BIO 160 CONCEPTS IN BIOLOGY
An introductory course required of all science majors that emphasizes major concepts in biological science: structure and function, homeostasis, energetics, perpetuation, and evolution of living organisms. The laboratory will introduce students to the techniques and approaches used in biology. Three lectures and one laboratory period each week. Should be taken by intended science majors in the first year. Lab Fee: $400.00. This course fulfills the Core Curriculum requirement for a science with a lab. (Fall, Spring)
Staff/Four credits
BIO 210 GENETICS
A brief survey of Mendelian and cytological genetics with most emphasis placed on recent advances in molecular genetics. Replication, translation, and transcription of the genetic material receive detailed study. Three lectures and one laboratory per week. Prerequisite: BIO 160 and a course in Biology or Chemistry. Should be taken before the Junior year. Lab Fee: $400.00 (Fall, Spring)
Crowley, Kraus, Theroux/Four credits
BIO 240 HUMAN ANATOMY
Anatomy is the study of the structure of organisms. In this course we will study human anatomy in four regions: (i) Back, (ii) Upper and Lower Limbs, (iii) Thorax, Abdomen and Pelvis, and (iv) Head and Neck. We will focus on anatomy of the human body and emphasize how structure affects function. Major topics covered in each region include muscles, bones, blood vessels and nerves. This course will consist of three one-hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite: BIO160 or equivalent. Lab Fee $400 (Fall)
BIO280 SENSORY SYSTEMS
This course provides an understanding of how we see, hear, smell, taste and feel sensations. Students will gain an understanding of the physiological and cellular mechanisms that allow us to receive sensory information and how it is processed by the relevant areas of the brain. Specifically how: 1) External stimuli impact our central neural pathways and give rise to recognition and perception; 2) the nature and extent of sensory systems from the periphery to CNS compares across higher mammalian systems, using appropriate comparative animal models to give greater clarity; and 3) an analysis of the basic elements of the cognitive processes involved in sensory interpretation and reaction. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisites: 1) Concepts in Biology (BIO160), 2) Genetics (BIO210); 3) {Introduction to Brain and Behavior (PSY251) or General Physiology (BIO370)}
Instructor/Four credits
BIO 340 MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY
This course focuses on the structure and function of the eukaryotic cell. The role of cellular membranes in basic physiological processes is discussed in detail. The physiological roles of the extracellular matrix, the cytoskeleton, and various subcellular structures are also addressed. Finally, the student will be introduced to the processes that govern cellular division and cellular evolution. When possible, the course topics are related to the development of various human maladies, such as cancer and AIDS. The laboratory exposes the students to several classical techniques used in cell biology and to a number of modern methods used by protein chemists and molecular biologists. Prerequisite: BIO 210 or permission of the instructor. Lab Fee: $400.00. (Spring)
Crowley, McCready/Four credits
BIO 370 GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY
Human and animal physiology, with a comparative approach to the study of muscle contraction; blood circulation and respiration; metabolic and temperature controls; digestion and excretion; and nervous, sensory, and endocrine functions. The laboratory exercises focus on the investigation of basic concepts of animal and human physiology at the cellular and systems levels. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory period each week. Lab Fee: $400.00. Prerequisites: BIO 240 or permission of instructor. (Spring)
Cromarty, Lemons/ Four credits
BIO 415 PRINCIPLES OF NEUROSCIENCE
This course introduces students to the rapidly growing field of neuroscience, which is the study of the nervous system. Our nervous system shapes our every thought, emotion and sensation. Students will gain an understanding of the underlying neural basis of how we perceive the world. This course begins with an anatomical approach and then integrates physiological, cellular, molecular and functional approaches. Topics range from how cells in the brain communicate with one another, to current diagnostic and research technology, to the biological basis of movement, and includes the study of disease and injury to the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Lab Fee $400. Prerequisites: BIO 370 or BIO 340 or permission of the instructor. (Fall)
Lemons/Four credits
CHE 131–132 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I AND II Fundamental principles of chemistry.
