2018-2019 University Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 University Catalog archived

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BIOL 111 - Fundamentals of Biology


FDR: SL: BIOL 113 is a corequisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.
Credits: 3


Prerequisite: CHEM 110 for winter term registration. Corequisite: BIOL 113. Limited seating available for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Interested upper-division students should contact Helen I’Anson, in the Biology department, for consent for BIOL 111 and 113, as soon as the class schedule is available and before registration begins. Suitable for First-Years interested in pursuing a major in biology, neuroscience or environmental studies or the pre-health curriculum. First-years should contact Helen I’Anson, in the Biology department, for consent to register for this course. You must choose a lecture (BIOL 111) and a lab section (BIOL 113). Securing a lab section (BIOL 113) only does not save a space in a lecture section (BIOL 111). An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication applied to topics that vary among sections and terms. Specific subjects, chosen from within the scope of modern biological investigation according to the expertise of individual instructors, are examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. This course, and its companion laboratory, are prerequisites for all higher level biology courses.

Winter 2019, BIOL 111-01: Fundamentals of Biology: Evolutionary Medicine (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. This course examines underlying principles of evolution and genetics as applied to human health and medicine. Specific topics include how clonal evolution gives rise to antibiotic resistance, how population genetics can explain exceptionally high rates of heritable diseases like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia in subsets of the human population, and the possibility that the recent rise of asthma may result from a mismatch between the environments experienced by humans for hundreds of generations versus the modern environment. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits). Ayoub.

Winter 2019, BIOL 111-02: Fundamentals of Biology: My Own Personal Genome (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. All students will be required to submit samples to the personal genetic testing company 23andMe, which is done as a group during the first week of class. Cost of testing is covered by a course fee of $110. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. The explosive growth of genetics and genomics offers unprecedented possibilities for investigating and understanding our own genomes. In medicine and health, are we entering an age of “personal genomics”? What can we learn about our own characteristics and health risks? Students explore the basics of molecular genetics, and use this foundation to better understand personal genomic data. Students examine their own data during the term. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits). Cabe.

Winter 2019, BIOL 111-03: Fundamentals of Biology: Addiction and Drugs of Abuse (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. This course utilizes addiction as a model for understanding the basic principles of cell biology, anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and genetics. Students gain an appreciation for the biological basis of addiction, as well as the complexity of the body-drug interactions. Students also learn to search and read primary literature, understand the fundamentals of experimental design, and discuss topics related to addiction and drugs. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits). Blythe.

Winter 2019, BIOL 111-04: Fundamentals of Biology: Microbiome (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism.  The bacteria that inhabit our gut play an increasingly recognized role in diverse aspects of biology from neural development to immune function. We’ll explore the ecosystem of the microbiome, its interaction with other physiological systems, and how its disruption can potentially lead to disease.  This course, and its companion laboratory, are prerequisites for all higher-level biology courses. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits). Marsh.

Fall 2018, BIOL 111-01: FS: Fundamentals of Biology: Environmental Microbiology (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as genetics, molecular mechanisms, and environmental relationships.  In this section we investigate the interactions among humans, microbes, and their shared environments. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits). Lanier.

Fall 2018, BIOL 111-02: Fundamentals of Biology: Bacterial Genetics (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. This section is an introduction to the genes and the mechanisms of gene expression by bacterial cells. It focuses on the current issues of bacterial infections in humans, for example: virulence, antibiotic resistance, or emerging diseases. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Simurda.
 
Fall 2018, BIOL 111-03: Fundamentals of Biology: Biology of Marine Organisms (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. In this section, we examine specific examples of the unique biology of marine organisms and ecosystems, building upon fundamental concepts to explore advanced topics and research. Why are coral reefs dying? Why don’t sharks get cancer - or do they? We follow lines of scientific inquiry that have brought us to the current state of understanding on these and other specific examples. In the process, we progress through different levels of organization, generally starting with molecular / cellular biology and moving up through population and community ecology. This course, and its companion laboratory, are prerequisites for all higher level biology courses. (SL when taken with BIOL 113). Humston.
 
Fall 2017, BIOL 111-04: Fundamentals of Biology: Rapid Communication in Animals (3).Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. This section examines the structure and function of nerve cells with an emphasis on electrical excitability, synaptic transmission, and sensory transduction. As part of the background, we study the processes of replication, transcription, and translation. In addition, we study the anatomy of the brain and examine the cellular mechanisms underlying simple behaviors and the pathology of degenerative CNS diseases. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Watson.
 
Fall 2018, BIOL 111-05: Fundamentals of Biology: Biological Rhythms (3).Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. From cell division to bird migration, clocklike rhythms control the activities of every living organism. In this section, we investigate recent advances in chronobiology, the area of biology that studies internal biological clocks. Our topics include the measurement of rhythmic activity, the molecular mechanisms underlying daily rhythms, and the integration of internal and environmental rhythms in complex physiological processes, such as the sleep and reproductive cycles. Toporikova.




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