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Course Criteria
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4.00 Credits
In this course we will explore how plants interact with their environments and with other organisms, including man. We will begin at the individual level, learning how plants obtain resources from abiotic sources and through mutualistic interactions with bacteria and fungi. We will also consider how the theories of plant community ecology developed in the early 20th century and why they are pertinent today. Students will also have the opportunity to read and critique primary literature from leading journals in the field. Finally, we will develop several projects to be completed at the Denison Biological Reserve during the term for lab projects. These projects will be student-inspired and driven, with the hopes that they will contribute to our understanding of our immediate surroundings at Denison.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
Every multicellular organism begins its life as a single cell. Developmental biology is the study of the progression from this single cell to a complex, multicellular organism. Recently the powerful tools of molecular biology have linked the fields of embryology and genetics to reveal how cells, tissues, organs, and organisms develop. Especially striking is the conservation of molecules and mechanisms that underlie developmental processes in different organisms. This course provides an overview of the major features of early embryonic development in animals, and the mechanisms (molecular mechanism when known) that underlie them. We focus on two major aspects of developmental biology: (1) How is the basic body plan established? How does the basic organization of the embryo arise from the fertilized egg? What are the cellular mechanisms underlying morphogenesis and the appearance of pattered structures in the embryo? (2) How do parts become different in the embryo? Prerequisite: Biology core or consent.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
This course provides a detailed and up-to-date understanding of genetics, an appreciation of how genetics affects our lives everyday from the supermarket to the doctor's office, and a realization of the applications of genetics to virtually every discipline of biology. We focus on three major areas of genetics: (1) Molecular genetics: Thinking about genetics on the DNA level - everything from DNA sequencing to mutagen testing. (2) Mendelian genetics: Thinking about genetics on the gene level-everything from inheritance to recombinational mapping. (3) The application of both molecular and Mendelian genetics to study biological processes. We start by seeing how genetic techniques can be used to dissect almost any biological process and end up answering questions such as: How does genetic disease screening work? How are genes cloned from complex organisms such as mice or even humans? How does gene therapy work? In the laboratory we carry out both molecular experiments and classical genetic experiments. Prerequisite: Biology core or consent.(4 credits)
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4.00 Credits
In this course we will explore the evolutionary relationships and histories among the major groups of plants, both terrestrial and aquatic. We will pay particular attention to their modes of reproduction and the structures that facilitate gamete production and dispersal. We will learn how plant physiology and developmental mechanisms have allowed taxa to persist or make major transitions among different environments over time. Class reading material will consist of the primary literature and will be presented by students every week. For the laboratory component we will have one overnight trip to the Hocking Hills on a weekend in September to examine and identify plants in their natural habitat, as well as shorter trips to Blackhand Gorge and the Dawes Arboretum. We will also plan together and complete a semester-long project on the effects of environment on the development of reproductive structures in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
In this course we will explore the world of insects and their interactions with other species. Our central focus will be to survey insect diversity and explore how various orders, families, and species are adapted through evolution to their specific environment. But we will also use that diversity as a lens through which we will examine major concepts in biology. Topics of discussion will be drawn from readings in Nature, Science, and the primary literature will include the following: plant-insect coevolution, mating systems, anti-predator defenses, eusocial behavior, parasitism, disease transmittance, insect conservation, and control of agricultural pests. Laboratory will include field studies of insects at the Denison University Biological Reserve and the preparation of a collection. Prerequisite: Biology core or consent. Biology of Insects qualifies as a "diversity" course for the major.(4 credits)
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4.00 Credits
Evolutionary developmental biology (or "evo-devo") is an exciting interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to understand how developmental mechanisms have evolved to produce differences in the anatomy, physiology, and behavior of organisms. This course will begin with an overview of basic concepts in developmental biology. Students will then learn about the genes responsible for specific processes and examine the functional consequence of changes in their expression during embryonic development. (For example, students will learn about the genes that regulate eye development in vertebrates, and then examine how changes in their expression have led to organisms with different types of eyes, or no eyes at all!) In lab, students will conduct a semester-long project designed to provide insight into the process by which biologists explore the evolution of developmental mechanisms. In particular, the project will involve cloning genes and analyzing their DNA sequences using a variety of bioinformatic tools.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
This course is a comparative study of how animals perform their lifesustaining functions. We'll use a wide variety of animal examples to explore the physiology of metabolism, thermoregulation, muscles, and the cardiovascular, respiratory, and osmoregulatory systems. This course will examine the adaptive significance of physiological traits at the molecular, tissue, organ and whole organism level. In addition, it will stress the ways that physiology and ecology interact, currently and over evolutionary time. Students will participate in several course labs and then design their own physiology experiments. Prerequisite: Biology core or consent.(4 credits)
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4.00 Credits
In this course we will examine the physiology and anatomy of the major systems of the human body, including the cardiovascular, nervous, muscular, endocrine, renal, and reproductive systems. We will study how the body functions to sustain life and maintain homeostasis from the level of single cells up to multi- organ systems. The course will also incorporate discussions of disease processes when the body fails to function as it should. Students will participate in lab exercises examining the function of their own human bodies and will design their own physiology experiments.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
In this course we study the proximate and ultimate causes of animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Topics include the genetic, developmental and neural bases of behavior as well as behavioral strategies of habitat choice, foraging, defense, courtship, parental care and sociality. The laboratory will include several multi-week experiments designed to test hypotheses concerning behaviors observed in the field and lab. There will be a strong emphasis on data analysis and interpretation, and use of the primary literature. Prerequisite: Biology core or consent.(4 credits)
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3.00 Credits
This course will be an in-depth examination of fundamental cellular functions, with an emphasis on how disturbances in these functions lead to disease. Areas covered in the course include intracellular trafficking, cytoskeleton and cell motility, adhesion, signal transduction, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Laboratories will involve learning current methods to analyze biological processes in cells. Prerequisite: Biology core or consent.(4 credits)
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