General Biology

This program is intended to help students fulfill General Biology requirements necessary for advanced work in environmental studies and the natural sciences, yet is also suitable for those just wanting to explore biology. Those intending to focus their studies in the sciences would benefit from this offering. The program will use an in-person instruction model. A hybrid model of instruction (with online learning and weekly in-person laboratory or field sessions) is possible, upon consultation and agreement with the faculty. Students may take the course completely online but will earn science communication credits instead of laboratory credits. 

The content of the program will emphasize evolution as the framework that connects the biological sciences across scales -- from individual cells, to multi-cellular organisms, up to populations and communities of interacting organisms within ecosystems. We will explore the origins of life on Earth and the tree of life to better understand biodiversity. We will incorporate Pacific Northwest natural history to deepen our understanding of biology and focus on the process of science. We will also gain a deeper understanding of cellular and molecular biology, genetics, genomics, gene regulation, biomolecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids), energetics, metabolic processes, and cellular respiration.

Lectures will be in-person, but we will use Canvas for communication and assignments, and sparingly use Zoom for specific activities. Laboratory sessions include basic microbiology techniques, microscopy, DNA restriction digestions, gel electrophoresis, plant dissections, as well as a field biology session on campus.