General Biology I

This program is intended to help students fulfill General Biology requirements necessary for advanced work in the natural sciences, particularly for those who will focus their studies through part-time offerings to earn a degree or certificate in the sciences. The program will use a hybrid model of instruction with online learning (asynchronous and synchronous work) and weekly, in-person laboratory or field sessions.

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. The focus of the quarter will be on learning about evolutionary processes, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, genomics, gene regulation, biomolecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids), energetics, metabolic processes, and cellular respiration. 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.

For most of the work, we will rely heavily on Canvas for communication, accessing materials and assignments. In-person laboratory sessions will include learning of basic microbiology techniques, microscopy, DNA restriction digestions, gel electrophoresis, plant dissections, and field biology techniques.

This is the first in a three-course series.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

8 - General Biology with Laboratory