GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BIOLOGY 3390

ECONOMIC BOTANY

Fall 2013

Purpose and content of course: This course is designed to review principles of economic botany at an introductory level. This course will focus on the impact that plants have on modern society including discussions of: the major food crops; plants that produce coffee, tea, colas, cloth, paper and wood; medicinal and psychoactive plants; and the role of plant biotechnology in crop improvement. The course is intended for biology and environmental science majors, and  requires Biology 1441 as a prerequisite.

Text: Simpson, B.B. and M.C. Ogorzaly. 2001. Economic Botany: Plants in Our World. McGraw-Hill, Inc. 3rd ed., New York.

Instructor: Dr. John S. Choinski, Jr., LSC 022, LSC 026 (lab)

Office hours: 1000-1200p M; 200-300p TH and by appointment

Phone: 450-5918

E-mail: johnc@uca.edu

Class meetings: 800-1040a TH in LSC 101

Grading: There will be three (3) exams given during the course each worth 100 points. A comprehensive final exam will also be given encompassing all of the course material and will be worth 100 points. The student presentation will be worth 50 points. The final grade will be computed based on the percentage of the possible points achieved. For example, 90-100% or 405-450 points will result in an "A" grade.

Student presentation: Each student will be required to make a presentation to the class on a topic that was not discussed in detail by the instructor. The instructor will schedule student presentations at designated times during the semester. Each student will have 15 minutes to give their presentation and answer questions. The instructor will determine the grade based on an available oral report grading key. 

Oral presentation criteria: develop a presentation around a single question that can be explored using peer reviewed reviews and journal articles. Websites (".coms", etc.) are not acceptable references unless pre-approved by the instructor. Any question is fair game as long as it relates in some way to economic botany. Example topic areas include: herbal medicines, horticulture, truth in advertising, plants as ingredients, and many other areas. The topic must be approved by the instructor before you begin. Example questions will be provided, if needed. Do a dry run of your presentation to make sure that it does not exceed 15 minutes! Use the Powerpoint format to organize your talk.

Assignment of withdrawal (W) grades: For those students who are eligible for a 'WP' or "WF' grade, you will not be assigned a 'WP' grade unless you are passing at the time you officially drop the course.

Makeup exams: NO MAKEUP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN EXCEPT UNDER EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. IF YOU MISS AN EXAM WITHOUT PREARRANGEMENTS, YOU WILL RECEIVE A GRADE OF ZERO.

Attendance: Lecture attendance will be periodically monitored, as experience has shown that students who regularly attend class get higher grades and learn more biology than students who skip class. Notice that missing one class in Economic Botany is equivalent to missing a week of class in most other courses. Note: It is UCA policy that an instructor may assign at any time a 'WF' grade to a student whom consistently misses class (refer to UCA Undergraduate Bulletin for details).

Academic Integrity & Conduct: Students are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. Incidences of academic dishonesty such as cheating on exams/quizzes or plagiarism on web materials will be dealt with severely. Students found in violation will be dismissed from the class with a WF and action taken in accordance with the UCA Student Handbook. Students are expected to show respect for the instructor and their fellow students while in class and (other than asking relevant questions) refrain from talking or disrupting the class. Should you be asked to leave the class for any conduct violation, you will be dropped with a WF grade. UCA Policy: The University of Central Arkansas affirms its commitment to academic integrity and expects all members of the university community to accept shared responsibility for maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the provisions of the university's Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy No. 709 on February 10, 2010, and published in the Student Handbook. Penalties for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the course, or any other course-related sanction the instructor determines to be appropriate. Continued enrollment in this course affirms a student's acceptance of this university policy. CELL PHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF DURING CLASS AND ON EXAM DAYS. NO EXCEPTIONS, PLEASE!

Emergency Procedures Summary: An Emergency Procedures Summary (EPS) for the building in which this class is held will be discussed during the first week of this course. EPS documents for most buildings on campus are available at http://uca.edu/mysafety/bep/. Every student should be familiar with emergency procedures for any campus building in which he/she spends time for classes or other purposes.

Disability: Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services (Bernard 205; 450-3135) at the beginning of the semester.

Advice:  The major source of difficulty for many students is that they postpone studying until the very last minute and avoid seeking help from the professor in those areas that they do not understand. This strategy almost always leads to disappointment and the possible retaking of the class at a later date. REMEMBER: KEEP UP WITH THE MATERIAL. READ AND STUDY EVERY WEEK, NOT JUST THE FEW DAYS (OR THE NIGHT!) BEFORE AN EXAM.