2008–2009 Biology Courses
First-Year Studies: Brain and Behavior
Level: FYS
Semester: FYS
Is there a biological basis for consciousness? Do animals have minds? How do biologists study emotions? Does genetics determine behavior? This course will examine a wide variety of questions about the brain and behavior, in both humans and nonhumans, by reading topical books and articles by researchers and scientists exploring both the biology and the philosophy of the mind. We will learn the basic biology of neuroscience, but much classroom time will be devoted to discussions of readings, by major thinkers, both contemporary and historical, including Descartes, Darwin, Steven Pinker, and Antonio Damasio, who have tried to understand the biological relationship between brain, mind, and behavior.
General Biology
Raymond D. Clarke, Drew E. Cressman
Level: Open
Semester: Year
The number and diversity of living organisms on earth is staggering, so common that we often take their very existence for granted. Yet the nature of these organisms, their mechanisms of survival, and their modes of interaction with each other and the environment form the basis of endless and fascinating study. This course serves as a fundamental introduction to the science of life—the broad field of biology. As such, we cover a wide variety of topics ranging from the microscopic to the macroscopic and the laboratory to the field. The course will be divided into three parts. The first portion of the year will focus on the biology of cells and the chromosomal basis of inheritance. We will then turn our attention to the mechanisms of evolution and biological diversity. Finally, we will conclude by examining organismal functions and ecology. In addition to the science involved, we will discuss the individuals responsible for major discoveries and the process of hypothesis formation, experimental design, and interpretation of results. Classes will be supplemented with weekly laboratory work.
Mr. Cressman, FALL SEMESTER
Mr. Clarke, SPRING SEMESTER
Introduction to Genetics
Level: Open
Semester: Fall
At the biological core of all life on earth is the gene. The unique combination of genes in each individual ultimately forms the basis for that person’s physical appearance, metabolic capacity, thought processes, and behavior. Therefore, in order to understand how life develops and functions, it is critical to understand what genes are, how they work, and how they are passed on from parents to offspring. In this course, we will begin by investigating the theories of inheritance first put forth by Mendel and then progress to our current concepts of how genes are transmitted through individuals, families, and whole populations. We will also examine chromosome structure and the molecular functions of genes and DNA, and how mutations in DNA can lead to physical abnormalities and diseases such as Down and Turner syndromes, hemophilia, and cancer. Finally, we will discuss the role of genetics in influencing such complex phenotypes as behavior and intelligence. Classes will be supplemented with laboratory work.
Open to any interested student with permission of the instructor.
Principles of Botany
Level: Open
Semester: Fall
Understanding the biology of plants is fundamental to understanding the complex web of life on earth and its evolutionary history. Nearly all other organisms, including humans, rely on plants directly or indirectly for their food and oxygen. Consequently, plants are essential to our existence and by studying them in detail we learn more about our own species and the world we inhabit. This course is an introductory survey of botany. The first half of the course will examine aspects of plant anatomy, morphology, physiology, and development. The second half will cover plant genetics, reproduction, diversity, and evolution. Weekly lectures and textbook readings will be supplemented with video presentations from The Private Life of Plants series and occasional laboratory sessions. In addition to covering many facets of plant biology, an introduction to bacteria and algae will also be presented.
Drugs and the Brain
Level: Open
Semester: Fall
What causes depression or schizophrenia? Are they mental disorders? Brain disorders? Why do drugs help these conditions? Why do humans and many other animals “like” the effect of psychotropic drugs? What is the basis for addiction to these drugs? All these questions are really questions about the brain—what it is, and how it functions to generate “the mind.” We now know that chemical messengers are used for communication between neurons in the brain, and disorders in communication can result in severe behavioral disorders—Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and schizophrenia, to name a few. As we learn more about how drugs relieve or promote disorders in chemical communication, and thus behavior, we learn more about what the brain is and how it functions. This course will be a study of the brain, focusing on chemicals as a tool to help unravel that mystery which is the mind.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Level: Open
Semester: Spring
This tongue twister has been coined to describe biology’s newest field, a discipline that emphasizes the connections between the two most complex systems of the body—the nervous system and the immune system. The field investigates the possibility that the “mind” or mental states can influence health and attempts to understand the biological mechanisms that allow a two-way communication between them. The course will develop a strong general groundwork in both immunology and the brain and also will include more specialized readings from psychoneuroimmunology.
Oceans in Peril
Level: Intermediate
Semester: Spring
Living on land, humans have always been more sensitive to disruptions in terrestrial environments than in the aquatic. For most of history, we considered the oceans to be essentially limitless sources of fish and absorbers of waste. Local collapses of fish populations have been appreciated for many hundreds of years, but there always were new frontiers to exploit. We are now expanding into the last frontier, the deep sea, and rapidly depleting the slow-growing, long-lived species that live there. While we remove fish and other organisms at unsustainable rates, we are inadvertently dumping a host of toxic chemicals such as mercury into the system and they are coming back to haunt us. Other pollutants are generating an increasing number of “dead zones.” And most pervasive is the carbon dioxide we are releasing into the biosphere causing a warming that is right now gravely altering arctic ice-based ecosystems and tropical coral reef ecosystems. Furthermore, the additional carbon dioxide is acidifying the oceans, which greatly stresses organisms with limestone skeletons, such as clams, corals, and several forms of plankton that form the base of open-water food chains. These disruptions act synergistically to degrade marine ecosystems and render them less diverse, less valuable, and less interesting. In this course, we will not only come to appreciate the damage being done, but will consider the ways in which we can mitigate the damage and restore the function of many marine ecosystems. To this end, we will have to return to history and try to get a perspective on what a pristine marine system looks like.
Intermediate. Open to students who have taken a previous college biology course.
Cell Biology
Level: Intermediate
Semester: Spring
Cells are the most basic unit of life on the planet—all life forms are simply conglomerations of cells, ranging from the individual bacterial cells to higher-order plants and animals. Humans themselves are made up of trillions of cells. So what exactly is a cell? What is it made of? How does it function? In a complex organism, how do cells communicate with one another and coordinate their activities? How do they regulate their growth? What role do genes play in controlling cellular function? This course will address these questions and introduce the basic biology of cells while keeping in mind their larger role in tissues and organs. If we can understand the structures and functions of the individual cells that serve as the subunits of larger organisms, we can begin to understand the biological nature of humans and other complex life forms. Classes will be supplemented with laboratory work.