• Eastern Kentucky University Herbarium
• Memorial Science 170 and Coates15
• Richmond, KY 40475
• Phone: 859-622-6257

Prerequisite:  BIO 131 or instructor approval. Woody plant taxonomy with emphasis on field identification of trees and shrubs in summer and winter conditions; habitats and distributions; economic importance; forest regions of North America. Weekly field trips during class period and some all-day and overnight trips. 1 Lec/ 4 lab.

Time and Day:  Thursdays, 3:30—8:20, with the following Saturday and overnight trips for Fall, 2005---Sept 10 (Red River Gorge), Sept 30—Oct 2 (Smoky Mts), Oct 22 (Jessamine Gorge), Nov 5 (optional trip) and Nov 19 (Fayette Co.).

Texts:

Course Objectives:  To provide the student with the knowledge for the recognition of woody species, their taxonomic relationships, and their ecological and economic importance. The use of maps, aerial photographs, and satellite images to locate and identity woody plants will be discussed if time allows.


Course Requirements:  Class/Field trip attendance (unexcused absences not to exceed 20% (3 class sessions) of the weekly meetings; the taking of 3 lecture exams and 2 lab exams; the taking of field quizzes; and the submission of a special project. Students will need a a pocket knife, a 10X handlens, and a supply of 3X5 index cards.

Travel Expenses:  The Biology Department will pay for most travel expenses. Students should expect to help pay some expenses, such as lodging and food costs or extra travel charges on the Smoky Mountains trip. After scheduling of trips students will be provided with an estimate of their semester expenses. All fees must be paid before final grades will be assigned.

Class Project/Oral Report:  Each student will conduct a special research assignment on a topic to be determined by discussion with the instructor. Graduate students will, in addition, present 2 oral reports on selected topics and have additional questions on the final exam.

Laboratory and Field Schedule:  Field Trips will be scheduled during the 5-hr class sessions. Some Saturday all-day trips, and one 2-night trip to the Great Smoky Mountains will be scheduled. These trips will involve the location of appropriate sites for observing and describing woody plants (trees, shrubs, vines).


Laboratory work will involve the study of leaf, twig, and fruit specimens of species covered either in lecture or in the field. Specimens will be left out for student study in Moore 202 during the semester, and similar specimens will be used for the lab practicals. Laboratory work may also include the use of maps, aerial photos, and satellite images in woody plant studies.

Quizzes will involve the sight identification or keying of species, for 3 points each, and may occur during a lab or field exercise. About 250 species will be covered in the course.

Evalutaion Methods:
      

2 lecture exams at 100 points each	200 points
Final lecture exam at 150 points	150 points
Lab practiclas and Field Quizzes	440 points
Project	100 points
Graduate Student Reports	100 points
Graduate Total	1000 points
Undergradute Total	900 points

Course Grade:  Determined as follows:

90% to 100%  = A
80 to 90  = B
70 to 79%  = C
60 to 69%  = D
below 60%  = F

Mid-Term Grades:  Students can determine their mid-term grades by summing their total point and dividing by possible points at mid-term, and using the scale above.

Disability Statement:  If there is any student in this class who is in need of academic accommodations and who is registered with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities, please make an individual appointment with the course instructor to discuss accommodations. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in alternative forms. If any student who I not registered with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities has need of academic accommodations, please contact the Office directly either in person on the first floor of the Turley House or by telephone at 622-1500.


Attendance Policy:  Credit for the class will not be allowed if there is a recorded absence of 20% or more (4 or more absences) in lecture/lab. Eligibility for make-up lecture exams will be at the discretion of the instructor, and will require, at minimum, valid and documented reasons for missing the regularly scheduled exams. Excuses other than documented medical reasons or officially sanctioned university activities will ordinarily not be accepted, and the student will be assigned 0% for the exam. Make-up exams must be taken within one week of the scheduled exam. If students know, in advance, of a scheduling conflict with an exam, the instructor should be informed ASAP (preferably one week in advance). There are no makeups for field quizzes, but in the case of excused (see above) absences, adjustments will be made to the point totals.


Class and Field Trips Rules:  The use of tobacco and alcoholic products is prohibited in the classroom, during van rides, or in shared rooms on overnight trips.

Honor Policy:   In instances of Academic Dishonesty, penalities can range from a failing grade for the assignment to failure of the course, depending on the severity of the violation. The case can also be referred to the Student Disciplinary Committee, or to the Department Committee on Academic Practices, which can result in the prevention of the student from graduating with honors.

Cell Phone Policy in Class:  Cell phones should be turned off during class sessions. If cell phones ring in class, they should be turned off, not answered. In addition, no cell phones or similar electronic devices can be used (or even visible) during exams (standard calculators—approved by the instructor, are OK for genetics questions); students observed using cell phones during exams can be assumed by the instructor to be cheating, and are subject to the same range of penalties described above.

For more information on Academic Honesty, plagiarism and other topics, see following websites:

http://www.geography.eku.edu/Geo101/academichonesty.htm

http://www.marymount.edu/academic/artandsci/mathandcs/NoCheating.htm

Note: The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus, including the sequence of lecture topics and the scheduling of exams.


2006 COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Introduction and Descriptive Terminology
1. Vegetative terminology
2. Reproductive terminology
3. Nomenclature and Classification of Woody Plants
4. Keying techniques and the Use of Manuals for Identification
5. Collecting Techniques


2. Survey of families, genera, and species from the Magnoliaceae to Moraceae (About 52 species will be covered in this unit).
1. General family features
2. Generic differences within the families
3. Species characteristics
1. Distinctive features of bark, twig, leaf, and fruit
2. Distribution and habitat
3. Economic importance, wildlife uses, etc.

LECTURE EXAMINATION I (_______). Intro plus about 50 species.

3. Survey of families, genera, and species from the Fagaceae to Hippocastanaceae. (About 81 species will be covered).
1. General family features
2. Generic differences within the families
3. Species characteristics, as outlined above

LAB EXAM I (________) Magnoliaceae to Fabaceae (about 100 species)

LECTURE EXAMINATION II (______) Fagaceae to Hippocastanaceae (about 80 species)

4. Survey of families, genera, and species from Sapindaceae through Gymnosperms.(About 100 species will be covered in this unit)
1. General family features
2. Generic differences within the families
3. Species characteristics, as outlined above

LAB EXAM II (_______) Viscaceae through Gymnosperms (about 130 species)

FINAL LECTURE EXAMINATION (______) Over last 100 species, forest regions, and selected questions from previous material.