BIOL 104
Human Biology

1. Catalog Entry

BIOL 104. Human Biology
Three hours lecture; two hours laboratory (4).

For students who are not Biology majors. An introduction to the basic principles of biology, with emphasis on human beings as biological organism. Humans will be considered as products of evolution, as physiological systems, as reproducing entities, as members of their ecosystem, and as biological engineers able to change other organisms. The nature of scientific investigation will be stressed and current applications to biological technology and its effect on society will be considered. BIOL 104 is not a prerequisite for upper level study in Biology. Biology majors should take BIOL 121. Students who are not Biology majors but need to take upper level Biology courses should take BIOL 105. This course has been approved for General Education credit in the Physical and Natural Sciences Area of the curriculum.

2. Detailed Description of Course

The course will be divided into six major topic areas. These areas should all be covered whenever the course is taught, but different instructors may emphasize different topic areas in different ways and to different extents, depending on their expertise and interests and the interests of their students. The major topic areas are listed below with examples of specific topics which could be included.

• Humans as Products of Evolution

Principles of evolution, human evolution, primatology, human coevolution with our pathogens and parasites

• Humans as Homeostatic Systems

General and comparative physiology, exercise physiology, water balance, nutrition, malnutrition, obesity, eating disorders, the cardiovascular system, immunity, the nervous system

• Humans as Reproducing Entities

Genetics, mitosis and meiosis, chromosomal abnormalities, genetic diseases, reproductive physiology, sexually transmitted diseases, the menstrual cycle, fertilization and development

• Humans as Members of Biological Communities and Ecosystems

Human pathogens and parasites, infectious diseases, the problem of antibiotic resistance, organisms with commensal or mutualistic relationships with humans, environmental health

• Humans as Biological Engineers

Artificial selection, domestication, hybridization, assisted reproduction, cloning, stem cell research, artificial organs, genome projects, genetically modified organismss, biological ethics

• What Does it Mean to be Human?

Comparative behavior, brain evolution, biology of language, sociobiology

Laboratory exercises

The laboratory portion of the course will emphasize development of at least some of the following skills, depending on the expertise and interests of the instructor:

Measuring, analysis, graphing, experimental design, scientific writing, peer review

Possible methods by which these skills may be imparted include, but will not be limited to:

Experimentation, modeling, dissection, resource surveys, diet analysis, physiological measurements, physiological self-monitoring

Possible topics that could be used to introduce these methods and skills, and to demonstrate course content include, but are not restricted to:

• Phylogeny of disease strains
• Phylogeny of primate taxa
• Exercise physiology
• Sensory physiology
• Circadian rhythms
• Genetics
• Comparative anatomy
• Enzymes
• Blood typing
• Diet and nutrition

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The course will be taught in the class/laboratory format. Class will include not only lecture, but also activities to promote synthesis, application, analysis, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Readings from textbook and popular books or journal articles will require students to understand some content without a teacher's explanation. Information searching and evaluation skills will be taught as part of student secondary research.

Whenever possible, students will practice using basic mathematics and statistics.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course.

For a General Education Course, in addition to a statement of course-specific goals and objectives, include a description of the broad general education program goals and the goals established for the particular knowledge area of the program as these goals will be addressed in this course.

Course Specific Goals

A student successfully completing this course

• Will better understand the practice and nature of scientific inquiry.
• Will have a deeper understanding of how human beings fit into the natural world evolutionarily and ecologically.
• Will better understand his or her own physiology and nutrition.
• Will understand the importance of Biology in the modern world and will understand how humans are changing the living world through deliberate choices and unintended consequences.
• Will be in a better position to contribute in a meaningful way to discussions about Biology in the modern world, and to decisions which society must face.

