Instructor: Dr. Kimo Morris
Department of Biology (Math, Science, Health Sci. Div.)
My Office:  R-204
Email: morris_kimo@sac.edu
Websites: http://rsccd.canvas.com/
Phone: (714) 564-6620 BUT EMAIL IS BEST

Section 55663
Office Hours: Tue, Thu 9:30 - 11:30 am
(and by appointment)

Lab Instructor: Professor Lindsey Williamson
Email: williamson_lindsey@sac.edu

Required Textbook: Castro & Huber, 2014, Marine Biology, 10th Ed. (or 9th Ed. is okay)
Pre-requisites:  None

Welcome to the wonderful world of marine biology! It is my sincere hope that you come away from this course with a deep appreciation for the ocean and all of its varied inhabitants. I also hope you will find this course to be fun and inspiring! This course is intended for non-majors. Keep in mind that this rigorous 4-unit course is fully UC/CSU transferable, and fulfills all the transfer criteria for Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C (for example, just like Biology 109/109L). NOTE: This course includes both a lecture and lab, and requires occasionally meeting outside the times appearing in the course catalog, particularly for the lab section of the course. You will know these dates well in advance (see the lab schedule).  

The ocean is a vast place that has been important to humans for millennia.  We have always relied on the ocean for food, commerce, and recreation, and in this course we will explore the biology of the ocean in many different and exciting ways.  This course is broken into FOUR main sections:  (1) Principles of marine science, (2) Diversity of marine organisms, (3) Structure and function of marine ecosystems, and  (4) Human impacts.   We will learn about the marine environment through lectures, labs, field trips, discussions and a wide assortment of multi-media tools including videos, online activities, and current events in the newspaper.  We will also visit the ocean during field trips.  This will give us an opportunity to look down into the water and recognize many of the organisms, habitats, and ecological processes that you will study throughout this course.

To do well, you should allocate an appropriate amount of time for study and review of the material.  Make sure you write deadline dates on your calendar and keep up with the reading.  To do well in this class, as with any college-level class, you must maintain the discipline to stay on task throughout the semester.  Please note:  I have the right to drop you if you miss more than 10% of the course.  Since we officially have 30 lecture meeting times and 15 lab meeting times, you could be dropped if you miss 3 lectures or 2 labs, or any combination of lecture/lab absences. 

OFFICIAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOs)

1. Students will learn the basics of the technical vocabulary related to marine biology.
2. Students will develop their ability to comprehend readings in marine biological topics.
3. Students will develop their critical thinking skills by evaluating scientific evidence to reach valid conclusions.

IMPORTANT DATES Please pay close attention to key dates for this course (quiz deadlines, midterms, final exam, assignments, lab practicum, etc.) as well as important dates set by Santa Ana College, for example the final day to add or drop this class.  Course dates appear below in the tentative lecture schedule.  Important SAC dates appear on the first page of the Fall 2018 Schedule of Classes and at the following link: http://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/Instructional-Calendar.aspx

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE:

Here are the details of what you will have learned by the end of this course:

• Familiarity with the basic principles of marine sciences, specifically the scientific method.
• Basic chemistry and biochemistry of cells in the marine realm (e.g. respiration, metabolism, photosynthesis, calcification, and how it relates to biogeochemical cycling in the ocean).
• Knowledge of the challenges faced by organisms and how they have evolved to survive and reproduce in the sea.
• The diversity of life that currently exists (and have existed in the past) throughout the major zones of the ocean.
• Population growth, regulation, and resource allocation in marine organisms.
• How organisms are distributed in space and time, and what factors control that distribution.
• How organisms behave and interact with other species.
• The importance of the oceans for regulating climate.
• The major threats to ocean health.
• An understanding of the major questions facing marine biologists today.
• A greater appreciation of the world's oceans.

GRADING:

EXAMS AND QUIZZES:
Midterm exams will cover the material from the sections that precede it. The final exam is partly cumulative and will mainly focus on material that occurred after the last midterm (2/3 of the final) with a smaller portion of the final exam requiring you to synthesize material from throughout the course. There are no makeup exams for unexcused absences. No extensions or grace periods will be granted in such cases. If you miss an exam due to an unexcused absence, you will receive a zero. Show up early on the day of an exam. If you show up late and other students have already turned in their exam, you will not be allowed to take the exam. There are no exceptions to this rule. The dates for all the exams are given to you well ahead of time, so you should have plenty of time to reschedule your other commitment. In the case of extenuating circumstances, you must come see me ASAP. Make it clear to your employer that your college education is your first priority.

