BIOL 111 - Fundamentals of Biology

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

Winter 2020, 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 2020, 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 2020, BIOL 111-03: 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.

Winter 2020, 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 2019, BIOL 111-01: 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 2019, BIOL 111-02: Fundamentals of Biology: Yellowstone Ecology (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. From cells to satellite data and bacteria and bears, this course investigates multiple biological levels of organization using the world’s first national park as a case study. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Hamilton.

Fall 2019, BIOL 111-03: Fundamentals of Biology: Communication (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.  This section investigates communication mechanisms of a cell with its external environment beginning with the single-celled organism. We move on to a consideration of cell size and the evolution of multi-cellular organisms. Multi-cellular forms of communication are also introduced.(SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.)  I‘Anson.

Fall 2019, BIOL 111-04: FS: Fundamentals of Biology: Environmental Microbiology (3). First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. Corequisite: BIOL 113. Limited to 15 students, these seminars are reading- and discussion-based with an emphasis on papers, projects, studio work, or hands-on field experience rather than exams. 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.