Biology

BIOLOGY 120—CONCEPTS IN BIOLOGY WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall, Spring. Credit, three hours. Principles of genetics, evolution, and physiology with special reference to contemporary life situations. Intended for non-science majors. This course does not fulfill requirements for medical and dental schools.

Biology 120 is not open for students who have credit for Biology 141. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 135—PLANTS AND SOCIETY WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall. Credit, four hours. Basic principles of botany. Emphasis on uses of plants by cultural groups worldwide. Includes medicine, food, materials, biotechnology, environmental issues, and more. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. This course counts toward the environmental studies major. It does not fulfill requirements for the biology major.

BIOLOGY 141—CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall and Spring. Credit, three hours. The study of cell structure and function including cellular metabolism, fundamentals of genetics, evolution, and population genetics. Emphasizes scientific inquiry. Fulfills biology major and pre-health requirements. Note: students receiving AP/IB credit for BIOL 141 must still take BIOL_OX 141L or BIOL 141L for biology or pre-health requirements.

BIOLOGY 141L—CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS LABORATORY

Fall and Spring. Credit, two hours. The study of cell structure and function including cellular metabolism, fundamentals of genetics, evolution, and diversity of life. Introduces students to scientific inquiry and communication in the laboratory.  Co-requisite: BIOL_OX 141 or AP 4/5- IB 5/ 6/ 7 in BIOL, or transfer credit. Students with AP/IB credits for lecture must complete BIOL_OX 141L before taking BIOL_OX 142 or BIOL 142. Students who don't have credit for lecture must enroll in both lecture and lab.

BIOLOGY 142—ADVANCED TOPICS IN GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall, Spring. Credit, five hours. Prerequisite: BIOL_OX 141 and 141L or BIOL 141 and 141L. Genetic mechanisms in bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes including transmission of DNA, regulation of gene expression, gene interaction, mutations, and cancer. Emphasizes research questions, techniques, and applications. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 155—APPLICATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall or Spring. Credit, four hours. Biological concepts in topics of public interest such as biotechnology, human health, evolution, and the environment. The variety of ways in which these topics are communicated to the public – scientific papers, news articles, films, and literature – will be examined. This course does not count toward the biology major. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 212—COMPUTATIONAL MODELING FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS WITH LABORATORY (NS)

TBD. Credit, four hours. Computation is one of the pillars of modern science, in addition to experiment and theory. In this course, various computational modeling methods are introduced to study specific examples derived from physical, biological, chemical, and social systems. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. (Cross-listed as Physics 212).

BIOLOGY 235—FIELD BOTANY WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Spring. Credit, four hours. Prerequisite: One biology course or Environmental Studies 131. Study of plants in their natural habitats, including plant morphology, ecology, and ethnobotany. Students need to have a basic understanding of plant structure. This course counts toward the biology and environmental studies majors. Three hours of lecture and one three- hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 242—ZOOLOGY: ANIMAL DIVERSITY AND PHYSIOLOGY (NS)

Fall or Spring. Credit, five hours. BIOL_OX 141 and 141L or BIOL 141 and 141L or permission of instructor. Architecture, physiology, behavior, and evolution of major invertebrate phyla and the chordates. Course includes field and laboratory investigations with living organisms and dissections of preserved specimens. This course counts toward the biology major. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 245—FRESHWATER ECOLOGY WITH LABORATORY (NS)

Fall. Credit, four hours. Prerequisite: One biology course or Environmental Studies 131. The study of basic ecological processes and organisms present in freshwater ecosystems. This course counts toward the biology and environmental studies majors. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week.

BIOLOGY 264—GENETICS: A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

Fall. Credit, four hours. Prerequisite:  BIOL_OX 142WE or BIOL 142 and 142L. This course will build on historical foundations of genetics to explore the structure and function of genes and genomics using molecular biology tools and develop critical thinking and analytical skills through problem solving and reading of primary scientific literature, with special emphasis on human health, society, and bioethics. Attendance at a mandatory discussion section is required. This course fulfills the Column A (or elective) requirement for the biology major. Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

BIOLOGY 340R—INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY IN BIOLOGY

Fall, Spring. Credit, four hours. Prerequisite/corequisite:  BIOL_OX 142WE or BIOL 142 and 142L and permission of the instructor. All prerequisite classes and laboratories must be completed with a grade of B or higher. Student will engage in the process of scientific investigation, working in collaborative teams to design, conduct, and analyze experiments and to gain expertise in a variety of laboratory instrumentation, techniques, skills, and procedures. The course is an integrated class with laboratory where research topics will vary each semester.

BIOLOGY 385R- SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOLOGY

TBD. Credit, one to four hours. A course on topics of special biological interest, designed for Biology majors elective credit. This course is repeatable when the topic varies.

BIOLOGY 397R—SUPERVISED READING

On demand. Credit, variable. Prerequisites: One biology course and permission of instructor. Advanced study on a selected biological topic. This course does not satisfy distribution requirements in natural science or mathematics.

BIOLOGY 399R—UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

On demand. Credit, variable. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor (student will need to have basic research skills and an interest in the research topic under investigation) and a biology course. Research participation in biology. Requires an independent project with laboratory or field work. This course does not satisfy distribution requirements in natural science and mathematics.