BIOL 4337 Course Syllabus – Spring 2010

Seminal Papers
Course Information

BIOL 4337 Seminal Papers Section 001 (CRN 3142)

Monday/Friday: 11:30 – 12:45 Room: FO 3.222

Professor Contact Information

Dr. Scott Rippel Office FN3.104 972-883-2510

Lab MP2.202 972-883-2277
email - rippel@utdallas.edu

Course Pre-requisites

BIOL 3301 – Classical & Molecular Genetics BIOL/CHEM 3361 - Biochemistry I

BIOL 3302 - Eukaryotic Molecular and Cell Biology BIOL/CHEM 3362 - Biochemistry II

Course Description

BIOL 4337 Seminal Papers in Biology (3 semester hours) Theoretical and experimental papers in
selected areas of biology will be discussed in a senior seminar format. The historical and
biographical context of the papers and their authors will also be explored. The areas to be covered
in any semester will vary with the instructor. Each student is expected to make an oral
presentation and to prepare a written paper. Satisfies the Advanced Writing Requirement for
Biology majors.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

This is a survey course of the significant scientific discoveries that have impacted the biological
sciences in the past four decades. We will use the Nobel Prize awards in Physiology or Medicine
and Chemistry as basis for our discussions. A major academic objective of this course is to
satisfactorily complete the undergraduate Advanced Writing Requirement required for
graduation.

Required Textbooks and Materials

I will provide course reading materials in class or via your UTD email account in a variety of
formats to include photocopies, pdf or doc files, www sites, the UTD Library reserve center,
and/or access to my personal library.

We will be using the MLA documentation style. While there are several published MLA style
guides from a variety of authors, the book listed below will be used as the definitive authority:

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research

Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. Print.

BIOL 4337 – Rippel – Spring 2010 Page 1

The UTD library has several copies of this particular book for checkout and/or in library use. It
can also be purchased for $18-22 at various commercial bookstores and websites. When you
purchase a new copy of the 7th edition MLA Handbook, you get a computer code for access to a
web copy of the MLA book. The web copy includes additional supplementary material. Be
careful of purchasing a book with an older publishing date as it may not include enough current
information on citing Web publications.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Daily and weekly assignments will be announced in class and through email.

Major Assignment Dates

Oral Presentations 08-26 March

Term Paper – First Draft 29 March
Term Paper – Final Draft 03 May

Grading Policy

Assignments Percentage Points

Homework/quizzes 40% 200
Term Paper – Final Draft 30% 150
Term Paper – First Draft 10% 50
Oral Presentation 10% 50
Attendance/Participation 5% 25
100% 500

Grading Scale

Final Total Final Total

Letter Points Letter Grade
Grade Earned Grade Earned

A+ 485 C+ 385
A 470 C 370
A- 450 C- 350
B+ 435 D+ 335
B 420 D 320
B- 400 D- 300

A major objective of this course is to satisfactorily complete the undergraduate Advanced Writing
Requirement required for graduation. To receive a letter grade for this course, students must
submit a term paper that reflects scholarly research and content. The paper must also be in the
MLA format to include correct referencing. The final draft of the paper must be deemed to
worthy of a “C” or greater (graded for scholarly content, format, and proper referencing) in order
to receive a letter grade for the course. Failure to do so will automatically result in receiving an
“I” (incomplete) for this course, regardless of all other grades earned in the course. “I” grades
will be converted to final letter grades per University regulations.

BIOL 4337 – Rippel – Spring 2010 Page 2

Course & Instructor Policies

Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late submissions will be penalized. Quizzes can
be “made-up” and late submissions will be accepted when appropriate documentation is provided
for major issues (hospitalization, accidents [police reports], medical school interiviews, etc…).

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern
student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained
in the UTD printed publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Series 50000, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V,
Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391) and online at:

http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating
the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by
the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of
individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to
discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the
submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another
person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a
student or the attempt to commit such acts.

BIOL 4337 – Rippel – Spring 2010 Page 3

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Let me reiterate that plagiarism is a very serious offense and I will NOT tolerate it. While
cheaters may not be concerned about intellectual honesty, my integrity is on the line if I suspect
academic dishonesty and do nothing about it. Suspicion of academic dishonesty WILL be
reported to the Judicial Affairs Office. I generally recommend a sanction of a zero for an
assignment and/or an F for the course.

Additional Topics

This course will follow all the rules and regulations as set forth by the University which can be
accessed at the current UTD website (http://www.utdallas.edu). Please consult this website for
additional important information concerning:

Student Conduct & Discipline Student Grievance Procedures

Disability Services Religious Holy Days
Copy Right Laws Early Class Withdraw
Incomplete Grade Policy Email Use

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

BIOL 4337 – Rippel – Spring 2010 Page 4