Explores fundamental characteristics of living matter from the molecular level to the ecological community with emphasis on general biological principles. Introduces the diversity of living organisms, their structure, function and evolution.

This course is to provide students with an opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge of the principles and living systems and their applications to everyday life. The course is designed for both science and non - science majors. The course may serve as a prerequisite for advanced biology courses, a laboratory science graduation requirement, or as transfer credit for a four - year institution.

Entry Level Competencies: placement into ENG 111

Course Requisite Skills:

• Ability to use the Internet in an effective and efficient manner, including installation and management of browser plug-ins and add-ons.
• Basic knowledge about the operation of a computer, file management, and software installation.
• Working knowledge of the Blackboard learning management system.
• Capable of using Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Proficient searching the web for information.
• Able to download and print information from websites.
• Able to download, view, and/or print PDF files.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the fundamental importance of evolution as a unifying concept in biology
2. Describe the major taxonomic groups of living organisms
3. Apply the scientific method to investigate elementary biological problems
4. Diagram and describe the atomic structure of biologically important elements
5. Explain t he principles of chemical bonding and apply those principles to the formation and properties of both inorganic and organic molecules
6. Describe the structure and function of enzymes and their roles in metabolic pathways
7. Diagram a typical plant, animal and procaryotic cell and label the component parts of each and explain their function
8. Describe the processes by which materials move across the cell membrane and within the cell
9. Describe the main events of cell division and relate these to the format ion of new cells
10. Apply the basic principles of inheritance and probability to the solution of genetic problems
11. Describe the molecular aspects of the storage, expression, and transmission of genetic information
12. Describe the recent developments in genetics and relate these to human welfare
13. State the Hardy - Weinberg Law and discuss its relevance to evolution
14. Describe the main features of the modern theory of evolution

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Lecture Portion (70% of total course grade):

Lab Portion (30% of total course grade):

Labs will be conducted on campus according to the information found in the semester's course catalog. A total of 300 points will be earned for hands-on lab activities. Your instructor will share details about the lab assignments and grading in your Bb course section.

Your final grade will be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least two exams and a certain number of lab assignments in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 4 exams in this course.

Last Updated: June 17, 2016