01:119:115/116 General Biology

General Biology 115 and 116 is a two semester sequence intended for students majoring in the biological sciences or pharmacy, and for students who plan to attend a professional school in the sciences.

Weekly, GB 115 and 116 have two 80 minute lectures and an 80 workshop where students actively work in teams to construct and practice lecture content and begin self-assessing their preparation for the exams.

Bio 115/116 replaces Bio101/102. Bio 101/102 is no longer offered.

Along with Bio 117 (the 2-credit laboratory course), the Bio 115/116 sequence is a CORE requirement for the Biological Sciences and Division of Life Sciences departmental majors.

Offered

Fall, Spring*, and Summer

Credits

4 (including weekly 80 minute workshop)

Prerequisites

01:119:115: Writing prerequisite of (01:355:101, 01:355:103, or 01:355:104, or placement into 355:101 or 355:104) and Math prerequisite of (01:640:026 or placement into 640:CMA, 640:PCA, 640:CLG, or 640:CLS.

01:119:116 : Prerequisite is a C or better in GB 115 (01:119:115)

 Although not a prerequisite, all students are assumed to have completed a course in high school Chemistry.

Please note: All students wishing to major in Biological Sciences are required to earn a C or better in their General Biology coursework (lecture and lab components).

Course Description

01:119:115 Topics include:

01:119:116 Topics include:

Course Syllabus 

 119 115 Fall 2023 Syllabus

119 116 Spring 2024 Syllabus

Course URL

Canvas

Course satisfies SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals

Natural Science: Understand and apply basic principles and concepts in the physical or biological sciences.

Course Satisfies Departmental Learning Goals

I. To acquire the appropriate factual and conceptual knowledge that provides students with a foundation to further their education and career in the areas of life science or health science. Students will be able to demonstrate basic knowledge (ex. identify, define, explain...) of the concepts, practices and principles that comprise the biological sciences.

IV. To develop critical thinking and problems solving skills appropriate to prepare students to evaluate, synthesize and generate knowledge that provides them with a competitive advantage to adapt to an evolving, global, and knowledge-based society. Students will be able to demonstrate the application of higher order thinking (e.g., classify, diagnosis, evaluate, synthesize, hypothesize....). Students will develop an understanding of not only the connections within biology but also the connections between biology and other scientific disciplines.

Exams, Assignments, and Grading Policy

Hour Exam I                          15%

Hour Exam II*                       15%

Final Exam*                           30%

Workshop:

Deportment                          10%

Workshop Activities          30%

Total                                         100%

* All exams are comprehensive; at least half will be Upper Level questions. While the newest material will be emphasized on the second midterm exam and final exam, students will be expected to make linkages between new material and older material.

To pass General Biology, a student must satisfy all of the following conditions:

a) Have earned a certain total percentage; and

b) Score at least 55% on one of the three common exams (Hourly I, Hourly II, or Final); and

c) Have at least a 60% total average for the workshop (individual categories may be less than 60%, but all workshop categories combined must be at least 60%.

Course Materials

Required:

Text: Biology 2e, 2018 openstax- an open source textbook available at: https://openstax.org/details/books/biology-2e 

ISBN:

PRINT BOOK ISBN-10 1-947172-51-4
PRINT BOOK ISBN-13 978-1-947172-51-7
PDF VERSION ISBN-10 1-947172-52-2
PDF VERSION ISBN-13 978-1-947172-52-4

Optional:

Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms, Donald Borror - knowing the etymology of biological terms can be helpful in learning and remembering them; this dictionary provides quick access to etymologies.

Course Closed?

Students should continue to check WebReg to see if a spot has opened; special permission is not given for full sections.

We are very sorry that scheduling for the spring semester has been challenging for some students in General Biology 115.  We understand how stressful not being able to register in the courses you wish to take can be and again we apologize.  Please know that we are working as quickly as we can to resolve the issues.   It will take us a little time, but we are committed to ensuring that all students who are currently in GB I (119:115) who meet the requirements for GB II (119:116) and wish to take the class in the spring will have a seat.   We appreciate your understanding, flexibility and patience as we work to open seats in the class.

For those of you interested in also taking the Bio Research Laboratory (119:117) please note that the lab was designed with the expectation that about half of the class would take it in the spring and a half next fall.  This was done to prioritize student success.  For example, we would not encourage students to take more than one lab the same semester (e.g. bio and chem lab).  If you know that one or more of the classes you are planning for the spring is likely to be time consuming, it would be to your advantage to wait to take the lab.   Please be assured that taking the lab in the fall will not deleteriously impact your ability to complete your degree in 4 year (e.g. the “traditional” course plan for the Biological Sciences major has 119:117 in the fall:  https://biology.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/major-in-biological-sciences?view=article&id=434&catid=2).   We strongly encourage you to meet with an advisor for your intended major to discuss your course schedule and how to best prioritize your success.

  For wait list information, please go to: Wait List Sign Up . Students must be officially registered to attend a Workshop.

Faculty

Dr. Gregg Transue – Course Director

phone: 848-445-0778

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Christy Beal

Busch Lab Center, 127A
Busch Campus

phone: 848-445--0778

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Daniel Stern Cardinale – Workshop Director

Biological Sciences Building, Douglass Campus

phone: 848-445-0778

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Anne Keating

123A Busch Lab
Center, Busch Campus

phone: 848-445-0778

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

General Biology Program Coordinator:

Ms. Onyi Freeman

General Biology Offices:

Busch Laboratory Center 129, (848)-445-0778)- the main office

Douglass Biology Building 106 (848) 932-9368

Appointments can be made through the course email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.