Population and Community Ecology (BSC 441/541)
Syllabus | Lab | Schedule | Files | Printer FriendlyPopulation and Community Ecology Syllabus
Instructor:Jake Schaefer
Email: Jake.Schaefer@usm.edu
Phone: 601-266-4928
Course Homepage: http://ichthyology.usm.edu/courses/community/
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00-10:00
am. If these office hours don't fit your schedule please see me for alternate
times when we can schedule a meeting. Feel free to contact me after class
or through email to set up a meeting time.
Office: 1004 Johnson Science Tower
Lectures: 2:00-3:15 Monday, Wednesday in WSB 153
Labs: 3:30-6:15 Monday in WSB 153
Textbook
Community Ecology, 1st ed., by Gary Mittelbach. ISBN-978-0-87893-509-3
Course Objectives
- Understanding of the mechanisms regulating the abundance, distribution and demographics of populations
- Understanding of the mechanisms regulating the dynamics, composition and organization of groups of species (communities)
- Introduction to some of the tools necessary for the design of population/community ecology experiments. These tools include sampling procedures, data collection, data analysis and hypothesis testing.
Grading Policy
There will be three inclass exams. For the most part, these exams will also divide the semester into units based on the topics we cover. There will also be three papers you will write during the semester. Final grades are assigned in a standard 90-80-70 scale with no curve and no extra credit. The point values are as follows:
| Exam 1 | 100 points | ||||||
| Exam 2 | 100 points | ||||||
| Exam 3 | 100 points | ||||||
| Papers 1-2 (75 each) | 150 points | ||||||
| Paper 3 | 75 points | ||||||
| Lab Participation | 50 points | ||||||
| Presentation (BSC 541) | 50 points | ||||||
| Final Exam (cumulative) | 200 points | ||||||
| Total | 775 points (825 BSC 541) | ||||||
See the course calendar for exam dates. This calendar is subject to change, and all changes will be announced in class and on the course web page. Exams will consist of a variety of question formats. All questions will come from lecture material and assigned readings in the textbook. Finally, academic integrity is considered fundamental to the learning environment. Acts of dishonesty are not acceptable and will be dealt with appropriately.
Attendance Policy
I strongly encourage your attendance at lecture. Although your attendance record is not calculated into your overall course grade, experience has shown me that students having several absences do not perform well on exams. If you miss a lecture, find someone in class to tell you what you missed or see me during office hours. It would be wise to borrow a classmate's notes and/or read the textbook because we cover important material every day. If you have to miss class I would be happy to go over what you missed during my office hours.
Dates of Interest
For information on the last day to drop this class, see the academic calendars published by the Office of the Registrar.
The final exam will be administered at the scheduled time, see the final exam schedule published by the Office of the Registrar.
Class Disruptions
Please respect the other students in the class by not causing disruptions. This includes cell phones ringing, having conversations with others in the class or other disruptive behavior.
Missed Exams
In general, all exams must be taken in class on time. If there is some reason you can not take an exam at that time, please see me ahead of time. If you miss an examination for medical reasons, please give me a written statement to that effect signed by the attending physician. Documentation will be accepted only up to one week following the missed examination. Exams missed without medical documentation or prior consent of the instructor result in a grade of 0. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Disability Support Services
If any student has special needs they can contact the Office for Disability Accommodations for assistance.
Academic Integrity
All students at the University of Southern Mississippi are expected to demonstrate the highest levels of academic integrity in all that they do. Forms of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to):
- Cheating (including copying from others' work)
- Plagiarism (representing another person's words or ideas as your own; failure to properly cite the source of your information, argument, or concepts)
- Falsification of documents
- Disclosure of test or other assignment content to another student
- Submission of the same paper or other assignment to more than one class without the explicit approval of all faculty members' involved
- Unauthorized academic collaboration with others
- Conspiracy to engage in academic misconduct
Engaging in any of these behaviors or supporting others who do so will result in academic penalties and/or other sanctions. If a faculty member determines that a student has violated our Academic Integrity Policy, sanctions ranging from resubmission of work to course failure may occur, including the possibility of receiving a grade of "XF" for the course, which will be on the student's transcript with the notation "Failure due to academic misconduct." For more details, please see the University's Academic Integrity Policy. Note that repeated acts of academic misconduct will lead to expulsion from the University.
Note: This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. All changes will be announced in class and on the course web page.