Introduction
Contact Information
Text/Materials
Class organization
Grading

Introduction

By examining the concept of "coevolution," this course should help to improve your understanding of interspecific interactions, such as predation, parasitism, competition, pollination, and mimicry. This course will also demonstrate the essential link between ecology and evolution. Preparation for the course are the prerequisites Biology 352 and Biology 354, courses in Genetics & Evolution and Ecology.

Objectives of the course include being able to ...

1. ... identify conceptual differences among interspecific interactions

2. ... define how coevolution differs from evolution

3. ... explain how common coevolutionary interactions may be

4. ... predict situations in which we may find coevolving species

(more general objectives are listed on page 5, under item 2 of this syllabus)

Contacting Me

I encourage you to meet with me during office hours, or by appointment. It's always best to leave a message or note if you want to meet outside office hours, since I may be doing lab or field work, in the library, or in other meetings.

Office Hours

When: (tentatively set) T/Th 10-11 and after class; Just about any other hours by appointment, just let me know when you want to meet.

Where: Physical Sciences (PS) 151A, inside my lab PS151. If the lab door is closed, please knock loudly enough so I can hear it from inside my office.

Many students work in my lab, so if you stop by when I’m not there, please don't rely on them to pass verbal messages on to me. Just leave a note on my door or in my mailbox in the Biology office.

E-mail: kwilliams@sunstroke.sdsu.edu

Telephone: 619-594-4358 (Messages may be left there.)

Mailbox: Biology Dept. office, LS 104C, inside glass door, right side. My box is BELOW my name.

Contacting You
You are required to have an active, working email account, preferably through the university server, rohan@sdsu.edu. To get an account simply go to Malcom Love Library and complete a form.

Note: Hotmail is not reliable and may not accept even moderately sized files. I recommend you use rohan for this class.

Text/Materials

Text required for course:

D. Futuyma & M. Slatkin. 1983. Coevolution. Sinauer Press. Reprinted by Aztec Shops; Available at Bookstore (cheaper than the original!).

Most chapters of this text are easy to read, and references cited in the chapters are a great addition to your professional library. One copy of the text will be on reserve in the reserve room of the library.

Readings on reserve:

Multiple copies of additional readings will be available for check-out outside my office and placed on reserve in the reserve room of the library.

Class organization

This class will involve student-centered learning, or "active learning." In student-centered learning, the student learns to determine what s/he needs to know and the student "learns to learn" the subject material. To accomplish this, the course will include both individual and group activities. Educators recognize that groups successfully discover for themselves what new information they need to acquire in order to master some topic or solve some problem. I will assign groups of 4-5 students during the first 2 weeks and groups will be permanent for the semester.

The readings are critical to the course. The textbook is an excellent resource and you will be assigned readings for each class. I do not intend to lecture in a traditional format. You will not be expected to memorize what you read. Instead, you will learn to identify major scientific arguments, then come up with your own conclusions and support them. Thus, there will be several correct answers to most questions asked.

A typical class will be to start with a brief (10-15 min.) quiz or writing assignment over the assigned reading (short answers of less than 1/2 page, and sometimes multiple choice, worth about 15 points). You will take the quiz individually and turn it in. Then you might take the test as a group (10-15 min.) with all group members working together and sharing knowledge to answer all questions correctly. We will go over the responses together and discuss any confusing points. If there remain any points of confusion, of if you have questions, I will help you understand those points. Other individual and group activities will be used to help you understand the material also. Obviously, you must complete your reading assignments prior to classtime and attend each meeting in this course to participate in active learning. These methods have been used for many years in colleges and graduate schools (especially medical and law schools) to enhance learning.

Grading

The majority of your course grade will come from the assignments completed during regular classtimes. Based on your performance during the semester, a final exam may be given. I will inform you of the details of the final well before the assigned final time (Thurs. Dec. 17, 8:00-10:00).

All students will be required to prepare and deliver short oral presentations during the course (you will work as teams).

One-half of your grade will come from performance on individual activities, and half will come from your group activities. At any point during the semester, you can total up the assignment points given and calculate the proportion you’ve answered correctly. Over the whole course you should have a total of 300-400 points.

What about the group score? All members of the group receive the same score from the group activities. As with the individual scores, at any time you can calculate the proportion your group has answered correctly. At the end of the semester, each individual’s group score will be weighted, based on their average "contribution" score, based on peer evaluations. Therefore if all group members contribute equally, each member would earn the same group score. However, some members might earn slightly more than the group score, while some might earn slightly less, based on exceptional or less than adequate contributions.

I may curve the grades slightly more liberally than the following grading scheme, but I will assure you that if the sum of your individual and group scores total at least 90% you’ll get an A, at least 80% earns a B, at least 70% earns a C, and at least 60% earns a D. You must earn at least 50% of the highest score earned in the class to pass this course.

Using this grading method, you should know the points you’ve earned at any point in the semester. Most students can make an accurate assessment of their participation as well.

Other information
Academic dishonesty

Cheating has rarely been a problem in Biol. 508, and warning you about the consequences may seem unnecessary. Nevertheless, to avoid any possibility of you not recognizing what the consequences are, this is the course policy: If you are caught cheating in an exam or on an assignment, you will receive a zero on the exam or assignment. In addition, the event will be reported to campus judicial authorities and may lead additional actions from the University.

Remember, your responses must be your own words. I recommend that you look at the site below to get a clear explanation of plagiarism, cheating, and similar inappropriate conduct.
http://science.widener.edu/svb/essay/plagiar.html

From the SDSU web site:
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/judicial/judicial_cheat.html
Division of Student Affairs  >>  Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities >> Judicial Procedures  >> Cheating & Disruption
Regarding cheating ...

       The faculty member should report the incident(1) in writing to the Judicial Procedures Office; any evidence is enclosed with the report. If the matter has been concluded informally by the faculty member and student, and no further action is desired, the faculty member may report the matter "for information only," and no evidence need be enclosed. "Information only" reports will be recorded in the Judicial Procedures Office, but no disciplinary action will be taken unless the student has had a prior violation.

(1): at a minimum, the report should contain the student's name, ID#, the date, location, and description of the incident, the faculty member's name, department, and phone number.