Course Syllabus/Fall 2013

120:207 Horticulture Laboratory

INSTRUCTORS: OFFICE/OFFICE HOURS: COURSE LOCATION(S):
Professor John H. Crow Boyden 131 Boyden 125

EMAIL: COURSE WEBSITE:

drcrow@verizon.net http://drcrow.org

MEETING TIME(S): REFER TO SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Basic Principles of horticultural science with an emphasis upon the practical and the supporting science is the subject matter of the course; the lab provides supporting hands-on experiences for subjects covered in lecture. Subjects include: morphology and anatomy, soil science, genetics, physiology, flowers, fruits, pests and pesticides (biocides), indoor and outdoor gardening, and subject topics raised by the students. The laboratory 120:207 (Horticulture Laboratory) is to be taken concurrently with the lecture for 1 credit.

PREREQUISITES:
NPR

REQUIRED TEXT:
The laboratory manual materials are supplied on line by the professor. Some additional supplies may be required. You will need a biology lab kit and a 10X magnifying glass is recommended. Students will be required to prepare a laboratory notebook that will consist of materials from each laboratory. The notebooks are to presented in a 3-ring binder and will need to include the laboratory protocols along with notes, drawings, tables, and write ups for each laboratory. It is essential that the notebooks be complete in order to receive full credit for each laboratory.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/GOALS:
The course aims to give the students hands-on experiences that are relevant to horticultural practices ranging from soil preparation to plant identification. Students will also gain complementary experience with science and learn how science is the basis for horticultural practices. The experience will also add to the students long-term enjoyment of indoor and outdoor gardening.

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Course Syllabus/Fall 2013

120:207 Horticulture Laboratory

SCHEDULE AND COURSE OUTLINE: Dates listed by week; labs meet once a week. Weekly dates of quizzes; due dates for
written projects will be provided during the semester; please note there will be additional smaller assignments throughout the semester. Due dates for these assignments will posted by means of Blackboard communication and/or the Professors website at http://drcrow.org. Notebooks for lab will be handed in and graded for completeness and accuracy.

WEEK
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15

MEETING TOPIC
Campus walk paired with lecture The plant body general morphology and elementary classification of plants Sexual reproduction of plants starting plants with seeds Asexual reproduction cuttings, layering, and grafting Botanical Garden Trip Week travel to a major botanical garden in our region Soil part 1 texture, soil mixes, and fertilizers Soil part 2 tests and experiments to measure soil properties Laboratory Mid-term Examination Plant Kingdom examination of plants of all types plus bacteria and fungi Plant anatomy basic internal structure of higher plants related to the functions of the cells and tissues. Flower structure and variety examination of a wide variety of flower types with an emphasis on common types Thanksgiving week Fruits examples of every major kind of fruit is studied in the lab; the relationship of the fruits to the plants flowers is emphasized Laboratory Final Exam

NOTES/READING ASSIGNMENTS/EXAMS
To be determined

DATE OF FINAL EXAM: see above

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GRADING POLICY:
Your grade for this course will be determined based on the categories listed in the table below. Assume 90% = A; 88% = B; 80% = B; 78% = C+; 70% = C; 60% = D; and < 60% = F. Improvement will be taken into consideration for those cases within 2% of a higher grade for the course. If any assignments are missing students will be given an F unless there is a good, substantiated reason to grant a temporary grade. Attendance/participation/notebook = 90 Midterm = 50 Assignment = 20 Botanical garden trip and report = 40 Final = 100 TOTAL = 300 (points approximate) Point Values Point Values Point Values Point Values Point Values Point Values Total Points

ATTENDANCE, MAKE-UP, AND LATENESS POLICY:

Attendance is required; attendance will be taken for every class. Up to two missed labs can be made up with a 25% penalty by submitting handwritten notes and drawing based upon notes obtained from other students; a documental excuse will also be required. The notes must be submitted within 2 weeks of an absence to obtain credit. A more severe penalty of an additional one-grade reduction will be made for every lab missed beyond the 2 labs that may be made up. There will be no make-up exams of any kind. Assume you miss the midterm and have not missed more than one other lab during the semester, the professor will compute a predicted score based upon your performance on the final exam and deduct a 10% penalty. If you miss the final, you will have to take the final exam the following semester, assuming there is a documented legitimate excuse for missing the final, and the professor believe there is reason to believe you will be able to pass the course. It is very important to be on time for laboratory. If you are more than 15 minutes late for laboratory you will be counted present but will have to supply notes as described; a 20% penalty will be computed for the lab in question. If you are more than 30 minutes late for laboratory a 50% penalty will be computed. For late assignments a 10% reduction will be taken for every day the assignment is late.

Academic Dishonesty: The course has a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and cheating. Instances of dishonesty will be punished by a zero on the assignment and consultation with the Academic Integrity Officers to determine if further action is required. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating, please ask your instructors or refer to the academic integrity websites for Rutgers and NJIT:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgers http://studentconduct.rutgers.edu/ http://www.njit.edu/academics/integrity.php

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