This is a one credit, half-semester course (beginning after Spring Break) that introduces students to the science of ecology and evolutionary biology through hands-on laboratory and field exercises. The class meets twice a week: a lecture on Mondays introduces the week’s topic; students then attend one of three afternoon lab sections that provide practical experience in the fundamentals of natural history, data collection and analysis, and communication of results.
Requirements
Students are required to attend all labs. Students must attend the lab section for which they are registered (unless they are ill, in which case they must contact Dr. Solomon before their scheduled class). Course announcements will be posted on Owl-Space and sent to each students’ Rice email addresses, so students are responsible for regularly checking both the course Owl- Space site and their email accounts.
Location and Time
Lectures are Mondays from 3-3:50 PM in Anderson Biological Labs (ABL) 131. Labs are on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1–5 PM in ABL 125. Due to space constraints,
students must attend the lab section for which they are officially enrolled.
Grading:
Grades for this course are based on quizzes taken on Owl-Space following each lecture and lab write-ups due at the start of lab the following week. The course is graded on a straight scale, with the following cutoffs for final grades (98-100% = A+; 93-97 = A; 90-92 = A-; 88-89 = B+; 83-87 =B; 80-82 = B-; 78-79 = C+; 73-77 = C; 70-72 = C-; 68-69 = D+; 63-67 = D; 60-62 = D-; < 60% = F) and points assigned as follows:
| Assignment | Number | Points per Assignment | Subtotal | Percentage of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lab reports | 6 | 50 | 300 | 83% |
| Quizzes | 6 | 10 | 60 | 17% | Total | 300 |
Honor Code
Quizzes are open notes, closed-book and closed-internet. Students are expected to work in groups during in-class laboratory exercises, but all laboratory reports should be completed individually. Any sources used to complete a lab report, including materials provided as part of the class (i.e. lectures and readings posted on Owl-Space), must be properly cited.
Note
Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with Dr. Solomon during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. Students with disabilities should also contact Disabled Student Services in the Ley Student Center.