The lectures are set up to complement the reading sections described above. You must attend the lectures since I will regularly introduce other information that does NOT appear in your textbook. This information will appear on the exams, which gives a clear advantage to those who attend class.

You should read the textbook chapters prior to the accompanying lecture. In order to help you with this, you will be required to complete weekly quizzes through Canvas that must be completed by a designated date and time. This means you get to do them at home or on campus on your own schedule! Each week you will be responsible for completing an online quiz assignment. This quiz is automatically graded. Once you start taking the quiz, you will have 20 minutes to complete it – this will be ample time if you read the chapter and look over your lecture notes beforehand! You will also have two attempts to get the best score possible. Yes, this is an open book quiz, but if you try to hunt for every answer in the chapter, you will run out of time and get a worse score than if you had just read the chapter first.

Please note: DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER FOR ANY EXAMS or QUIZZES!!! Internet Explorer does NOT work well with Canvas – if you accidentally use Internet Explorer, it will automatically timeout your exam and will submit a zero score. Again, DON’T USE INTERNET EXPLORER. Instead, please use Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome – all of these seem to work well with Canvas.

QUIZ DUE DATE SCHEDULE:

There are three due dates for the quizzes. All quizzes for Weeks 1-5 must be completed before Monday, 10/1/18 by 11:59pm (notice this is the night before the first midterm). Likewise, the quizzes for Weeks 6-11 must be completed before Monday, 11/12/18 by 11:59pm (the night before midterm #2). The quizzes for Weeks 12-15 must be completed before Wednesday, 12/12/18 by 11:59pm (the day before the final exam). Do yourself a favor, and try to complete the quizzes early. It will not help you to wait until the last hour to complete the quizzes. If you fail to complete any quizzes, you will receive a zero for all un-attempted quizzes. Additionally, a portion of your participation grade will be determined by whether or not you have completed all the quizzes at the end of the course.

Grading:  Each online lecture quiz is worth 10 points for a total of 150 possible points.

ALL QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM ON THE LAST DUE DATE. NOTE, AT MIDNIGHT THE QUIZZES DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY FROM Canvas, AND THEY WILL NOT RE-APPEAR.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS - IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO COMPLETE QUIZZES LATE, AND THERE WILL BE NO OPTION FOR MAKING THEM UP.

FIELD TRIPS: There are THREE MANDATORY field trips in this course. TWO of these field trips fall on a weekend. There will be NO class on a subsequent lab day in lieu of these weekend field trips. The first field trip will be to the Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park in San Pedro on Thursday, November 8th, 2018 from 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm. The second field trip is to the rocky intertidal zone at Little Corona Beach in the City of Newport Beach. The third field trip will be a 4-hour research cruise aboard the R/V Yellowfin. The two weekend field trips depend on the timing of the tides, which is why they occur outside of the scheduled meeting time in the Schedule of Classes. You must notify me well in advance if you cannot attend these field trips – I reserve the right to decide whether or not an absence excuse is acceptable or not. Students who notify me ahead of time are still required to complete an alternate assignment.

INTERNET ACCESS: In this course, we will be using Canvas, YouTube, and many other internet tools. You will also receive regular emails from me, so you should be checking your email and logging on to Canvas on a daily basis. If you do not have internet access at home, don't worry - you will always have access to the course website on Canvas from any campus computer lab. But you MUST check your email regularly. The email address I have on file for you is the same one you submitted when you registered at Santa Ana College. If you are not receiving my emails, then you must go back into WebAdvisor AND Canvas and check to make sure your email address is correct. When sending emails to me please make sure you include "Bio 111" in the subject line and be sure to use both your first and last name so I know who you are. When emailing me, please keep your written communication professional and to the point. Do not formulate your email in "text-speak". Here is an example of an email that is NOT appropriate: "i 4got wen hmwk wuz due LOL, can u tell me pleeeez prof". You are all preparing for professional careers, so your interactions and correspondences should be professional from now on. Please address me as Dr. Morris or Professor Morris.

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT:  You will be given multiple opportunities to earn extra credit in this course. The extra credit assignments are available on the course website. The first assignment is a self-guided tour of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, which can be conducted on your own time. The aquarium closes at 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, and is closed on Monday, so please plan accordingly. You should be able to complete the assignment in less than 2 ½ hours. If you choose to do the extra credit assignment, you must hand it in no later than the day of the final exam. It will be worth 20 points. In order for your extra credit assignment to be accepted, it MUST be stamped by an employee at the front desk. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you fail to get it stamped, you must return to the aquarium to get it stamped. I will not accept a pamphlet, other handout, or parking stub as evidence of your visit to the aquarium. I will also not accept a digital or scanned copy of the assignment – you must turn in a hard copy. The assignment can be handed in anytime during the course, up to the day of the final exam. I will not accept it after the final exam.

