Undergraduate Seminar BSC 4931

  Dr. Suzanne Koptur

http://www.fiu.edu/~kopturs    e-mail: kopturs@fiu.edu

Syllabus  Spring 2008

class meetings Thursdays from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm in CP 111

 
date topic
10 Jan
Introduction and Organization of course
17 Jan
Choice of Topics - Invasion Biology
24 Jan
Preparing abstracts, outlines, and presentations - partners must be working together!
31 Jan*
Electronic literature databases (Library class) - GL 245
7 Feb
How to publish on the Web
14 Feb
Writing your resume
21 Feb
 Job interview preparation
28 Feb*
work on web pages -  no class meeting
6 Mar
Presentation 1
13 Mar
Presentation 1
20 Mar
 FIU Spring Break - no class meeting
27 Mar
ETS Major Field Exam in Biology - 2 hour exam on computer, HLS 360
3 Apr*
 work on next phase - no class meeting
10 Apr
Presentation 2
17 Apr
Presentation 2

Recommended articles on Invasion Biology:
1) Gurevitch, J. and D.K. Padilla. 2004.  Are invasive species a major cause of extinctions?  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19(9): 470-474.
2) Didham, R.K., J.M. Tylianakis, M.A. Hutchinson, R.M. Ewers, and N.J Gemmell. 2005.  Are invasive species the drivers of ecological change?  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20(9): 470-474.

Students will work in pairs on topics of their own choosing, and both will participate in each presentation.
Individual student web pages must be posted by 3 Mar 2008 (the week the presentations begin, so that logistics can be worked out and abstracts may be viewed) and completed by the first day of the second presentations (10 Apr) with corrections completed by 25 Apr 2008.
Assignments will be assessed with standardized Biology Department rubrics.
The ETS exam will count as part of your final grade, and is a requirement for graduation with your degree in Biology.