syllabi for the major’s basic program
The Basic Program for the Biological Sciences major consists of four introductory subjects taken by all students in the major. Course descriptions followed by syllabi for the courses are below.
BSCI160 + 161 - Principles of Ecology and Evolution WITH Lab
BSCI160/161 covers the evolution of life, phylogenetic diversity, and ecological interactions. The focus is on multi-cellular levels of biological organization, the mechanisms of evolution and speciation, the diversity of life, and phylogenetic relationships among organisms, ecological processes, animal interactions, community interactions up to the ecosystem level, and human ecological impacts.
BSCI160 Principles of Ecology and Evolution
BSCI161 Principles of Ecology and Evolution Lab
BSCI170 + 171 - Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology WITH Lab
BSCI170/171 covers the fundamental cellular and molecular mechanisms shared by all living organisms. The topics covered include biological chemistry, cell biology, energetics and metabolism, and molecular genetics. BSCI170 is a rigorous introductory science course that is fast paced and demanding. It requires facility with arithmetic, algebra, and other basic mathematical skills.
BSCI170 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology
BSCI171 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab
BSCI207 - Principles of Biology III, Organismal Biology.
BSCI207 integrates the material learned in BSCI160/161 and BSCI170/171 to understand how life works at the level of an organism. The course focuses on the diverse opportunities for life to solve common problems given the constraints of physical and chemical principles and evolutionary history. Quantitative models of processes are emphasized. Topics include thermodynamics and metabolism, water balance, motility, sensing the environment, gas exchange, nutrient assimilation, and the basic physical and chemical principles that underlie each of these. Diverse organisms are used as model systems to understand these processes.
BSCI207 Principles of Biology III – Organismal Biology
BSCI222 - Principles of Genetics
BSCI222 covers the mechanisms of inheritance at the molecular, cellular, organismal, and populations levels. Topics include DNA structure and function, gene expression and its regulation, mutations, inheritance of DNA and traits, population genetics, and modern genetic techniques.
