The final exam will take place on April 21, at 7pm, in BIOL 1000.
The exam will consist of two parts:
- The first part (40%) will comprise short discussions (definitions and descriptions) of key concepts drawn from the list here. (This list may be adjusted in the next couple of weeks, but I will tell you when it is final.) You will be given seven of these concepts, and asked to write a brief (paragraph or two) definition and description of five of them. In your account, you should both a) say something about the concept in general and b) give at least one specific example from among the texts that we have studied or discussed, and explain how this example illustrates the concept in question.
- The second part (60%) will comprise an essay in response to a question taken from a list of possible questions provided in advance. (These questions are now available.)
To give you a still better idea of what the exam will look like, you can consult the exam from 2022. The 2024 version will look very similar.
You are allowed to bring to the exam a “cheat sheet”: notes and ideas, key quotations or essay outlines, or whatever else you think will be useful. This sheet should be no larger than one side of a standard US Letter (8.5″ x 11″; 216 x 279 mm) sheet of paper. We will check this cheat sheet to ensure that it abides by these rules.
So long as you have fulfilled your contract, this exam will have minimal bearing on your final grade. It will be used merely to help determine your grade within the parameters determined by the number of texts you have read. I.e. for instance what exact grade you receive between 80 and 84 (if you read nine books, and so contract to get an A-) or between 72 and 75 (if you read seven books, and so contract for a B), and so on.
Note that the higher your contracted grade, the less likely it is that your exam will bump your grade up. E.g. if you have contracted for an A+ it is unlikely that your final grade will be much if anything above 90. Similarly, in the A range, grades will on average be closer to 85 than to 89. It is more likely, however, that the exam will have an impact if you have contracted for a lower grade.
The final exam will also be used (along with your midterm and other factors) to help determine your grade if you fail to fulfil your contract.
