Instructor: Craig Sargent, Office: 115-116, MDR#3, Office Hours: TBA

Telephone: 257-8742
E-mail: csargent@uky.edu 

Lab Coordinator:  
Dr. Kausalya "Kay" Shenoy kay.shenoy@uky.edu, 

Teaching Assistants:  
Eric Martinez eric.martinez@uky.edu 
Elizabeth Kantra elizabeth.kantra@uky.edu 
Allison McLaughlin allison.mclaughlin@uky.edu

Textbook: Although a textbook is not required, it is highly recommended. My lectures are based out of, Ecology: The Economy of Nature, 9th Edition, by Rick Relyea. Note, if you have an older edition of this book, or happen to have an old edition of Molles', Ecology: Concepts and Applications, let me know, and I'll point out which chapters correspond to the ones in the 9th edition of Relyea.

Lab Manual: Lab handouts will be posted in Canvas

World Wide Web: http://darwin.uky.edu/~sargent/teaching.htm. In addition, course content and online discussion will be run through the Blackboard site for this course. 

Course Description:  Introductory ecology (BIO 325) investigates the interactions between organisms and their environment. We will study these interactions from an evolutionary perspective at the level of organism, population, community, and ecosystem. Understanding ecology requires one to understand underlying processes rather than simply learning facts. Some of these processes are described with simple mathematical models. Thus this course emphasizes critical thinking and the scientific process. Students will be encouraged to read outside material, to think carefully, logically and critically about ideas and to ask questions and defend their views. Clear writing is very important, and students are encouraged to seek help from the UK Writing Center or me if necessary. Also, students are encouraged to speak up in class and express their questions, opinions, and concerns.

Instructor Grading Policy: (See Table Below for Exam Schedule) Grades will be based on an absolute scale, with 90% an A, 80% a B, 70% a C, 60% a D, and less than 60% an E; however, I reserve the right to make these cutoffs more lenient. Your grade will be based on Exams, Discussion, and Lab as follows:

Lecture: 75% of your final grade

• Exams: 65% of your final grade (3 exams each worth 21.67%)
• Discussion Board: 10% of your final grade (5 assignments each worth 2%, with an optional 6th assignment worth 2% extra credit)

Labs: 25% of your final grade

Exams: There will be three examinations, two midterms and one final, each worth 21.67% of your final grade. The final exam will cover the last third of the course, and will not be comprehensive. Each exam will consist of 40 multiple choice questions, mostly on material that we cover in class. 

Missed Exams: If you are going to miss an exam, you must contact me before the time of the exam, if possible. This only pertains if missing falls under one of the acceptable excuses recognized by the university (see "excused absences" below). If you will miss for one of these reasons, you must email (csargent@uky.edu) before the class begins. You must then provide me with convincing documentation no later than 7 days after missing. Failure to comply with these simple rules just means that your absence is unexcused (i.e., zero on assignments/exams). All missed exams must be made up within one week of the originally scheduled exam date, unless extreme circumstances (e.g. medical or family emergencies) prevent this. The make-up will have different questions from what was on the original exam.

Excused Absences: Students need to notify the professor of absences prior to class when possible. S.R. 5.2.4.2 defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: (a) serious illness, (b) illness or death of family member, (c) University-related trips, and (d) major religious holidays. Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are responsible for notifying the instructor in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of such holidays no later than the last day in the semester to add a class. Information regarding dates of major religious holidays may be obtained through the religious liaison, Mr. Jake Karnes (859-257-2754).

Discussion Boards: The Discussion Board section of the course is worth 10% of your grade, and is your opportunity to be creative, to share with us your experiences with nature. Your discussion posts may consist of embedding digital media, e.g. a photo, video or audio file, along with a brief description of how you felt while you recorded your contribution, e.g. why you think it's really cool. Or if digital media don't appeal to you, share with us a short bit of creative writing about an experience with nature. These will be due at 5 pre-assigned intervals (see link to abbreviated schedule, below). These 5 assignments are worth 15% of your final grade, 3% per assignment. There will be one extra credit assignment, an optional 6th assignment, which if completed, will add an additional 2% to your final grade. The rubric for these posts is:

• 2 percentage points if it's on or before the deadline
• 1 percentage point if it's less than one week late
• 0 points if it's not done within the grace period

Labs:  Labs begin the week of September 9th.The lab syllabus will be posted shortly, and lecture syllabus will be posted shortly in Canvas.

Lab consists of weekly thee-hour exercises. Eight labs will occur on campus in MDS 155A; 4 labs will occur at the University of Kentucky's Ecological Research and Education Center (EREC), a 55-acre suburban field station behind the Northside Library on Russell Cave Road.; 1 lab will occur in the UK Arboretum. Lab is worth 25% of your total grade; weekly attendance and participation are required.

Missing Labs: Check your lab syllabus for policies on missing labs.  Only labs that were missed due to excused absences will be allowed to be made-up. For cases when the student knows in advance that he/she will miss, arrangements MUST be made in advance for make-up work. It is the student's responsibility to arrange for make-up work. The most preferable method for making up missed labs is attending the lab in another section during the same week. It is the student's responsibility to contact their instructor ahead of time, or as soon as is possible, and arrange to attend another section. Please see the syllabus for the times when the other sections meet. If attending another section is not possible, you will be given a make-up assignment to complete. All make-up work MUST be turned in to your instructor within 1 week of being given the make-up assignment. Failure to provide documentation for the excused absence within 1 week of the absence will lead to the absence being treated as unexcused, incurring all the associated penalties, even if the student attended another section to make up the missed lab.

Important Note: Missing 5 or more labs with excused absences may result in your receiving an incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W) for the course. Missing 5 or more labs with unexcused absences may result in your receiving an E for the course. 

Use of laptop computers in class: You may use laptops in class to take notes if you wish.

Texting and using other communication technologies in class: All communication devices must be turned off and put away during class. No exceptions.

Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating and plagiarism are serious academic offenses, and are taken seriously in this class. Please consult your student code of conduct, or the ombud, for definitions of cheating and plagiarism, and for the penalties they incur. Note that your written assignments are checked for plagiarism electronically, both for plagiarizing your fellow students and for plagiarizing sources on the web. So, don't. 

Abbreviated Course Schedule