BIOLOGY COURSE
DESCRIPTIONS

100 Level Courses
200 Level Courses
300 Level Courses
400 Level Courses

BIOLOGY

Biology Course Descriptions - 100 Level

Contents

• 101 Topics in Organismal Biology

• 103  Topics in Adaptation

• 104 Topics in Applied Biology

101 Topics in Organismal Biology
        R. Fuller, D. McHugh
This course introduces students to the complexities of biodiversity, from the ecosystem to the population level. By examining freshwater, marine and terrestrial communities from a structural and functional perspective, students learn about the diversity of plant and animal species in these systems. The approach includes field work involving sampling both plants and animals and learning how to identify some of the most common species. In addition, basic ecological principles that are important in structuring different communities and populations are examined including: bottom-up controls such as nutrient limitation; top-down controls and predator-prey relations; competition, especially from introduced species; and natural and human-induced disturbances such as habitat fragmentation.
 

103  Topics in Adaptation
        N. Pruitt, T. McCay
Nearly every habitat on Earth, from thermal hot springs to the polar ice caps, is home to some form of life. Within those environments, organisms make their living in remarkable and varied ways. This course explores how organisms “work” with an emphasis on extraordinary feats of survival and navigation. The course content crosses many of the traditional hierarchical divisions in biology, integrating cellular biology, physiology, and ecology to come to a greater understanding of how organisms function within their environmental contexts. Course pedagogy will include some lecture, problem-based learning, and group problem solving. Although there is no formal laboratory, some class time will be devoted to hands-on experimentation. This course is an entry for students intending to concentrate in the life sciences and is also for students in other concentrations with an interest in the life sciences.

No prerequisite.
 

104   Topics in Applied Biology
        F. Frey
This course explores the many tasty, interesting, useful, mystical, and illegal uses of plants. Starting with basic plant biology, this course provides a framework for understanding where plant products come from, and then rapidly shifts to human-plant interactions. Course topics include the history of agriculture and its effects on land use and the environment, the origin of common crops, historical and modern human uses of plants, as well as the chemistry, pharmacology, and history of drug use. Current botanical issues such as transgenic crops, ownership of genetic stock material, and bioprospecting will be discussed. Students will emerge from this course with a new appreciation for what people eat, drink, smoke, and wear. This course is designed for students intending to concentrate in the life sciences, as well as students in other concentrations with an interest in biology.

No prerequisite.