BSCI 282: Independent Reading (1 hour)
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a) Objectives
The primary objective of BSCI MBIO 282 is to permit the student to become informed, in depth, about research in a selected area of biology. A faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences will be selected by the student to act as a tutor and guide the student in critical reading and analysis of selected research papers. Ideally, the student will select the area of interest with the help of the chosen faculty member. Regular discussions of the papers will be scheduled between the student and tutor. The course is not a device for learning elementary material. Therefore, the student should have the course background appropriate for the chosen topic.
b) Prerequisites
Consent of the course coordinator. Students will normally be expected to have completed BSCI 110 and one intermediate-level course in Biological Sciences.
c) Selection of a reading tutor
The student will select a tutor from the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty from departments other than Biological Sciences are not eligible to serve as reading tutors unless they play an active role in the teaching of biological sciences majors. It is recommended that a topic of general interest be chosen that will increase the student's level of understanding. By consultation with the course coordinator and the part of the department web site describing the research interests of the faculty, the student should identify faculty members whose research interests overlap with the student's interests. The student should then determine that the faculty member is willing to serve as a reading tutor, and decide with the tutor on a topic for the reading project. The course coordinator should then be notified and theApplicationForm completed. It is recommended that interviews, arrangements, and notification of the course coordinator be completed before the conclusion of Phase I of registration.
d) Registration
- Read the course requirements
- Select a reading tutor. Before deciding on a reading tutor, contact several faculty members and discuss potential areas of focus. Decide on a project by agreement with a potential reading tutor.
- Download and complete the application form
- e-mail the completed application form to your research mentor. Paper forms will not be accepted. Include a short text message to the effect that the application is attached.
- Your reading tutor should then forward the entire e-mail, including the attachment, to the appropriate Course Coordinator. In Spring and Fall, the Course Coordinator will register the student. In Summer, the form is still required, but the student will register in the normal way at the beginning of the summer semester. In all cases, the Course Coordinator will sign and keep on file a hard copy of the form. This process assures the department that the research advisor has seen and approved the proposal.
e) Requirements
1. Paper Discussions. Throughout the semester, the student will be reading and discussing original research papers on the chosen topic with the tutor. The number of papers that are to be read each week and the length of time for the discussion sessions are left to the discretion of the tutor. However, as a general guideline, each student should spend approximately fours hours per week for each academic credit hour. This usually translates into one or two papers per week plus a 30 to 45 minute discussion session with the tutor for each academic credit hour.
2. Written Report. A term paper is required. This paper should be a review summarizing and integrating the pertinent contents of original papers read by the student and discussed with the tutor. The paper consists of: 1) an introduction; 2) a review of the literature with adequate subheadings and references; 3) a discussion section where the student should take the opportunity to critically evaluate, make creative and/or original interpretations, indulge in modeling if appropriate, or propose experiments that would resolve inconsistencies in the data reviewed. Not every paper that was read during the semester needs to be discussed, rather, a particular area should be focused on and discussed in depth. The final written report is usually due on the last day of classes for the semester.
The student should submit a quality rough draft of the report to the tutor in sufficient time to allow editing and revision; this procedure is the same as that given above for Laboratory Research. The length and reference style of the report should be as for Laboratory Research.
f) Grading
The course coordinator, in consultation with the reading tutor, will determine the student's final grade in the course based on: 1) Paper discussions (approximately 70%; determined by the reading tutor). This portion of the grade will reflect the effort and understanding of the student during the semester. 2) Written report (approximately 30%; determined by the course coordinator).
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