General Education Goals

• Think critically and creatively about ideas, issues, problems, and texts both within and across academic disciplines.
• Students will be asked to think critically about information in class and laboratory. In particular, students will be asked to think critically about important issues involving Biology which now face society. Creativity will be encouraged by repeatedly asking students to pose novel questions and ways to test them.
• Construct logical and persuasive arguments.
• Students will construct logical and persuasive arguments in the designing experiments and interpreting the meaning of results. They will be asked to defend their positions on important issues facing society.
• Employ a variety of research methods and styles of inquiry.
• Students will employ several different methods of scientific inquiry, such as controlled experiments, comparison and correlation, modeling, quantitative description, and precision drawing. They will learn the strengths and limitations of the different methods they practice.
• Use appropriate computer technologies to gather and organize information, to solve problems, and to communicate ideas.
• Students will use computer spreadsheets to organize and analyze data, and manipulate computer models to explore implications of biological theories. They may use database programs and the internet to search for information. They may use word processing and/or presentation software to communicate results of their experiments and studies.
• Work with others in a shared process of inquiry and problem-solving.
• Students will work together in laboratory exercises. Laboratory research projects and class activities may involve small-group teamwork.
• Identify the personal and cultural values that shape decisions in public, professional, and private life, and assess the ethical implications of those decisions.
• Students will consider and discuss the ethical and social implications of controversial issues involving Biology which face society today. In particular, the major section on Humans as Biological Engineers will require consideration of personal, ethical, and social values.

General Education Area 7, Physical and Natural Science Goals

• Comprehend the empirical nature of science.
• Repeated laboratory experiences will stress the empirical nature of science. Consideration of Biological issues and questions facing society will illustrate the empirical nature of science and the limitations of scientific inquiry. Issues will include areas where science, technology and values interact, such as issues on uses of biotechnology. Questions will include areas where the incomplete, empirical nature of scientific information must be considered in formulating personal decisions, such as in areas of diet and nutrition.
• Identify scientific problems and apply scientific methods.
• In the laboratory students will repeatedly see scientific problems as those for which they can pose questions that can be tested empirically. In discussion of biological issues and questions facing society, they will be challenged to identify unanswered questions that can be attacked by scientific methods.
• Extend scientific problem-solving skills to a variety of situations.
• Students will apply scientific problem-solving methods to a number of different problems in the laboratory. They will also come to see the importance of scientific method in answering questions important to society.
• Relate the basic principles of science to the world at large.
• Students will be confronted with real world issues and questions in which the basic principles of science and the methods of science can provide important information on which decisions can be based.
• Understand the relations between science, technology, and society.
• Students will explore issues in which basic science, evolving technology and social values must come together to shape our decisions for the future, especially in the section on Humans as Biological Engineers.

5. Assessment Measures

For a General Education Course, in addition to a statement of course-specific assessment measures, include a description of the ways student learning will be assessed to determine fulfillment of the broad general education program goals and the goals established for the particular knowledge area of the program.

Assessment measures will vary with the instructor, but will generally include lecture and laboratory exams and a final exam. Continuing assessment will involve quizzes, class projects, laboratory reports and take-home exams. Students may be asked to do outside research and prepare written or oral presentations applying what they have learned. Students may be asked to argue, orally or in writing, for a particular position in areas where there is disagreement. Students may be asked to develop laboratory projects and will present the projects and results in poster or oral presentations.

• Student ability to think critically and to construct logical arguments will be assessed by their abilities to present, orally and/or in writing, their laboratory research and/or library research. They will also be assessed in their ability to make arguments for particular positions.
• Student understanding of the empirical nature of science will be assessed through targeted exam questions, as we have done in the past in General Education courses. Their understanding will also be assessed through the quality of their lab reports and lab project presentations.
• Student ability to apply scientific methods and to use scientific problem-solving will be assessed by observing the development of their laboratory projects, assessing their project presentations, and assessing their arguments in presenting scientific disagreements.
• Student ability to relate science to the world at large and to see connections between science, technology, and society will be assessed through written or oral presentations on current scientific issues, and particularly through written or oral arguments in areas where there are disagreements.

6. Other Course Information

As a considerable number of sections are anticipated, multiple instructors will likely teach the course in a given semester. They will coordinate laboratory exercises to reduce demands on support services.

7. Review and Approval

Date Action Approved by
September 2003 Dr. Charles M. Neal, Chair