(for non-science majors) Explore contemporary biological topics that you hear and read about or that are part of your daily life and learn the fundamental scientific concepts that underlie them. Topics will cover molecules to cells and organisms to populations as well as inheritance, development, infectious disease and what constitutes well-supported science. The course utilizes projects, hands-on activities, online discussions and group work to illustrate concepts.

Students in this course will explore the following aspects of biology: the organization of life, the development of living organisms, the transmission of traits, evolution, behavior and ecology. This course is intended for the non-science degrees. BIO 100 should not be taken in conjunction with BIO 110 or BIO 111. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Analyze the characteristics of life as currently understood. Relate the life characteristics to the simplest level of existence: the single cell. Explain various patterns of reproduction among plants and animals. Evaluate various techniques of population control. Explore the mechanism by which traits are transmitted from parent to offspring. Summarize the causes and effects of various types of mutations. Trace the history of the modern concept of evolution. Survey the system of classification of plants and animals. Interpret behavior as an illustration of the modern concept of evolution. Relate the sources and the effects of pollutants to the quality of the environment. Demonstrate an understanding of laboratory experiments as they relate to the biological concepts presented in the above competencies.

A description for this course has not been provided