Biology: Shellie Weisfield

Course Overview:

•    This course serves as an introduction to biological sciences.  Students meet five times a week for a lecture/discussion format. Students are encouraged to think about and debate ethical issues pertaining to biology. An emphasis is placed on self-directed learning.  To be successful, students need to exhibit a high degree of self-motivation.  Fall topics include evolution, biochemistry, Mendelian and molecular genetics, and ecology.  Spring Topics begin with biological diversity, plant anatomy and physiology, and conclude with human physiology.  The human physiology unit is student-centered using on-line resources and is evaluated using Case Studies.  The goal of this approach to learning is to avoid an emphasis on “memorizing a lot of facts” and for students to problem solve together in a supportive atmosphere.  The instructor provides assistance, clarification and review of the topics.

•    The course typically has at least one laboratory activity per week.  Experimental procedures, data analysis, and experimental design are emphasized.  In addition, numerous demonstrations and mini-lab activities are provided during class lectures.  Students are expected to be competent with the use of computer technology for data collection and analysis, lab report writing, oral presentations using PowerPoint, and webpage design for various projects.

•    Readings from the text (Textbook:  "The Living World" by George B. Johnson, McGraw Hill Publ. 2006 ISBN: 0072999861) and occasional readings from newspaper and magazine articles will be assigned, as are short written assignments and major lab reports.  In a typical semester, students can expect 7-8 exams/quizzes, 4-5 major lab reports, 6-7 smaller written assignments and a final exam.

Other Section Resources:

There are currently no publically available resources for this course.