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Course Criteria
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4.00 Credits
Color science is an interdisciplinary endeavor that incorporates both the physics and perception of light and color. This introduction to color and the related topics of light and optics includes their applications to photography, art, natural phenomena, and technology. Topics include how color is described and measured (colorimetry); how light is produced; how atoms and molecules affect light; how the human retina detects light; and how lenses are used in cameras, telescopes, and microscopes. Our investigation necessarily touches on aspects such as the anatomy of the eye and aspects of human vision that influence how we see color. Laboratory projects include additive and subtractive color mixing, pinhole photography, cow-eye dissection, colorimetric measurements, and color-classification schemes.
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4.00 Credits
Modern science has provided us with some understanding of age-old fundamental questions, while at the same time opening up many new areas of investigation. How old is the universe? How did galaxies, stars, and planets form? What are the fundamental constituents of matter, and how do they combine to form the contents of the universe? We consider how Foundations of Scientific Inquiry measurements and chains of scientific reasoning have allowed us to reconstruct the Big Bang by measuring little wisps of light reaching the earth, to learn about subatomic particles by use of many-mile-long machines, and to combine the two to understand the universe as a whole from the subatomic particles of which it is composed.
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4.00 Credits
Do you know how electricity is generated? How instruments create music? What makes refrigerator magnets stick? For that matter, why ice skating is possible, how wheels use friction, and why someone can quickly remove a tablecloth without moving any dishes? All of the devices that define contemporary living are applications of basic scientific discoveries. The principles underlying these devices are fascinating as well as useful and help to explain many of the features of the world around us. Covers basic principles of physics by examining selected devices such as CD and DVD players, microwave ovens, the basic electronic components of computers, lasers and LEDs, magnetic resonance imaging as used in medicine, and even nuclear weapons. In learning the basic physics behind these modern inventions, you develop a deeper understanding of how the physical world works and gain a new appreciation of everyday phenomena. Natural Science II Note that the prerequisite for all Natural Science II courses is completion of (or exemption from) Quantitative Reasoning (MAP-UA 1XX). Completion of (or exemption from) Natural Science I (MAP-UA 2XX) is recommended as a prerequisite.
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4.00 Credits
We are currently witnessing a revolution in human genetics, where the ability to scrutinize and manipulate DNA has allowed scientists to gain unprecedented insight into the role of heredity. Begins with an overview of the principles of inheritance, where simple Mendelian genetics is contrasted with the interactions of genes and environment that influence complex physical or behavioral traits. Descending to the molecular level, we investigate how genetic information is encoded in DNA and examine the science and social impact of genetic technology, including topics such as cloning, genetic testing, and the human genome project. Concludes by studying how genes vary in populations and how geneticists are contributing to our understanding of human evolution and diversity.
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4.00 Credits
The study of "human origins" is an interdisciplinary endeavor that involves a synthesis of research from a number of different areas of science. Introduces students to the various approaches and methods used by scientists to investigate the origins and evolutionary history of our own species. Topics include reconstructing evolutionary relationships using molecular and morphological data; the mitochondrial Eve hypothesis; ancient DNA; human variation and natural selection; the use of stable isotopes to reconstruct dietary behavior in prehistoric humans; solving a 2,000-year-old murder mystery; the importance of studies of chimpanzees for understanding human behavior; and the four-million-year-old fossil evidence for human evolution.
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4.00 Credits
Explores the relationship of the brain to behavior. Begins with the basic elements that make up the nervous system and how electrical and chemical signals in the brain work to affect behavior. Examines how the brain learns and how it creates new behaviors, together with the brain mechanisms that are involved in sensory experience, movement, hunger and thirst, sexual behaviors, the experience of emotions, perception and cognition, and memory and the brain's plasticity. Other key topics include whether certain behavioral disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be accounted for by changes in the function of the brain and how drugs can alter behavior and brain function.
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4.00 Credits
The human body is a complex system of mutually interdependent molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. Examines the human body with the goal of understanding how physiological systems operate at these varying levels. Examples include the circulation of blood, the function of our muscles, the utilization of oxygen in respiration, and how our immune system detects and fights foreign invaders. Disturbing the delicate balance of these systems Foundations of Scientific Inquiry can produce various human diseases, which are also examined throughout. Laboratory work provides firsthand experience with studying molecular processes, cell structures, and physiological systems.
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4.00 Credits
Our lives are increasingly influenced by the availability of new pharmaceuticals, ranging from drugs that lower cholesterol to those that influence behavior. Critical to the function of such biomolecules is their three-dimensional structure that endows them with a specific function. Examines the chemistry and biology of biomolecules that make up the molecular machinery of the cell. Begins with the principles of chemical binding, molecular structure, and acid-base properties that govern the structure and function of biomolecules. Applies these principles to study the varieties of protein architecture and how enzymes facilitate biochemical reactions. Concludes with an overview of molecular genetics and how recent information from the Human Genome Project is stimulating new approaches in diagnosing disease and designing drug treatments.
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4.00 Credits
Provides a foundation of knowledge about how earth's biosphere works. This includes the biggest ideas and findings about biology on the global scale-the scale in which we live. Such knowledge is especially crucial today because we humans are perturbing so many systems within the biosphere. Major topics: (1) Evolution of Life: How did life come to be what it is today? (2) Life's Diversity: What is life like today on the global scale? (3) Cycles of Matter: How do life and the nonliving environment interact? (4) The Human Guild: How are humans changing the biosphere, and how might we consider our future within the biosphere? Includes laboratory experiments and an exploration at the American Museum of Natural History.
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4.00 Credits
The human brain is the most complex organ. Despite the central position it has in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, it remains to many a mystery. How does it work? How can we care for it? How long will it function? We learn about the functions of the cortex in higher learning and memory, as well as discuss the basic work of the brain stem in regulating the internal environment of the body. The importance of nutrition on neurotransmitter synthesis, the function of sleep on memory and why we need so much of it, and the effects of alcohol and drugs on brain harmony and the meaning of addiction are covered. We look at brain development and the special needs of children, as well as brain aging and illness and the difficulty of helping. Laboratories provide hands-on experience in exploring the structure of the brain, as well as learning how to measure brain function.
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