ANSC 1419 - INTRODUCTION TO 

ANIMAL SCIENCE

Fall Semester, 2012
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Course Website: users.tamuk.edu/kfsdl00/ansc1419.html

Instructor: Steven D. Lukefahr, Regents Professor

Office: Kleberg BLDG, Room 115 (No appointment necessary; my teaching schedule is posted on my office door, or you may click on this link).

Office Phone/Fax/E-mail: 593-3699/ 593-3788/ s-lukefahr@tamuk.edu

Course location: Lecture/Labs - Kleberg AG, room 102

Catalogue Description: Basic scientific fundamentals of livestock production, including feeding and nutrition, reproductive physiology, selective breeding, health, management, and marketing of major and minor species.

Course Objectives: The student will develop a basic understanding of the role of livestock in agriculture (U.S. and global). The course will introduce basic concepts and principles of animal nutrition, growth, health, behavior, reproduction, and genetics, as well as practical commercial applications, such as ration formulation, disease prevention, artificial insemination, genetic selection, and crossbreeding systems. Labs and field trips will provide opportunities to gain practical knowledge and to better understand the lecture material.

Student Learning Outcomes: The student will demonstrate by the end of the semester a basic understanding of the concepts and principles of animal science. Student Learning Outcomes include:

Methods of Evaluation and Grading Procedures: Weekly pop quizzes (100 points), three one-hour examinations (300 points total), and one comprehensive final examination (100 points), totaling 500 points. Do not assume that there will be a curve. Quizzes will cover material only since the last quiz from lectures and lab. Students are strongly encouraged to always be well prepared for quizzes and exams.

(A = >90%, B = 80-90%, C = 70-80%, D = 60-70%, F = <60%; standard grading scale).

Final Exam Date: December 12 (Wednesday), Time: 10:40-1:10 (AG auditorium).

Methods of Instruction: Lectures, guest speakers, group discussions, slide presentations, videos, field trips, and computer demonstrations.

Required Text: Cunningham, M., Latour, M.A., and D. Acker. 2005. (7^th Ed.). Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ. A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a university-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

Suggested Readings: Any additional reading materials will be made available on reserve at the library and announced in class.

Useful Websites for Study and(or) Research Materials:

Course Topic Outline:

1. Animal Agriculture (Chapter 1)

2. The Animal Industry (Chapter 2)

3. Nutrients and their Sources (Chapter 3)

Exam I

4. The Digestive and Metabolic Systems (Chapter 4)

5. Nutrition of Non-Ruminants (Chapter 5)

6. Nutrition of Ruminants (Chapter 6)

Exam II

7. Animal Growth and Carcass Composition (Chapter 9)

8. Animal Health (Chapter 12)

9. Physiology of Reproduction (Chapter 14)

Exam III

10. Genetics (Chapter 17)

11. Heritability and Genetic Improvement (Chapter 18)

12. Mating Systems (Chapter 20)

Final Exam (This exam is also comprehensive; questions from all chapters will be asked.)

Tentative List of "Laboratory Sessions" (held in AG auditorium unless otherwise noted):

Policies for Attendance, Excused Absences, Make-up Quizzes and Examinations:

Regular attendance is required for satisfactory completion of the course. According to university policy, excessive absences -- three consecutive absences or eight in total -- will result in the student being officially removed from the course. It is the student's full responsibility to obtain information from any missed lecture or lab, whether excused or unexcused. A "Bonus" of 10 points will be awarded to students with a perfect lab attendance record. There are no make-ups for missed exams or quizzes. For any reason, including if the student is participating in a university- sponsored event, s/he is expected to contact Dr. Lukefahr BEFORE an exam or quiz is missed (barring medical emergency). In addition, the last day to drop the course with an automatic Q grade is November 1. This is the student's responsibility to Q the course by this date. No Q's will be issued by the professor after this date. Also, as a common courtesy to other students, if you are late to class please quietly enter the classroom from the rear door and a take a seat in the back row. In addition, cell phone use is prohibited in the classroom. The student will be warned the first time, and then deducted 10 points from their total grade for each repeated occurrence.

Disability statement:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disability. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation please contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early as possible in the term. DRC is located in the Life Service and Wellness building at 1210 Retama Drive , or call (361) 593-3024.

