Fall 2007

                                            Lecture; T, Th: 10:00-10:50; 363 SNP102

                                                        Laboratory; TBA; 181 NPB

                                                          Instructor: J. A. Jenks

                                                      Office Hours: Whenever you can find me.

                                                                Where: NPB 138D

Overview:

Nutrition and disease are broad topics that involve the sciences of  physiology, biochemistry, and ecology of individual animals.  Nutrition and disease effects on populations represent interactions between wildlife and environments, and can be considerable.  The purpose of this course is to introduce students to nutritional and disease ecology of wildlife species.  The class will involve evaluation of nutrient requirements, nutrient acquisition, disease effects, and management applications.  Areas of investigation will include the basis for studying nutrition and disease, nutritional relationships between wildlife and habitat, protein, energy, vitamin, and mineral requirements and their interactions, maintenance and production costs, methods of assessing nutritional status, foraging strategies that animals use to satisfy requirements, disease assessment, and the interaction of nutrition and disease on wildlife populations. 

Teaching Objectives:

Upon completing this course, the student should be able to:

            a.         Discuss the importance of nutrition and disease to the management of wildlife populations.

            b.         Be familiar with techniques used to assess nutritional condition and diagnose diseases of wildlife.

            c.         Read and understand the literature on nutrition and disease of wildlife populations.

Course Format:

The course will consist of 2 one-hour lectures and 1 three-hour lab each week.  Concepts related to nutrition and disease will be covered in lecture, as well as discussion of required readings.   Lectures will cover material in Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition, Second Edition, by C. T. Robbins (2001).

Methods used in nutritional analyses and disease evaluation will be explored in the laboratory.  In addition, Labs also will be used to permit more lengthy discussion of lecture materials, readings, and class projects.

Assignments:

1.    Reading assignments will be given throughout the semester.  Students must be able to discuss readings on the assigned day (part of your grade will be based on participation). 

2.    Laboratory assignments on specific aspects of nutrition and diseases of wildlife species will be required. 

3.    Each student will select a topic of interest in the area of nutritional and/or disease ecology, specific to wildlife species, and conduct a detailed literature review on that topic.  A research presentation and paper on the topic is required during the last two weeks of class.

Exams:

There will be one, one-hour midterm exam.  The exam will consist of short answer (including mathematical manipulations) and short essay questions.  Make-up exams are discouraged and will be given only in special circumstances.  These exams will be oral and must be arranged before the day the exam is scheduled to take place.

Grading:

     Midterm                                         100 pnts

     Term Presentation                         100 pnts

     Term Paper                                    100 pnts

     Lab Assignments                            100 pnts

     Discussion                                      100 pnts  

          Total                                          500 pnts

Lab assignments turned in late (after 5:00pm on due date) will loose 50%. 

Course grading is based on straight percentages (i.e., 90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 70-79%=C, 60-69%=D, <60%=F for WL525; 88-100%=A, 78-87%=B, 68-77%=C, 58-67%=D, <58%=F for WL425).

Americans with Disabilities Act:

Students are entitled to “reasonable accommodations” under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Those in need of such accommodation should notify me and make appropriate arrangements with the SDSU Office of Disabilities Services, 110 West Hall, 688-4505 or 688-4032.

Academic Freedom and Responsibility:

Board of Regents Policy 1:11: Freedom in learning.  Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled.  Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study.  Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course.  If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college that offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

Cheating and Plagiarism Policy:

The Department and the University have taken a strong and clear stand regarding academic dishonesty. We believe that it is unethical and unprofessional to present work done by others in a manner indicating that the student/s is/are presenting material as his/her original ideas or work; such activity is academic dishonesty. Plagiarizing or knowingly assisting others in plagiarizing on tests, quizzes, problems, assignments, research papers, theses, dissertations, or other academic activities is unacceptable behavior. All academic work completed by students is expected to be the original work of that individual student, unless permission is specifically granted beforehand by the faculty member for some form of team effort or other format. If students are unsure if a particular activity may be regarded as a form of academic dishonesty they should consult the faculty member before undertaking such an activity.

The University has a policy on academic honesty, procedures for academic grade and dishonesty appeals, and sanctions for such activities (see Student Code). The Student Code has different procedures for undergraduate and graduate students.

The Department policy described in this handout is intended to attempt to address perceived academic dishonesty violations between the faculty member/s and student/s before Student Code procedures are implemented. This is done because under Student Code procedures the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is Disciplinary Probation. These added Department steps (Steps 1, 2, and 3 of the Undergraduate Student and Graduate Student Procedures) should not be construed as an attempt to circumvent the Student Code system; both students and/or the faculty member have the option to go directly into that system. The Department procedures portion of this policy are only available to a student one time; any second perceived offense will immediately follow the Student Code procedures.

Undergraduate Student Procedure

1. When a student/s is/are determined to have broken the Academic Dishonesty Policy, he/she will be notified verbally by the faculty member involved as to the problem and sanction selected. This is similar to procedures 02:02:01:03 and 02:02:01:04 in the Student Code. The faculty member will do this immediately after the perceived violation occurs. Sanction options available to the faculty member are as follows:

1. provide the student/s a grade of zero or some other score on the test, quiz, problem, assignment, or other academic endeavor involved;

2. provide the student/s a grade of “F” in the course;

3. request that the student/s withdraw from the course;

4. request that the student/s change the grading for the course to an “audit”; or

5. immediately refer the case to the Student Code procedures.

The sanction selected is at the discretion of the faculty member, based on the seriousness of the situation.

2. If the student/s agrees to the sanction proposed by the faculty member the process is completed.
3. If the student/s does not agree to the sanction proposed by the faculty member, he/she has the right to appeal the faculty member’s decision. This Informal Phase Appeal should be made directly (both verbally and in writing) to the faculty member involved within 5 class days of notification or within 7 calendar days of notification, if the incident is at the end of the semester. The faculty member may then modify or leave unchanged the sanction proposed in step 1. A copy of the student’s written appeal and the faculty member’s written response will be sent to the Department Head so that a confidential record to protect the student/s and the faculty member is established. The student/s written appeal and faculty member written response will be secured in the student’s file until graduation or he/she leaves the program; if no further perceived violations have occurred these materials will be purged from the student’s file.
4. If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can appeal to the Department Head. This Informal Phase Appeal should be made verbally. The Department Head will utilize this verbal appeal and the written student appeal and faculty written response described in step 3 to reach a decision. (These are steps 02:02:01:05, 02:02:01:06, and 02:02:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code).
5. If the student/s and faculty member agree with the Department Head’s decision, the process is completed. Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, and Department Head has been made aware of the situation.
6. If the student/s or faculty member is/are dissatisfied with the Department Head’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase of the Student Code process (Student Code 02:02:02). It is the responsibility of the faculty member and student/s to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

Graduate Student Procedure

1. Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 1, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).¹
2. Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 2, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).
3. Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 3, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).
4. If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can verbally appeal to the Graduate Dean. (These are steps 02:05:01:05, 02:05:01:06, and 02:05:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code.)
5. If all agree on the proposed sanction at this point, the process is completed. Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, Graduate Dean, and possibly the student’s advisor and Advisory Committee has been made aware of the situation.
6. If the student/s, faculty member, advisor, or Advisory Committee are dissatisfied with the Graduate Dean’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase (Student Code 02:05:02) of the Student Code process. It is the responsibility of the student/s, faculty member, and student’s advisor and Advisory Committee to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

¹The student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be included because items other than class work could be involved.