Syllabus and
readings: The syllabus
for "Biodiversity and Conservation" (Bio65) is posted at http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/.
That site includes links to all of the slide shows that are being used in this
class. Please start reading and learning as soon as possible! The
syllabus provides a suggested timetable for getting the reading done. If
you follow this timetable, you will know you are getting the most up-to-date
version of each chapter (since I will be updating them during the course of the
quarter) and that you will have covered the correct material for each of the
examinations.
Each chapter is in the form of a powerpoint slide show. They are password-protected (because I
don't have permission from all of the copyright owners to distribute the
material freely). The user name is Bio65 and the password is students (both
case-sensitive). You can view these on line or download them and view them
directly. Most of the slides have
information in the Notes page, so be sure to click on "view" "notes"
if you are reading the powerpoint file directly.
The information on the slides and
notes is what you will be tested on, and the links are for you to explore what
interests you. The links are usually in underlined blue, and can be
opened by clicking on them once with the mouse. Most of the links leave
the hypertext book in order to take advantage of documents produced and updated
at other web sites. You can always get back to your starting place by using the
"Back" button or the "History" file on your browser, or by
setting your options so that followed links are opened in a smaller window. If
you find dead links (it happens often) please report them to me. Also, if
you find information that needs to be corrected or updated, please let me know.
E:mail: Set
your e:mail format as "html" rather than
"plain text". That way you can easily jump to web sites by clicking
on the URLs. During this course you will receive e:mails from me, so please check your e:mail regularly. I will also be forwarding to you
some e:mails dealing with
subjects relevant to the course. You might enjoy reading some of them, and you
can find plenty of ideas for your writing assignment in those messages. Please
don't feel you have to read all of them! If you want to continue
receiving any of them after the course is over, you will have to contact the
providing organization and get your own subscription. Most of them are
free.
Examinations: There will be one mid-term exam and one
final, scheduled as on the syllabus.
Writing Assignments:
As part of the requirements for this course, you need to write three letters
concerning current environmental or ecological issues and mail them to the
people responsible for making decisions or setting policies affecting those
issues. See the Instructions
page.
Work
Projects: Subject to availability, there may be some
work projects that you can do instead of writing assignments. Check Work Projects for
availability.
Electronic Discussions: When you have found topics for your writing
assignments, you may initiate electronic discussion of each topic with the rest
of the class using the class Noteboard.
Grades: Will be based on:
30% Writing Assignment
30% Mid-term
40% Final
Looking forward to working with
you!
Peter J. Bryant, Ph. D.,
Professor, Developmental and Cell Biology
Director, Developmental Biology Center
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697
Phone: (949) 824-4714
Fax: (949) 824-3571
e:mail: pjbryant@uci.edu
Home page: http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/dbc/bryantp.htm
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