BCH 4054 -- GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY

CLASS SYLLABUS

DR. LIGHT -- FALL 1996

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  • Study Groups and Extra Credit
  • Grading Scale
  • Electronic Mail
  • Disabilities
  • Honor Code

  • Instructor:    Robley J. Light
                   Office:  204 DLC
                   Telephone: 644-3844
                   email: rlight@garnet.acns.fsu.edu
    
    Office Hours:  12:15-1:15 Mondays and Wednesdays
                    2:30-3:30 Mondays and Wednesdays  
                   (or by appointment)
    
    Help Sessions: Wednesdays prior to Hour Tests, 5:30-7:00 pm. 
                   Others on request.
    
    Textbooks:     Lehninger, Nelson and Cox, Principles of
                   Biochemistry, Second Edition, Worth Publishers, New
                   York, 1993
    
    
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    Extra Credit -- Optional Study Groups

    
              To encourage formation of study groups (4-5 persons),
         extra credit will be available for a group assignment.  A
         take-home, open-book, Pre-Test will be given out on the
         Wednesday of the week before each hour test.  The test is to
         be done by the group and turned in on Monday of the test week. 
         It will be graded and returned by Wednesday.  Persons not
         willing to participate in a group, or unable to take part in
         one of the exams, will have their Hour Test grade substituted
         for the Pre-Test grade.  The Hour Test grade will also
         substitute if it is higher than the Pre-Test grade.
    
    
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    Grading

              Three Hour Tests (100 pts. each)        300 points
              Average of three Pre-Tests              100 points
              Final Exam (100 points x 2)*            200 points     
                   Total                              600 points
    
         *Exam grade can replace lowest Hour Test grade
         Final Average = Total/6
    
    No make-up tests
    
              In exceptional circumstances, it might be possible to
         arrange to take the hour test a day early.  In the case of
         excused absences where this is not possible, the final exam
         grade will substitute for the missed exam.
    
              Following are the minimum percentage cut-off's for a
         given letter grade, obtained by dividing the total raw score
         by 6.  Depending on test difficulty and class performance,
         these cut-off's might be lowered slightly, but they won't be
         raised.  
    
                   90-100  A or A-
                   80-89   B or B-
                   70-79   C or C-
                   60-69   D or D-BCH 4054--General Biochemistry--Fall 1996                  Page 2
    
    
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    Electronic Mail Communication

    
              To provide an additional means of communication between
         instructor and student and among students, students may obtain
         a computer account and register it for the class.  You are
         encouraged to use this means of asking questions, commenting
         on lectures, making appointments for help, etc.  A class
         bulletin board (newsgroup) will be set up for posting
         information and questions and for class members to ask each
         other questions.  A class Web page will also contain class
         information and pointers to biochemistry related sites on the
         web.  Students are encouraged to explore resources available
         on the Internet.  A separate handout describes procedures
         related to obtaining and using the computer account.
    
    
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    American Disabilities Act

    
              Students with disabilities needing academic
         accommodations should:  1) register with and provide
         documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center
         (SDRC);  2) bring a letter to the instructor from SDRC
         indicating you need academic accommodations.  This should be
         done within the first week of class.
    
    
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    Academic Honor Code

    
              Students are reminded of the Academic Honor System of the
         Florida State University.  Collaboration is permitted and
         encouraged on the group pre-tests, but signing one's name to
         the group effort without having participated in it would be
         considered a violation of the honor code.  Receiving or giving
         unauthorized help on the hour tests is a violation.
    
    
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