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Bio 103, Marine Biology,

Fall 2019

Instructor: Mike Callahan

Office: 150 Science

Email: michael.callahan@maine.edu; phone: 780-4571

Class: Tuesday, Thursday 10:15-11:30

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday 1:00- 2:00 p.m., or e-mail to set up an appointment for another time

Required material: Marine Biology; Karleskint, Turner & Small, fourth edition

Course Goals: the intent of this lecture is to introduce you to the fascinating subject of marine biology. I will

cover the basics first and build on that to describe organisms and ecosystems in the marine environment. It is

my hope that this class will add to your aesthetic appreciation of these marine organisms and ecosystems.

There will be some memorization involved in this course, but you will gain a greater understanding of the

marine environment by learning the material and how systems work.

Attendance: you are all adults and as such, I treat you as adults. That means there are consequences to your

actions. Attending lecture is essential to doing well in this course. While much of the material is covered in

your text, there will be material that isn’t in your text.

Incompletes: incompletes (I) are given rarely and only as a result of illness or some other unforeseen

circumstance; any incomplete will have to be made up according to university guidelines. You must make

arrangements with the instructor for an incomplete.

Grades: A: 90-100; B: 80-89; C: 70-79; D: 60-69; F<60. Your grade will be based on four exams (including

the final) and worksheets. I will be covering material that is not in your texts for the exams. These exams will

be a combination of multiple choice and fill in the blanks with some short answer questions. No single exam is

more important than any other and the final will be non-cumulative (except for material that I specify

otherwise). Your textbook will have an associated web site for it that has online practice quizzes and other

materials that students in the past have found useful. See the back cover of your text for more information.

Missed exams can only be made up with a valid excuse (determined solely by me). The missed exams are made

up immediately following the final and will be more difficult than the original exam.

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Copyright 2019 Mike Callahan

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Disability Accommodations: if you need course accommodations because of a disability, please make an

appointment with me or with the Office of Support for Students with Disabilities (780-4706) as soon as

possible.

Sexual Discrimination Reporting: the University of Southern Maine is committed to making the campuses

safe places for students. If you tell a professor or staff member about an experience of sexual assault, sexual

harassment, stalking, relationship abuse (dating and domestic violence), sexual misconduct or any form of

gender discrimination involving members of the campus, the professor or staff member is required to report this

information to the campus Title IX Coordinator Daryl McIlwain (207-780-5515) or Deputy Coordinator, Sarah

Holmes (207-780-5767).

Dates Topic* Chapter Reading

Sep. 3, 5 Introduction to the course; Atoms, Water 4

Sep. 10, 12 Biology basics**; Marine microbes 4, 5

Sep. 17, 19 Marine algae; Marine Plants 5, 6

Sep. 24, 26 Exam #1; Sponges 7, 8

Oct. 1, 3 Cnidarians; Ctenophores 8, 15

Oct. 8, 10 Worms; Molluscs 8, 9

Oct. 15, 17 October Break; Molluscs cont’d. 9

Oct. 22, 24 Exam #2; Arthropods 9

Oct. 29, 31 Arthropods, cont’d; Echinoderms 9

Nov. 5, 7 Echinoderms cont’d; Chordates 9, 10

Nov. 12, 14 Fish 10

Nov. 19, 21 Exam #3; Fish cont’d 10

Nov. 26, 28 Reptiles and birds; Thanksgiving 11

Dec. 3, 5 Reptiles and Birds cont’d; marine mammals 11

Dec. 10, 12 Marine Mammals cont’d 12

Exam #4: Tuesday, Dec. 17; 10:45-12:45

* Although I will follow the order of topics listed above, the dates are tentative.

** I will not be covering this material in class, but you will be responsible for learning it.

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Copyright 2019 Mike Callahan