Plants in Life and Laboratory

Description: This survey course with accompanying laboratory covers cell and molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology, development and genetics, evolution and ecology. Distinctively, the course emphasizes how plants are similar to and different from other organisms including not only humans and other vertebrate animals, but all other life-forms on earth.

The course complements BIOL BC1001 Revolutionary Concepts in Biology. A student can fill her entire GER natural science requirement by combining the two. These courses do not, however, fulfill requirements for biology majors or pre-health students. Either or both are nonetheless excellent preparation for those wanting to then progress to BIOL BC1500-1503.

Weekly investigative lab sessions are a mixture of two types: (a) learning and practicing scientific, technical and analytical methods used by 21st century plant scientists and (b) learning skills to improve your every-day and life-time interactions with plants as forests, as timber sources, as foods and flavorings, as sources for drugs and fuels, and in other ways.

Learning outcomes:

Detail and systematize biological diversity and species relationships using words and diagrams

Grasp biochemistry cellularly and globally, emphasizing Carbon and Nitrogen cycles

Contextualize plant-environment or plant-organism interactions including plant-human

Satisfies a Foundations distribution requirement, Natural Sciences with Lab

Satisfies a Mode of Thinking requirement: Thinking Locally