The Course Objective: Our goal for this section of the course is to
give you a good foundation of knowledge about Plant Development and Anatomy and
an understanding of the experimental approaches used in this field. This will
allow you to develop the skills and background necessary to understand and to
analyze a current article in the primary literature. Learning to critically
examine an article is not an easy task, but it is an essential skill for a
scientist. It requires an understanding of where the field has been, where it
is going, and the promises and pitfalls of experimental approaches used to
answer key questions. This philosophy is reflected in how we teach this course.
Although in some situations, due to time constraints, we will simply tell you
a conclusion, for the most part we will discuss the information that we convey
to you in light of the experiments performed. We hope that this is a more
interesting and stimulating way to talk about current knowledge in the field.
However, because many areas of scientific investigation are on-going, you will
not always hear a final answer to a scientific question. In fact, at times you
may be presented with experimental evidence supporting conflicting views. Also
due to our teaching philosophy, the exams are mainly essay questions that will
require that you think about aspects of a problem and data presented in class
in a creative way. We will provide examples of the types of questions that we
will ask on an exam at review sessions.
Reading assignments: Because the state of knowledge can change relatively
quickly, reading assignments will consist of current reviews and articles from the
primary literature instead of from a textbook. Generally, you will be assigned a
recent review and possibly also an article from the primary literature. Reading
this assignment is mandatory because data/conclusions from it may
be used in the exams. The assignment will be written on the board at the session
before the lecture on that particular material. We will also provide a hard copy of the reference for
the assigned reading prior to the lecture on that material. In addition, you may receive
a list of references in class for voluntary reading. These are for
your reference only. Do
not feel that you must read the articles cited on this list! This reference
list is intended to 1.) give you the primary literature references for data that we
discuss in class, and 2.) provide a resource for you in the future if you desire to
explore an area further. Please remember that you are only
required to read the 1-2 references assigned for
each lecture.
Web notes: Different instructors and presenters have different styles.
This is reflected somewhat in the notes and outlines that we make available on
the web for your use. Dr. Downie provides fairly complete web notes, while Dr.
Perry provides an extended outline of the material to be covered, with some
areas explained in more detail. As scientists, throughout your career you will
be faced with different styles of presentation of information. As such, we do
not expect differences in the way we present material to be problematic to
you.
The "muddiest point" exercise: We will give you the last minute or so
of class to write the point that you found most confusing in the lecture on a 3x5”
card. This provides feedback to us about what was not clear in our lecture. If
nothing was confusing, then we ask that you either ask a question that goes beyond
the material covered (which we will try to answer if we can!), or that you tell us
what you thought was particularly interesting in the lecture material or perhaps an
area that was unnecessary for us to cover. All such feedback information from you to
your instructors provides valuable information to allow us to improve the course. We
will respond to muddy points by e-mail with names removed.
Contact with instructors: Our job in this course is to provide the best
situation for you to gain a background of knowledge in plant development as possible.
Therefore, do not hesitate to ask questions in class. Also, please feel free to visit
us during our office hours. If the scheduled office hours are not convenient, please
contact the instructor to schedule an alternate time to meet. You may also ask questions
by e-mail. If you do not get a response in a reasonable amount of time (2-3 days) please
do not hesitate to send the e-mail again: it is possible that your e-mail was “lost” in
the number of e-mails we receive. Be assured that we are not trying to ignore your question.
VERY IMPORTANT!!!: current research in development relies heavily on molecular and
genetic studies. We assume that you have a basic understanding of molecular
biology. If you do not, you MUST see us ASAP! Please do NOT wait until the
exam. We will also respond to “muddiest point” questions by e-mail. If more than one
person has the same question in the “muddiest point” exercise we will attempt to clarify
the point in the next lecture. Again, we are here to serve you: make sure that you get the
most out of this section of the course that you can!
Grade: The grade for the Plant Development and Anatomy section of PLS
622 will be based on two exams, which will be primarily essay questions. This
will account for 90% of the grade for this section of the course.
The remaining 10% for this section will be based on attendance and
participation, including participating in the "muddiest point" exercise. This portion of the
course will account for 54.5% of the final grade in PLS 622, Physiology of
Plants I. We do not grade on a curve: if everyone masters the material to the
extent that they earn an 'A', then we will give everyone an 'A'. As such, you
are not in competition with your classmates. Feel free to discuss material
outside of class together. As in any course, cheating on exams will not be
tolerated. According to University regulations, the minimum requirement
for these offenses is an "E" in the course. Students should read their copy of
Students Rights and Regulations.
