BIOL 270 - The Science of Monster Movies

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

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

An exploration of scientific possibility through the lens of monster movies. Concepts of media studies and scientific principles will be considered. Only one may be taken for credit.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The general education requirement for natural sciences is satisfied by BIOL 270. 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 270. 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 270:

The student will demonstrate 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 mathematical analysis. MEASURE: Students will be assessed on their reading of primary scientific literature to determine if the source has information relevant to the monster movie under consideration.
Students will demonstrate application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural (or physical) sciences.
MEASURE: Students will be assessed on their ability to apply scientific data from primary literature to determine if events in monster movies are scientifically possible or not.