To enhance your studying pleasure here is an old final exam.

      old exam link:  120

Final exam December 20 at 3:00 PM

As before:

 Students in sections 01 (Tuesday 8:30 AM), 02 (Friday 8:30 AM)

 03 (Wednesday 8:30 AM)  will take the exam in Boyden 413

 

120:301 Foundations of Biology

                                                                                                                              September 4, 2007

Important information regarding the structure of this course

The lecture and laboratory  are now separate courses.

120:301 is now a 3 credit lecture course and 120:302 is a one credit laboratory course. 

120:301  has only one section -- 01; 120:302 has ten sections  -- 01 to 10. 

120:301 and 120:302 must be taken concurrently.   You will not receive credit for 120:301 unless you complete

 120:302 at the same time.  This change is being implemented immediately and at the end of the semester you will have two separate grades listed on your transcript.   
The most frequently asked question: 

What is the relationship between the textbook and the lectures ?

Answer: Everything covered in the textbook is required, irrespective of whether it is covered in lecture. This includes the information in the "boxes"

  September 2007

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Organization of the Course:

The course  meets 5th period on Tuesday and Thursday (2:30 PM) in Conklin 100.

The laboratory course, 120:302,  meets in the Life Sciences building.

The laboratory course is administered by David Yang. 

Any questions concerning lab should be directed to him at: daveyang@pegasus.rutgers.edu  

                                   

Questions concerning lab registration or other lab issues should be directed to daveyang@pegasus.rutgers.edu  

Click on this line to go to the laboratory 

 

 
 

Required textbook:

Becker, Kleinsmith and Hardin, 

  The World of the Cell,      either the 5th or  6th edition 

Faculty: 

Dr. D. Kafkewitz, 431 Boyden Hall. 973 353 5865;            kafkwtz@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Office Hours M, W, F,   8:30 AM to 10:00AM

 120:301 Foundations of Biology  

 Course prerequisites This course assumes knowledge of general chemistry

and basic  algebra.

 

Topics                           Schedule                                 Textbook chapters 
Topic Dates 5th edition  6th edition
Preview of the cell Sept 4 1 1
The chemistry of the cell 

and 

Macromolecules of the Cell

 Sept. 6,  11,13, 18 and 20

Class will not meet on September 13

 2,3 2,3
Cells and Organelles Sept  25, 27 4 4
Energetics October 2, 4 5 5
Energetics October 9  5

 

 5
Exam 1 October 11

   Students in 

sections 01, 02,

and  03 will

 take

 the  exam in 

Boyden 413

 

  Chapters 1 -4  plus lecture

 

 

 Chapters 1-4 plus lecture material

Lots of questions can be found here: MULTIPLE CHOICE

and here:       old exam 1.htm

 

Enyzmology notes:Terminology Enzymes

Enzymes October 16, 18,  23 & 25 6 6
Membranes October  30; November 1 7, 14,  pages 392- 400 7, 10 pages 256 - 265
Transport across membranes November 6 8 8
Exam 2   November 8 5-7 plus lecture 5-7 plus lecture
2001 exam2.htm

2002 exam2.htm

 

 These exams are not totally applicable to the upcoming exam. In 2001 and 2002 the structure of the course was different and some topics on this exam have not yet been covered this semester. 
Energy metabolism November 13, 15,  20 and 27, 29,

 

 13,14 & 15 9,10, 11
Exam 3 December 4 8, 13, 14 and 15: up to page 467.  8, 9, 10 and 11:up to page 308
DNA, RNA information storage and processing

 

   December  6 & 11 16 up to page 510; 

 

 19 up to  page 634

21 to page 697

 18 up to page 524; 

21 up to page 664 

 23 pages:715 -722 the lac operon
Final exam December 20; 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM All chapters plus lecture materials All chapters plus lecture materials

 

Grading policy

  1.  There are three scheduled lecture exams.

  2.   If you take all three exams the lowest grade will be dropped

  3.  Two exam grades will each count for 25% of the course grade.

  4.  The lecture exams will be held on the days listed above.

  5.  The exam coverage may be adjusted to match  the rate of progress of the course  

  6.  There will be no make-up exams for missed lecture exams.

  7.  The comprehensive final exam will count for 50% of the course grade

 

Reminder to all students:  Rutgers University has a formal policy on academic honesty and integrity.

  These policies will be enforced in this course. Please go to this web site to familiarize yourself with Rutgers' policies:

http://teachx.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html

 

Curves and the lack thereof :

The lecture exams and the final exam will be designed to measure a "realistic" level of knowledge of the material.  That is, the exams will  seek to determine whether or not you have acquired the knowledge that can be expected of a typical university biology major.

Consequently neither individual exam grades nor overall course grades will be evaluated on a "curve".  Curving of grades is educationally justified only if the exams are designed to identify those students with an exceptionally high level of achievement; an objective that can only be attained by giving difficult exams that probe the outer limits of the material. In this course the  exams will be straightforward tests of the level of knowledge represented by the material in the textbook.  Therefore there is no educationally valid reason for the exam grades to be adjusted.