Topics covered in CHE 131 include: matter and measurement, atomic and electronic structure, stoichiometry, gases, bonding, and solutions. In CHE 132: chemical equilibria (gases, solubility), acids and bases, electrochemistry, thermochemistry, nuclear and coordination chemistry. Emphasis is placed on problem solving. Laboratory work includes Qualitative Analysis. CHE 131 is a prerequisite for CHE 132. Intended science majors should take this series in their first year. Lab Fee: $400.00 each semester. This course fulfills the Core Curriculum requirement for a science with a lab. (Part I, Fall; Part II, Spring.)
Hauri, Knurr, Marcotte, Niece /Four credits each semester
CHE 201–202 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I AND II*
* neuroscience majors are required to take CHE201 but not CHE202
The chemistry of organic compounds (the compounds of carbon) is studied. The topics include covalent bonding, molecular structure, and resonance; constitutional, geometric, and optical isomerism; the reactions of organic compounds through their functional groups; the nucleophilic, electrophilic, and free radical reaction mechanisms; and spectroscopy. These theoretical and practical principles are applied to the solution of such organic chemical problems as structure determination, chemical synthesis of desired molecules, the effect of structure on properties, and the biological roles of organic molecules. This full-year course meets the needs of students who expect to pursue graduate studies in natural sciences and also of those who plan to enter professional schools. Prerequisite: CHE 131–132. Lab Fee: $400.00 each semester. (Fall, Spring)
Colby Davie, Dix/Four credits each semester
PHI 267 PERSON, MIND AND BRAIN
When I meet a human being, do I encounter a person who somehow transcends the body I can see, or do I encounter a neurochemical machine that can be understood completely through the operation of its physical parts? Is the person an immaterial mind or self? Is the mind rather an illusion, where the mental acts we experience as ours—memory, imagination, choice, and so on—are really nothing but operations of the brain? Are there other, better interpretations? This course offers a philosophical examination of attempts to understand the human being in relation to neuroscience. We begin with experience of ourselves as unified wholes and then consider the philosophical significance of efforts to explain the phenomena of personal life by appeal to the neural conditions that make it possible.
Prerequisites: PHI 100 and any intermediate PHI (151–154); PHI 152 or 153 recommended
PSY 101 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
In this introduction to psychology, students learn the language, methods, theoretical perspectives, and research of the discipline. This course introduces students to a range of topics within psychology, such as the biological and social bases of behavior, as well as basic principles of perception, learning, and motivation. This course counts as a social science in the Core Curriculum requirements. (Fall, Spring) Staff/Three credits
PSY 224 STATISTICS
This course is an introduction to statistical methods used in behavioral research. The course will cover both inferential and descriptive statistics, with an emphasis on the conceptual understanding of how to use statistics to summarize and evaluate information. This course counts as a second Math course in the Core curriculum. (Fall, Spring) Parmley, Zhang/Three credits
PSY 251 INTRODUCTION TO BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
In this course, stress is placed on determining the contributions and limitations of Introduction to Brain and Behavior in understanding behaviors, such as perception and thinking, psychosomatic disorders, learning, and emotion. Prerequisite: PSY 101. This course fulfills the Core Requirement for a science without a lab. (Fall)
Cavanagh/Three
PSY 402 SOCIAL, COGNITIVE, AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE (Seminar Course)
This upper-level seminar course will lead students to understand and critique contemporary peer-reviewed research in the fields of social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience. After a brief review of brain anatomy and technologies used to study the live human brain, we will critically examine a number of representative research articles in the aforementioned domains. Topics of interest will include the neural substrates of consciousness, prejudice, language, emotion, and psychopathology. Prerequisite: PSY351 Introduction to Brain and Behavior, or permission of instructor. (Spring)
Cavanagh/Three
Optional courses (students choose 2 courses, one from biology and one from psychology)
BIO 220 INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
A survey of invertebrate animals from protozoans through invertebrate chordates, emphasizing their functional organization, modes of reproduction, ecological roles, and evolutionary relationships. In the laboratory, we will examine representative living and preserved specimens, concentrating on their structure and behavior. Three lectures and one laboratory or field trip each week. Prerequisite: BIO 160 or equivalent. Lab Fee: $400.00. (Spring)
Sholes/Four credits
BIO 260 BIOINFORMATICS
Bioinformatics is the umbrella term for a wide range of methods and tools used to analyze large and complex biological data sets, especially DNA and RNA sequence data. This course introduces students to broadly applicable bioinformatic methods. Students will learn to access and use information from public databases, align homologous sequences, construct and interpret phylogenetic trees, and extract information from genomes using a variety of computational tools, including the use of basic command line interface. Relevant primary literature will be analyzed and discussed. The laboratory portion of the course is dedicated to practice with the analysis tools introduced in lectures, and to student projects. Students will work in groups to explore real data sets, select and apply suitable bioinformatic methods, interpret analysis results in the context of published works, and present their findings to the class.
