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Natural Science and Mathematics
Biology |
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| The Biology Department is dedicated to excellence in undergraduate education in the biological sciences. We view science as an essential component of a liberal education, that provides a powerful and essential way of knowing about the world. The hallmark of science is the investigative approach: asking questions, posing hypothesis, testing these through experiments and observations, and directly relating these experiences to our knowledge about the natural world. We want every student to participate in science, understand the fundamental concepts in the field of biological science, apply that information to problem solving, and finally to share, or at least appreciate the joy of exploring the biological world, particularly in the laboratory and field. When students have completed a course in biology they should have a firm knowledge of major concepts with an array of examples (with the level of complexity dependent on the course). They should understand and be able to model investigative approaches in biology. Students may select courses designed to fulfill the General Education Requirements for a laboratory science course. All courses, with the exception of special topics and independent study, will meet this requirement, however several courses are designed for the student who is not interested in continuing in the sciences for a major. These include BIO 111 Environmental Science, BIO 120 Concepts in Biology, BIO 121, 122 Human Anatomy and Physiology, and BIO 135 Plants and Society. Field courses BIO 235 Field Botany and BIO 245 Freshwater Ecology are open to all students who meet the prerequisites. Students who are interested in pursuing a major in Biology or Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology will take courses in the Biology Department in Biology. The introductory sequence of BIO 141 and BIO 142 Introductory Biology and BIO 143 Genetics are appropriate for these students. Those students pursuing a preprofessional program in medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, physician assistant and some other health science careers would also select the Introductory Biology sequence of courses. Students interested in nursing will enroll in BIO 121 and 122 Human Anatomy and Physiology. Environmental Studies students would select from the field courses of BIO 111 Environmental Science, BIO 235 Field Botany and BIO 245 Freshwater Ecology. Members of the Biology Department faculty offer seminar courses and other special topic courses, as well as independent study opportunities based on the interest and needs of faculty and students. Oxford College has excellent laboratory facilities and equipment including Olympus and Nikon microscopes, a molecular genetics lab appropriate for undergraduate students and field sampling and monitoring equipment. In addition students can study and conduct investigations at the OxHouse Science Center, Oxford College's field station that is located within a mile of the college. At the OxHouse we have a well-equipped field laboratory and many natural ecosystems including Piedmont forests, open fields, a lake and rock outcrop. Oxford students who pursue the biological sciences at Oxford and at Emory have opportunities to participate in internships, volunteer services, research and study abroad. Most students work with faculty, career planning and other resources to identify and apply for these special opportunities. Recently our students participated in research with Emory faculty through the SURE program, summer field internship at the Jones Ecological Research Center, study abroad in London and Australia, work with government agencies, independent research in neurobiology, molecular genetics, plant molecular biology, and paleontology. In addition many of our graduates pursue careers in the sciences through graduate work and professional schools. We currently have Oxford graduates pursuing advanced degrees in plant pathology, molecular genetics, environmental law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, paleontology, and entomology. In the summer the Biology Department faculty work with K-12 teachers in the Oxford Institute for Environmental Education . This two-week program is designed to provide classroom teachers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to teach fundamentals of science and ecology using their schoolyard and local environments. The focus is on developing schoolyard investigations that are appropriate for each teacher's grade level and curriculum. Teachers enjoy hands on investigations in the forests, streams, lake and schoolyards. They also share resources, grant information and the joy of learning in the outdoors. Each teacher receives 6 SDU credits for their summer work and participation in a follow-up meeting in the fall. |
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Chemistry |
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| Chemistry is often referred to as the "central science" as it overlaps with all the others -- biology, physics, geology, environmental science. Chemistry is also an integral component of the liberal arts. At Oxford, chemistry is taught in a manner reflects both the discipline's place in science as well as its place among the liberal arts. For chemistry and other science majors, Oxford offers a two-semester sequence of general chemistry (Chemistry 141 and 142), a two-semester sequence of organic chemistry (Chemistry 221 and 222), and a one-semester analytical chemistry course (Chemistry 260). These courses are also taken by students planning on attending medical school, dental school, veterinary school, pharmacy school, and other professional schools. In addition, Oxford offers a two-semester sequence of survey courses for non-science majors, one covering general chemistry (Chemistry 100) and the other covering organic and biological chemistry (Chemistry 120). These courses are also taken by students planning on attending nursing school. All of the chemistry courses have a laboratory component, either as part of the course or as a separate course. A student who has taken at least one chemistry course and wishes to go on further in the discipline may take Chemistry 297R, directed study that allows the student to pursue a research project. |
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Geology |
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| The geology department at Oxford College offers a number of courses that can be taken by potential environmental studies majors (http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/ENVS/ ) or students not in the sciences. Some of the courses are taught as traditional on-campus courses and others have a significant, off-campus, field component. Physical Geology (Geology 141) is a fine beginning course that explores the geologic nature of this planet through the study of such topics as plate tectonics, mountain building, minerals, rocks, and surface processes of erosion and deposition. The follow-up course, Evolution of the Earth (Geology 142) concentrates on the evidence that allows geologists to understand the history of the Earth and its changing environments as studied through rocks and fossils. Meteorology and Climatology (Geosciences 115) is a descriptive course dealing with weather and climate and is taken by both students in the environmental sciences and non-science majors. Mineral Resources, Energy, and Power (Geology 250) is designed especially for the environmental studies major as an overview of the geological occurrence of these mineral and energy resources, including the environmental issues concerned with their extraction and use. All of these courses have associated laboratories with hands-on learning and some of them also involve outside activities and field trips. The department also offers several courses that are field-based. Most of these courses will involve both Oxford and Emory College undergraduates. Desert Geology (Geology 100N) is the study of the Chihuahuan Desert as seen in Big Bend National Park in west Texas. It includes geology, climatology, and the influence of those factors on the organisms. Dinosaurs and Their World (Geology 200N) is based in Colorado and Utah, where the students study dinosaurs through analyzing their occurrence in the rocks, tracks, and their mounted skeletons in museums. Modern and Ancient Tropical Environments is based on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. This field course compares environments, both in time and space, as seen in the rocks and in the modern environments. Geology and Culture in Scotland (Geology 235N) has been offered in conjunction with both the anthropology and English departments. It explores the connections between the geology of Scotland and culture. This course includes such elements as the influence of landscape on peoples and literature. |
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Mathematics and Computer Science |
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Together with language arts, mathematics forms the classical foundation of the liberal arts. It is the science of space and number, but it is not a science. "Mathematics, though beginning with reminders from the outside world, ends with ideas that it has within" (Proclus). Upon it depend many of the natural and social sciences. Serious students of mathematics also has deep connections with the humanities. Its study also develops general analytical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. CS 170, a programming course. The course develops programming principles more advanced than CS 150. A requirement for computer science majors. |
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Physics and Astronomy |
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| The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers two laboratory science, two-semester sequences in physics. One, Physics 141-142, is suitable for pre-med students and majors in other sciences; the other, calculus-based Physics 151-152 is appropriate for majors in physics, mathematics, computer science and chemistry, also for students who are pre-engineering. The Department offers a one-semester survey course in astronomy at least once each academic year. The lectures are visually-oriented and the laboratory incorporates both planetarium computer simulations and first-hand viewing, as often as weather permits. The Oxhouse estate near the campus is the primary viewing site. |
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