BIOL 100 Biology and Society

Biology and Society is designed for non-Biology majors. In this course, students will learn how different topics in biology intersect with and apply to society. In the laboratory, students will learn basic techniques and gain experience with instrumentation such as basic microscopy and DNA fingerprinting.

Credits

4

Prerequisite

ENGL 086 or ENGL 096

Hours Weekly

3 hours lecture, 3 hours lab weekly

Course Objectives

1. Discuss principles of biology using vocabulary and symbols that are appropriate for a fundamental understanding of life science.
2. Apply appropriate strategies to solve problems related to cell biology, genetics, and evolution as it applies to daily life and analyze the reasonableness of those solutions.
3. Identify and describe the distinguishing characteristics of life.
4. Use the basic principles of chemistry to describe cell structure and explain the cell cycle.
5. Explain the principles of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics and relate them to the structure and function of chromosomes and DNA.
6. Identify different patterns of natural selection and demonstrate how they influence evolution.
7. Explain the interactions between organisms and their environment and how it affects the biosphere.

Course Objectives

1. Discuss principles of biology using vocabulary and symbols that are appropriate for a fundamental understanding of life science.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final exam question

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Scientific Reasoning Rubric

   Scientific Reasoning

   • SR1
2. Apply appropriate strategies to solve problems related to cell biology, genetics, and evolution as it applies to daily life and analyze the reasonableness of those solutions.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final exam question

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Scientific Reasoning Rubric

   Scientific Reasoning

   • SR2
   • SR3
3. Identify and describe the distinguishing characteristics of life.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Exam question

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam Answer Key
4. Use the basic principles of chemistry to describe cell structure and explain the cell cycle.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam Answer key
5. Explain the principles of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics and relate them to the structure and function of chromosomes and DNA.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam Answer Key
6. Identify different patterns of natural selection and demonstrate how they influence evolution.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Exam question

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam answer key
7. Explain the interactions between organisms and their environment and how it affects the biosphere.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final exam question

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam answer key