Room:	Wilson 214
Time:	MW 6:00 - 11:00 PM
Instructor:	Dr. Buzz Hoagland
Office:	WC224
Phone and Voice Mail:	413-572-5308
E-Mail:	bhoagland@wsc.mass.edu
Web Page:	biology.wsc.mass.edu/hoagland
Office Hours:	MW 5:00-6:00 PM, or by appointment
Textbook:	Starr, C., and B. McMillan. 1999. Human Biology. Third Edition. Brooks/Cole Wadsworth, Pacific Grove, CA. ISBN 0-534-55089-4

Course Description: Human Biology introduces the structure and function of the human body. Students will study the major systems of the human body, including reproduction, digestion and nutrition, circulation, respiration, nervous and hormonal control, and locomotion, through examination of and non-invasive experimentation with their own bodies, computer simulations, reading, and attending lectures/discussions. 4 semester hours.

Conduct of the Course: The course will consist of two 5-hour sessions each week beginning on Monday 24 May. All class meetings will be held in Wilson 214. Each meeting will be devoted to an investigation of the topic(s) listed below (see SCHEDULE). You are expected to read the assigned information in the text prior to attending class so that you will be prepared. Each class session will begin with a quiz that covers the assigned reading material and the lecture material from the previous class. You will be evaluated on your attendance and participation, 10 quizzes, 3 lab reports, 3 lab sheets, 4 multimedia presentations , 1 web poster, and 2 exams. Attendance is expected. Should absence from class be unavoidable, the student is responsible for completing all required work by the next scheduled class period. Unless otherwise stated, all activities will be conducted in groups of 2-4 students. Reports of activities will include class data.

Course Objectives: With the successful completion of this course, the student will:

1) demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental building blocks and basic life processes of humans;

2) demonstrate knowledge of the structure and function of the major systems of the body;

3) demonstrate knowledge of how the human body fights diseases;

4) demonstrate knowledge of how to conduct a scientific investigation;

5) demonstrate an ability to communicate the results of a scientific investigation in written and oral formats;

6) demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively; and

7) demonstrate an ability to communicate via the World Wide Web and E-mail;

Assessment: The extent to which students meet the above objectives will be determined in the following ways:

A final grade consists of a student's total from a possible 930 points expressed as a percent and converted to a letter grade by a scale no more stringent than:

Lab Reports: Lab reports will be typed, double-spaced, and submitted at the beginning of the next scheduled meeting. Each lab report will include a brief description of the problem investigated, the results, and a discussion of the significance of the results. These reports should be no longer than two pages, and most likely will be shorter. Although you are not required to produce a lab report in the form of a scientific paper, you may find the information presented in the Writing in Biology section of the Westfield State College Writer's Guide helpful. Lab exercises will be conducted in groups, but each student must write her/his own report.

Lab Sheets: Lab sheets will be filled in during the lab and submitted at the end of the lab period or at the beginning of the next scheduled meeting. Lab sheets will be prepared for the following labs: Human Karyotype Exercise, Cardiac Dynamics Exercise, Sensory Lab.)

Multimedia Presentations: The results of four lab exercises (No Toast!, Renal Physiology, Musculoskeletal Case Study, and Vaccine Exercise) will be presented to the class through use of PowerPoint software (or equivalent). Images will enhance the quality of presentation, but are not required. Presentations will be made by each group and all members of the group will receive the same grade. Grades for presentations will be based upon demonstrated understanding of the material presented, coherence, content, and format.

Web Poster: The results of the Case It lab will be presented to the class and to another WSC biology class through the WWW. The instructor will assist students in the construction of these web posters which will include a feed back mechanism. All students in the class must visit two web posters (one from each class) and provide detailed feedback to the authors. Web posters must include references (books, scientific papers, web sites, etc.).

Plagiarism: "Plagiarism is the act of presenting the intellectual work of others (words, ideas, artwork, computer programming code, etc.) as if it were one's own. Some common forms of plagiarism are (1) submitting someone else's paper as one's own; (2) copying a passage from another source without citing the source; (3) expressing a published idea or theory in different words, without crediting the source of the idea. Plagiarism constitutes intellectual dishonesty and undermines trust between members of the college community." (Westfield State College Bulletin, 1998-1999, pg. 32)

SCHEDULE: Following is a tentative schedule of the subject material, required text reading, activities, exam times, objectives, and questions. I reserve the right to make any adjustments to this tentative schedule.

NOTE: Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of their abilities should contact me as soon as possible, so that we can discuss class requirements.