BIOL 130 - General Biology I

Credit Hours: 4
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 3

General Education Code(s): 23NS, 23RE
Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Restriction(s): None

This course is a study of the fundamental concepts of the life sciences. Topics covered include the Scientific Method, basic chemistry and physics necessary to understand biology, cell structure and function, membrane phenomena, energy and cellular metabolism, mitosis, meiosis, biology of plants including photosynthesis, genetics, protein synthesis, genetic engineering, reproduction, and development.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The general education requirement for natural sciences is satisfied by BIOL 130. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

demonstrate scientific reasoning applied to the natural world, including an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of data analysis or mathematical modeling; and
demonstrate scientific reasoning applied to the natural world, including application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural sciences.

The general education requirement for critical thinking is satisfied by BIOL 130. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

clearly articulate an issue or problem;
identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they occur in their own or others’ work;
acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias; and
develop well-reasoned (logical) arguments to form judgments and/or draw conclusions.

Course-specific SLOs for BIOL 130:

Describe the fundamental concepts of biology including relevant chemistry, structure and function of macromolecules, cells, membranes, metabolism, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and genetics.