BIOL 122
General Biology

1. Catalog Entry

BIOL 121:122. General Biology
Three hours lecture; three hours laboratory (4:4).

Biology 122 is the second course in the proposed two-course introduction to biology for majors, following Biology 121. The combined catalog description is given below.

Intended for biology, medical technology, and other science majors, this course sequence is a foundation and a prerequisite for further study in biology. Students will learn principles underlying the unity and diversity of life. They will discover the major, overarching concepts in biology. In the laboratory students will be introduced to the methods of science and will apply them in a research setting. Students receiving credit in the major for BIOL 121 may not also receive credit for BIOL 105 and students receiving credit in the major for BIOL 122 many not also receive credit for BIOL 103 or 104.

2. Detailed Description of Course

The theme of Biology 122, the second course in the two-course sequence, is the Diversity of life’s adaptations. Evolution by natural selection will be the common thread running through both this course, and its prerequisite, Biology 121.

• Diversity of Life – A Survey of the Kingdoms and Domains
• The Prokaryotic Domains
• The Kingdom or Kingdoms of Protists
• The Fungi
• The Plants
• The Animals
• Reproduction
• Asexual
• Sexual
• Life Cycles
• Development
• Plant
• Animal
• Structure and Movement
• Vascular Plants
• Exoskeletons
• Endoskeletons
• Movement of Cells
• Movement by Hydraulics –Plants and Animals
• Movement by Muscles
• Physiology
• Homeostasis
• Nutrition and Digestion
• Gas Exchange
• Osmoregulation and Excretion
• Internal Transport
• Internal Coordination
• Hormones and Signaling Molecules –Plant and Animal
• Nerves and Action Potentials
• Nervous Systems
• Brains
• Sensation
• Chemoreception – Smell and Taste
• Light Detection and Vision
• Hearing and Hair Cells
• Touch and Surface Senses
• Sensing Gravity, Magnetism, Heat, etc.
• How Life Interacts
• Populations
• Communities
• Interactions within Communities – Predators, Parasites, Symbionts
• Avoiding Predators
• Avoiding Disease – Immune Systems
• Ecosystems

The exact order of topics will be at the discretion of the instructor.

Biology 122 is not intended to be a comprehensive survey of living organims and their physiology, but rather a basic survey, emphasizing the diversity of adaptations to the common problems of survival and reproduction.

• Laboratory Topics
• Two kinds of laboratory exercises will be used:
• Laboratory demonstrations and observations will allow students to survey the diversity of life.
• One or more research projects will be planned, carried out, and analyzed by the students. These projects will generally take more than one laboratory period and will culminate in some form of presentation of the results. These projects will be somewhat more sophisticated than the research projects in Biology 121 and will continue to build on the understanding of research methods established in the earlier course.

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

The course will be taught in the lecture/laboratory format. Readings will include both the textbook and outside readings on biological topics. Depending on the instructor the lecture may be supplemented with individual problem solving, group problem solving, student poster or oral presentations, in-class writing, out-of-class writing assignments, and special presentations, demonstrations, and videos.

The laboratory component will be a significant portion of the learning experience. This component will include fieldwork as well as work in a laboratory setting. Asking biological questions in a way that can be answered by experiment or observation, designing experiments based on these questions, and carrying out the experiments, will be a major emphasis of the laboratory.

4. Student 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.

Goals specific to Biology 122:

Having successfully completed Biology 122 the student will

• Have a basic understanding of organismal anatomy and physiology, and of ecology. This understanding will provide the foundation on which further courses in the biology core, and biology electives can build.
• Have an awareness of the diversity of life and be familiar with organisms in all three domains and the six or more kingdoms. Be able to describe similarities and differences among the organisms in these domains and kingdoms.
• Understand and be able to explain how the Theory of Evolution explains and is supported by the diversity of living organisms. This understanding will support further study in biology.

Goals common to Biology 121 and Biology 122:

Have successfully completed Biology 121:122 the student will

• Be able to ask biological questions in a way that can be answered by experiment or observation. Be able to design and carry out simple experiments and observations to answer such questions. Demonstrate accuracy in observing living organisms.
• Be able to graph data obtained from experiment and observation. Be able to organize such data in computer databases. Be able to do simple statistical manipulation of this data, including calculating averages and deviations, and performing t-tests and chi-squared tests.
• Be competent in the use of the microscope, a foundational skill for many upper level biology classes.
• Be able to make measurements in the metric system with simple laboratory equipment. Be able to measure length both macroscopically and through a microscope. Be able to use a laboratory balance to measure mass, and to use pipeting equipment to measure volumes. These skills are also foundational for upper-level courses in biology.
• Demonstrate ability to find information through library searching, internet searching, and use of established databases, such as gene and protein sequence databases. Be able to evaluate the quality of this information.
• Demonstrate ability to identify the main points and supporting information in writings about biology, including writings other than the textbook.
• Have experience writing in a scientific format.

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.

Methods of assessment will include written examinations, laboratory examinations, and assignments. Some component of the laboratory assessment will test the student’s ability to make measurements and use the equipment.

Assessment measures may also include evaluation of student presentations, evaluation of written assignments, graded homework, and quizzes, depending on the instructor.

6. Other Course Information

Depending on enrollment multiple instructors may teach the course in a given semester. They will try to coordinate, as much as possible, the content covered and the laboratory exercises. The course may be team taught by two or more instructors on an occasional basis.

7. Review and Approval

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