Academic misconduct statement:

You are expected to adhere to the highest academic standards of behavior and personal conduct in this course and all other courses. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to university disciplinary procedures. Make sure you are familiar with your Student Handbook, especially the section on academic misconduct, which discusses conduct expectations and academic dishonesty rules.

Forms of academic dishonesty:

1) Cheating: Using unauthorized notes or study aids, allowing another party to do one’s work/exam and turning in that work/exam as one’s own; submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from the course instructors; deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations.

2) Aid of academic dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any act of academic dishonesty. Tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.

3) Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research or resources, or altering a graded work without the prior consent of the course instructor.

4) Plagiarism: Portrayal of another’s work or ideas as one’s own. Examples include unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one’s own work also constitutes plagiarism.

5) Lying: Deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to an academic submission.

6) Bribery: Providing, offering or taking rewards in exchange for a grade, an assignment, or the aid of academic dishonesty.

7) Threat: An attempt to intimidate a student, staff or faculty member for the purpose of receiving an unearned grade or in an effort to prevent reporting of an Honor Code violation.

Please be aware that the University subscribes to the Turnitin plagiarism detection service. Your paper may be submitted to this service at the discretion of the instructor.

Other Forms of Academic Misconduct:

1) Failure to follow published departmental guidelines, professor‘s syllabi, and other posted academic policies in place for the orderly and efficient instruction of classes, including laboratories, and use of academic resources or equipment.

2) Unauthorized possession of examinations, reserved library materials, laboratory materials or other course related materials.

3) Failure to follow the instructor or proctor‘s test-taking instructions, including but not limited to not setting aside notes, books or study guides while the test is in progress, failing to sit in designated locations and/or leaving the classroom/ test site without permission during a test.

4) Prevention of the convening, continuation or orderly conduct of any class, lab or class activity. Engaging in conduct that interferes with or disrupts university teaching, research or class activities such as making loud and distracting noises, repeatedly answering cell phones/text messaging or allowing pagers to beep, exhibiting erratic or irrational behavior, persisting in speaking without being recognized, repeatedly leaving and entering the classroom or test site without authorization, and making physical threats or verbal insults to the faculty member, or other students and staff.

5) Falsification of student transcript or other academic records; or unauthorized access to academic computer records.

6) Nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other university records.

7) Any action which may be deemed as unprofessional or inappropriate in the professional community of the discipline being studied.

Non-academic misconduct:

The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with these rights will not be tolerated; examples include

1) interfering with the instructor's ability to conduct the class,

2) causing inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or

3) any interference with the rights of others.

An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures.

Ongoing behaviors or single behaviors considered distracting (e.g., coming late to class, performing a repetitive act that is annoying, sleeping or reading a newspaper in class, etc.) will be addressed by the faculty member initially either generally or individually. Cases in which such annoying behavior becomes excessive and the student refuses to respond to the faculty member‘s efforts can be referred to the Dean of Students. In the case of serious disruptive behavior in a classroom the instructor may first request compliance from the student and if it is not received, an instructor has the authority to ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student fails to leave after being directed to do so, assistance may be obtained from other university personnel, including University Police Department. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior is subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures to determine if the student should be allowed to return to the classroom.

Harassment /Discrimination:

Texas A&M University-Kingsville will investigate all complaints that indicate sexual harassment, harassment, or discrimination may have occurred by the facts given by the complainant. Sexual harassment of anyone at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. A person who believes he/she has been the victim of sexual harassment, harassment, or discrimination may pursue either the informal or the formal complaint resolution procedure. A complaint may be initially made to the complainant’s immediate supervisor, a department head, any supervisory employee, the Dean of Students (593-3606), or the Office of Compliance (593-4758). Regardless of who the complaint is filed with, the Compliance Office will be notified of the complaint so it can be investigated.

Six-drop policy:

The following provision does not apply to students with Texas public college or university credits prior to Fall 2007. The Texas legislature has enacted a limit to the number of course drops allowed to a student without penalty. After a student has dropped six courses, a grade of QF will normally be recorded for each subsequent drop. If you need additional information on Senate Bill 1231 and how it affects you, please contact the Registrar’s Office in College Hall, Room 105.

Students are referred to the Student Handbook for more detailed information.

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