Periodically throughout the semester, I may add other extra credit opportunities. These may include attending public presentations by local scientists or participating in events on or off campus. However, the total cap for extra credit is set at 30 points. That is, no matter how many extra credit opportunities you complete, only 30 points can be earned. This means you will be able to pick and choose which additional extra credit opportunities you wish to complete.

ATTENDANCE:   Class attendance is MANDATORY& it is NOT optional.  There will be a class attendance sheet for you to sign each day we meet for lecture and lab.  Sign only your own attendance.  Attendance is a good indicator of effort and will be used to determine borderline grades.  We will begin immediately each day, and hence you are expected to arrive on time ready to learn every day.  If you know ahead of time that you will be absent from a class, please notify me by email BEFORE the day you will be absent to prevent being penalized and be sure to state the nature of the absence in your email.  Excusable absences include participation in intercollegiate games, meets, or matches, drama productions or music ensembles, as well as official class field trips (practices or rehearsals do not qualify as excused absences).  Other excusable absences will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  Although you may be excused from attending for the day in question, you are still responsible for material covered that day.  It is the policy of Santa Ana College that A student may be dropped for excessive absences when the total hours of absences exceed 10% of the total scheduled hours of the class.  In this course, 10% is equivalent to 3 absences.  This means, if you miss 3 classes without notifying me beforehand, you will be dropped.  If the drop deadline has passed, you may receive a failing grade (F).  Leaving early without notifying me ahead of time may be counted as an absence. Do not be late to class - it is extremely distracting.  Arriving late to class will hurt your participation grade, plus you may not be allowed to sign the attendance sheet, which would count as an absence.

POLICY ON PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: The Santa Ana College policy on plagiarism and cheating is strictly enforced in this course.  Please refer to the Student Support Services section of the Santa Ana College website and familiarize yourself with the section on Student Rights & Conduct:

www.sac.edu/StudentServices/StudentLife/Pages/Rights-and-Conduct.aspx

In this class, cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of any dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Plagiarism and cheating are defined as follows: Plagiarism is the presentation of information as one's own when in reality some or all of the information was derived (or copied) from some other source (including work of other members of the class).  Cutting and pasting from an internet source IS PLAGIARISM.  This pertains to any assignment, including the extra credit assignment.  Cheating consists of any un-permitted use of notes, texts, or other sources (including copying answers completed by others) so as to give an unfair advantage to a student in completing a class assignment or an examination.  Intentionally aiding another student in cheating is also considered cheating.  If you cheat, you will receive a ZERO on the assignment in question. This could ultimately result in a failing grade (F) in the class. You will also be reported to the Dean of Student Development in the Office of Student Life, which in certain cases can lead to suspension or expulsion from the college. Please, just don't do it! For the sake of your future, it's not worth it to cheat. For information on the full procedure for cheating and plagiarism violations, please see the Academic Honesty Policy Information on PAGES 49 and 55 of the 2018-2019 Santa Ana College Catalog.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: While in class please be courteous to me and to your fellow students.  Please be on time to class - showing up late is very distracting and will result in losing participation points.  Do not chat with your neighbor while I'm lecturing.  Even in a large classroom, voices carry.  TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES and other distracting electronic devices (vibrating phones make noise too) when in class.  Remove your headphones! And unless you are expecting a baby, a kidney or heart transplant, there is no reason to send or receive text message during my class.  There is nothing more deflating than telling a joke in class, having a student laugh, only to realize they were laughing at the text they just received& yes, it has happened.  Again, turn all electronic communication devices completely off.  Anyone caught texting in my class will lose serious participation points.  Keep your attention on the discussion in the classroom.

If you wish to bring a guest into the lecture hall, please ask me first.  Chances are I'll allow it, but I must know ahead of time.

Laptops ARE allowed in class - in fact I encourage you to take notes with your laptop.  This saves paper and helps reduce the overall impact of this class on the environment.  However, I will allow this with the understanding that you will ONLY use your laptop to take notes during my lecture.  If you are caught digitally chatting with friends, surfing the internet, checking email, or engaging in any other activity that is not directly related to our class, I will from that point forward prohibit EVERYONE from using a laptop in class.  Please don't ruin it for everyone else.

DISABLED STUDENTS PROGRAMS SERVICES: Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability should contact the DSPS office at 714-564-6264 (TTY 714-564-6284) in the Johnson Center (U-103) or 714-564-6295 in Russell Hall (R-101), to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information please refer to:

www.sac.edu/StudentServices/DSPS/Pages/default.aspx