This course fulfills the Core Curriculum science requirement, counts as an elective towards the Biology, Biotechnology, and the proposed Data Analytics majors, as well as a general elective.
Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Lab fee $400.00. Prerequisite: BIO 160 or CSC120. (Spring)
Fucikova/Four credits
BIO 310 ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
This course will initially approach the study of animal behavior from the physiological perspective: the neural basis of behavior (the nervous circuits responsible for sensory input and integration and motor output) will be studied in some detail. Subsequently, the emphasis will shift to the contribution of ecological, developmental, and evolutionary forces to shaping the ultimate behavior output. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Lab fee $400.00. Prerequisite: BIO 220 or BIO 240. (Fall)
Cromarty/Four credits
BIO 420 DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
This course covers the principles and concepts of growth, morphogenesis, and differentiation in developing animals. We will discuss the major features of embryonic development from fertilization through organogenesis. Particular attention is given to how the regulation of specific genes contributes to development of an embryo. The lab will allow the student to explore techniques used by developmental biologists. Students will also have the opportunity to develop an independent project. Prerequisite BIO 340 or permission of the instructor. (Spring, odd-numbered years)
Lemons/Four credits
BIO 430 COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
This course combines a brief review of fundamental principles of animal physiology with an in-depth discussion of how these principles are modified and shaped by environmental and ecological pressures. The functional significance of physiological adaptation to an animal’s environment is emphasized by describing various mechanisms of regulation of physiological variables (temperature, metabolism, oxygen consumption, water retention, circadian rhythms) in extremely different environmental conditions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite: BIO 370 or permission of instructor. Lab fee: $400.00. (Fall, alternate years) Cromarty/Four credits
CHE 414 BIOCHEMISTRY
The major classes of biochemicals, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are studied with particular attention to the relationship between their chemical structures and biological functions. Specific topics include (but are not limited to) biocatalysis, receptors, membrane structure, metabolism, biosynthesis, and energy production. Prerequisite: CHE 201–202 and BIO 160. Lab Fee: $400.00. (Fall, Spring)
Marcotte, Schandel/Four credits
PSY 250 PERCEPTION
The main purpose of this course is to gain an appreciation of the importance of our sensory and perceptual systems in making us uniquely psychological beings. Throughout the semester, we will explore what it means to gain a scientific understanding of these systems. We will consider a number of different perspectives for addressing these issues regarding perceptual processes, as well as different methods and procedures for testing sensory responses and perceptual experiences. Students will actively be involved in participating in computer-based experiments, perceptual simulations, and internet assignments. In addition, time will be spent reading and discussing articles to illustrate the everyday importance of our perceptual systems. Sensory disorders and deficits such as hearing loss, loss of proprioception, phantom limbs, and visual agnosia will be discussed. Prerequisite: PSY 101. (Fall) Fitzpatrick/Three credits
PSY 252 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
The purpose of this course is to give each student an opportunity to consider what it means to have knowledge and to explore how it is possible to have a scientific understanding of what it means to think. We will discuss a number of historical and contemporary theories of how we acquire, store, and use information about the world. The importance and relevance of these ideas will be explored by studying their application in diverse fields, such as artificial intelligence, law, neuroscience, health, and aging. Prerequisite: PSY 101. (Spring)
Gordon/Three credits
