Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - BISC 102 D100

General Biology (4)

Class Number: 2637

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Tue, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Thu, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 15, 2025
    Mon, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Dec 15, 2025
    Mon, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Biology 12 (or equivalent) with a minimum grade of C (or BISC 100 with a minimum grade of C-, or BISC 113 with a minimum grade of C+, or BPK 105 with a minimum grade of C+, or HSCI 100 with a minimum grade of C+).

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduction to evolution and ecology, focusing on the processes that shape the diversity of life on earth. Lecture and lab topics include: natural selection and other mechanisms of evolutionary change, phylogeny, genetics, speciation, behaviour, species interactions, population ecology, and ecosystems. BISC 101 and 102 may be taken in either order. Breadth-Science.

COURSE DETAILS:

Calendar Description
Survey of the diversity of life, and its evolutionary history on earth. Students are introduced to genetics, development, and evolution, giving an overview of how these processes interact to produce form and function. Also included are principles of behavior and ecological relationships of organisms to each other and their environment. Breadth-Science.

Sequence of topics
Introduction, cells, metabolism, survey of Earth’s diversity, genetics, sex, phylogeny, ontogeny, evolution, behavior, ecology, population dynamics, humans, the origin of life, the state of the planet. A detailed schedule will be posted on Canvas (see below).

Office hours
Your instructors (professor, lab instructors, TAs) all have weekly office hours, posted at the start of the course. The prof has in-person office hours, and a Zoom session to which you are welcome to listen in anonymously, should you want to hear questions asked by others. You can make an appointment for another time by emailing ydenberg@sfu.ca. Please use the subject line BISC 102 APPOINTMENT.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Assignments
There are two course assignments. The Inquiry Figure Assignment is worth 15% of your grade - you’ll receive direction in the lab portion of the course. The Forest Walk Assignment is worth 15% of your final grade and is designed to get you out to see some biology in the field. You’ll receive direction in tutorial.

Labs
In weeks 2 - 11. There is no lab in week 1.
Week 12 has no lab scheduled but is used to make up labs lost due to a snow day or other reasons. Students should keep their scheduled lab open.
The lab exam is held in week 13 and is worth 25% of your grade.

Mid term
The mid-term will be held Thursday October 16, during the regular lecture time 1230 – 1330. The mid-term covers material from lectures 1 – 10 and is worth 15% of your grade. The course exam policy is posted on Canvas. You can read about Prof. Ydenberg’s exams in the Canvas document ‘Exams in BISC 102’.

Final exam
The final exam (2h) will be scheduled during the exam period in December. The first portion of the final exam covers material from lectures 11 - 22, while the second portion covers the entire course. The final exam is worth 25% of your grade.

Tutorials
You have been assigned to a tutorial group. Discussion and exchange with instructors and your peers is a valuable part of a university education. Participation in tutorial group discussions is worth 5% of your course grade. The tutorial schedule is generated by the Registrar and has to accommodate hundreds of student schedules. The groups must be small to be useful, making it generally very difficult to switch to a different group without causing disruption for others.

Grading

  • 'Creatures of the Forest Photo Assignment' 15%
  • Tutorial Participation 5%
  • Midterm exam 15%
  • Final exam 25%
  • Lab exam 25%
  • Lab Assignments 15%

NOTES:

Letter grades will be assigned as follows.

The boundary between B and C letter grades will be set at the overall class average. Therefore, about half of assigned letter grades are ‘B-’ or higher, and the other half ‘C+’ or lower. Letter grades are assigned as follows:

Scores more than one standard deviation above the average            ‘A’ letter grades

Scores within one standard deviation above the average -                 ‘B’ letter grades

Scores within one standard deviation below the average -                ‘C’ letter grades

Scores more than one standard deviation below the average  -         ‘D’

Scores more than two standard deviations below the average -         ‘F’

A ‘standard deviation’ is a measure of the spread in a distribution. If you’re new to statistics look up http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/standard-deviation.html. A normal distribution, (i.e. the ‘bell-shaped’ curve) has about 68% of the grades within one standard deviation of (above and below) the mean, so most grades will be ‘B’ or ‘C’.

Note that you must pass both the lab and lecture portions of the course to gain an overall passing grade. Failing either will result in a ‘D’, which means you will not be able to use BISC 102 as a pre-requisite for other courses. Failing both will result in an ‘F’.

Canvas
Each lecture is recorded and posted on Canvas. You’ll find pdfs with each lecture’s slides, as well as a list of the most relevant sections of the textbook (3rd and 4th editions) for each lecture. Canvas also provides a lot of other useful material.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Biological Science, by Freeman, Harrington and Sharp.
3rd or 4th Canadian Editions, Pearson. Highly recommended.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.