exams.

Lecture Notes As a courtesy, the instructors’ lecture slides will be posted on the website by one day after the lecture. Students are required to have access to the internet in order to obtain class information (syllabus, TA sections) and materials (problem sets, answer keys). Information available on the website will not be handed out in class.

TA Office Hours TA office hours are listed on the course website. There are eleven Teaching Assistants, and all have excelled in BILD1 or similar classes. They are a great resource for the course, so take advantage of their knowledge.

Email to Students Occasionally the Instructor will communicate with the entire class through email using the listserv roster of student email addresses. I will announce when a test email will be sent early in the quarter. If you do not receive the test email, you must take appropriate steps to change your address via TritonLink or you may miss important announcements. Please adjust your spam filters and ensure mailboxes are not too full to insure that Instructor emails can be delivered.

Email to Instructor. akiger@ucsd.edu
I will respond to BILD1 related emails only when they are sent with the requirements:
1.  Include “BILD1” in the subject line.
2.  Compose your message in proper English, as with any professional correspondence.
3.  Include your first and last name in your signature.
Do not rely on email as an immediate form of communication with the instructor. The most certain way to get your questions answered is to attend office hours.

Google Groups A class message board has been created at http://groups.google.com/group/bild1s09. Here you can create a member login, allowing options to post and reply to messages and to schedule email updates of new postings. This is a great resource for open discussions between students, TAs and instructors.

Regrade Policy Exams must be written in pen or will not be accepted for regrade. Exams written in pen but having writing masked by any form of white-out or correction tape will not be accepted for re-grade. To submit for a re-grade, you must:
1. Write a cover letter specifying which specific problem should be looked at and fully describe why you think the problem was wrongly graded.
2. Include your email address in your cover letter so that the Instructors can contact you regarding the decision on the re-grade.
3. Attach the cover letter to the exam and deliver to the instructor.  The re-grade request must be delivered within 1 week after the graded exams are returned.

Course Etiquette  You are expected to arrive on time, turn off phones and listen attentively.

UCSD Policy on Academic Integrity All academic work must be done by the student to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind.  Please read the official UCSD policy
http://blink.ucsd.edu/Blink/External/Topics/Policy/0,1162,19400,00.html

Administrative ? See Biology Student Affairs (Undergraduate Office), Pacific Hall, Room 1129 for adding or dropping this class, etc.