The goal of this course is to gain experience in the basic science and practical technique of plant cultivation. We will cover a range of topics, introducing both professional and recreational methods, with a focus on flower, vegetable, and landscape gardening.

Lecture sections meet three times each week. In lecture, the instructor will explain text material and answer student questions. Often, lecture quizzes will be given, usually covering material from the assigned reading. Attendance at lectures is required.

The laboratory section meets for two hours once a week. Most laboratory meetings will begin with a quiz covering the assigned reading. Any assignments that are due in lab must be handed in before this quiz. Some laboratory sessions are designed to practice design skills while others emphasize horticultural techniques. Attendance in laboratory is required. Three lab periods will take the form of field trips to local places of horticultural interest. On these days, there will be no lecture, and we will depart from the lecture room at 1:00 PM.

One additional field trip, to the 13th Annual Herb & Garden Show, in Mt. Vernon, IL, is planned for Saturday, 10 February. Attendance at this trip is required.

Practical Horticulture, by Rice and Rice,
Fourth Edition.
Prentice-Hall Publishing, 2000.

A Laboratory Manual must be picked up in the Biology Office (MB111) prior to the first laboratory session. When you pick up the Laboratory Manual, you are required to pay a $10 cash fee to cover the cost of laboratory materials.

There will be three one-hour exams and a two-hour final exam. All exams are comprehensive in that they build on previous material, but in general the one-hour exams will focus on material covered since the previous exam. One-hour exams will also include questions on laboratory material. The final exam will be comprehensive. The scores from examinations and lecture quizzes will contribute 50 % of the final course grade. Specifics of examination format and coverage will be provided by your instructor.

The dates for the examinations are listed on the Biology 225: Spring, 2001 Schedule. You are required to take the exams on the scheduled dates. If there is a legitimate reason for not taking an examination on the scheduled date, the instructor should be notified as far in advance as possible. Only under these conditions will a make-up exam be given. Otherwise, a grade of zero will be assigned for the missed exam.

course grade. See the section on laboratory grades following the schedule for a more detailed breakdown of laboratory grades. Like missed exams, missed laboratory exercises will result in a grade of zero. It is not normally possible to make up lab work.

Course grades will be assigned using the following scale. Plusses and minuses will be assigned within grade ranges.

90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F

News, announcements, and instructor contact information are constantly updated on the course web site:

http://www2.evansville.edu/be6/b2251

You must keep a laboratory portfolio in a three-ring binder which has been labeled, inside and out, with name and lab section. The lab portfolio should contain all previously graded lab assignments, along with evaluation sheets. You should use tabbed, labeled dividers to organize the material in your portfolio. Your lab manual, which provides all of the instructions for each lab, must be kept separately from your lab portfolio. Ideally, this will be the same portfolio you used for Biology 107 and other biology courses.

Academic Honor Code
Students are expected to abide by the University’s Honor Code. Accordingly, students are expected to neither give nor receive unauthorized aid on exams, lab reports, or class papers. When writing, all citations must be acknowledged and referenced. If in doubt about how to use references in your writing, please see your instructor. Do not use uncited text from any source in your written assignments, even with minor changes. This constitutes academic dishonesty, and will be penalized harshly.

Reading
All assigned reading is to be completed before class. This is important so that students begin with the required background. Quizzes at the beginning of class will give students an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the assigned reading.

Attendance
Attendance at all class meetings is required. Unexcused absence will result in a grade of zero for any missed assignments. Students excused from a class meeting will be responsible for making up the missed material.

Assignments
Assignments are to be turned in in class, on the due date, with the exception of excused absence. Students with excused absence should turn in their work the following day. When using computers for writing, data analysis, or presentation graphics, be sure to back up often and check the status of file transfers, printing, et cetera before the last minute. Failure of technology does not constitute a valid excuse.