Attendance Policy- generally I don't take roll in lecture except to try and learn your names, however you must attend field trips in order to get credit for any fish species / specimens collected on that day.
Make up exams- if you have a legitimate excuse for missing class on
that day, make-ups can be arranged, at a mutually convenient time, preferably
before everyone else takes the test.
Textbooks:
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RECOMMENDED (currently out-of-print, you may
be able to find a used copy here)
Bone, Q., N. B. Marshall, and J.S. Blaxter, 1994. Biology of
Fishes, 2nd edition
Stanley Thornes Pub Ltd / February, 1995 printing
/ ISBN 0748744983 or
Thornes, Nelson / April 1995 printing / ISBN
0748744983
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| REQUIRED
Hoese, H. D. and R. H. Moore, 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico:
Texas, Louisiana and Adjacent Waters. 2nd Edition, Texas
A&M University Press. College Station.
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Freshwater fish identification will be covered by a set of keys provided
in class.
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Other assigned readings and supplementary
materials will be on reserve in the library.
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Grading: Your final grade will be based on the work done in lecture
and laboratory portions of the class as follows:
Lecture
- Three (3) exams 20% each (3x20%= 60%)
- Small assignments 10%
- Term Paper 15%
- Project 15%
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Lab
- Lab Practicals 40%
- Class Field Trips and Fish collection 40%
- Other Lab Assignments: Fish Skeleton, Web Page, etc. 20%
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Examinations: there will be three essay examinations including a final
exam. All exams will be "open notes"- you can use anything written (or typed)
in or by your own hand, but no books, photostatic copies or other copies of
books, or copies of other's notes. You may also use any handouts I give you
in class. Generally there will more questions on the test than you are expected
to answer, so you can select from them. All exams will be cumulative, in that
you will be expected to integrate what you have previously learned into your
answers, however, except for the final exam, you will not be tested on DETAILS
that were covered on the previous test.
Term Paper and Project: You should begin thinking about these as soon
as possible. Generally the two should be related. Discuss your ideas with me
and get my approval before starting. I will want to see a short write-up (proposal)
outlining what you wish to do. This will be a part of the first exam and you
will get a grade for having it done on time. A preliminary bibliography will
be due with the second exam, and will also be graded for completeness as well
as timeliness. The project MUST involve the collection, analysis, and interpretation
of data derived from field or laboratory observations/ experiments. However,
budgetary constraints force us to be very frugal, so your plan cannot be too
ambitious. Sometimes I will approve what is essentially a "library" project
that involves the comparison or reinterpretation of published data.
Typically your term paper should cover the historical and scientific background
necessary to interpret your data and understand the significance of your work.
The paper itself should be a typed and approximately 6-10 page long. It should
contain properly cited literature drawn from the bibliography, which demonstrates
that you have researched your topic. You will have the opportunity to orally
present your project data and conclusions to the class at the end of the semester.
Fish Collection: Approximately half of the Friday afternoon labs will
consist of field trips on which we will collect fish. Only those attending that
field trip will get credit for those fish once they are properly identified
(SCIENTIFIC NAMES). Particiapting in all field trips and identifying the fishes
collected on those will earn you a "C" for this part of the course. If you wish
more than a "C" you may turn in a collection of approximately 30 different specimens*
(including both salt and freshwater) of fish made "on your own" (at times and
places other than the regularly scheduled lab). These may duplicate species
those from class collections, but they must be made at different times
or different places from the class collections. All collections must
be properly LABELED and PRESERVED. To receive full credit fish must be identified
to their correct FAMILY, GENUS and SPECIES. Unidentified specimens will NOT
count against you and may earn extra credit if I can't readily identify them!
Students have failed (and will fail) the course because of improperly preserved
or labeled specimens.
* Credit for Fish species / specimens: you get one point each for the first
5 species from a collection site (as defined by place and time), 2 points each
for the next 5, 3 points each for the next etc. The actual grade for your collection
will be based on a 100 point scale (90 = A etc). Points over 100 will be extra
credit.
The Lab practicals There will be two lab practicals, one near mid-term
and another at the end of the semester. The mid-term practical will consist
of approximately 25 specimens, the final will consist of approximately 50 specimens.
In each case specimens will represent species which we have collected on field
trips or which have been pointed out to you in laboratory. Again, full credit
will depend on the correct identification including FAMILY, GENUS and SPECIES
and common names don't count. There will be several opportunities to practice
fish identification during the semester. But you need to get started early learning
the scientific names.
Other Lab Assignments 20% of your lab grade is based on additional assignments.
Half (10%) of this will be based on assignements completed during laboratory periods.
The other half (10%)will be based on your choice of one of the following:
- prepare an articulated skeleton of a fish (detailed instructions will be
provided).
- prepare a cleared and stained specimen of a fish (detailed instructions
will be provided).
- produce a web page on a particular species of fish (choice of species must
be approved by instructor and cannot duplicate the species selected by another
student).
