Courses

Prerequisites:

Introductory Biology (Bio 25L)
Chemistry (Chem 12L or 22L)
Two semesters of Physics strongly recommended

Description:

This course addresses the basic principles that underlie physiological processes, especially the chemistry and physics that govern these processes. Several biological systems are considered, including circulatory, respiratory, thermoregulatory, nervous, musculoskeletal, digestive, and renal. Topics include nerves, muscles, circulation, respiration, water balance, digestion, absorption and metabolism. Emphasis will be placed on (1) understanding how numerous physio-chemical factors interact in each physiological process, (2), on how biological machines accommodate each of these factors, and (3), on general principles that apply to all animals with examples mostly from vertebrates.

Course Staff:

Course Professor: Sönke Johnsen, Ph.D.
Office: 046 Bio Sci Building
Phone: 660-7321
E-mail: sjohnsen@duke.edu

Lab Instructor: Vickie Knight Eason, D.V.M.
Office: 304 Bio Sci Building
Phone: 684-5446
E-mail: vkeason@duke.edu

Text: ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY: Adaptation and Environment (5th edition) by Knut Schmidt-Nielsen.

Exams and Grading:

Lecture exams= 50% of final grade

Will consist of two mid-term exams and one final exam. The final exam will be worth one and a half times the amount of a mid-term exam. Exams will be all multiple choice and will be written without reference to Bio 151L exams from previous semesters. No make-up exams will be given. If you have a Dean's excuse, your grade for that exam will be the average of your other exam grades. If you do not have a Dean's excuse, your grade will be zero points. Consult the syllabus for the dates of the two mid-term exams. Math will figure heavily in all the exams, and calculators may be used. Exam answers will be posted on the course web site. Regrade requests must be handed to a TA by 5 PM on the day that exams are returned unless you have a Dean's excuse for being absent that day.

Lab work= 50% of grade

Will be determined by your attendance, participation, weekly lab reports, occasional lab quizzes, a research proposal, a research paper, and an oral presentation. Your TA will provide you with more details during lab sessions.

At the end of the semester the grades for the lab and the lecture will be curved separately. The curve is as follows. The average score in the class is set at the B-/C+ boundary. One standard deviation up from this is the A-/B+ boundary, one standard deviation down is the C-/D+ boundary. Two standard deviations below the class average is a failing grade. The course grade will be an average of the lab and lecture grades, rounded up to the nearest third of a grade.

Web Page:

Blackboard will be used to post lecture notes, exam answers, information about the labs, and occasional comments and expansions of points made in lecture.

Lecture Notes:

Lecture notes will be handed out at the start of each class. These are copies of my speaking notes and are NOT intended to be substitutes for the text. Every attempt is made to keep the notes as accurate as possible, but, in the event of any disagreement, the text is the final word.