Biology - BIOL 120

Course Description

This is the first course of a two-semester introductory biology sequence for students interested in transferring to a four-year institution to pursue a degree in biology or other science-related discipline. Together, BIOL 120 and BIOL 130 provide science majors with a comprehensive introduction to biology. In this course, students will attend four hours of lecture and three hours of lab each week to study the process of scientific inquiry, biochemistry, cell structure, membrane transport, metabolism, cell reproduction, molecular genetics, biotechnology, principles of inheritance and evolution.

Prerequisites

(A requirement that must be completed before taking this course.)

Course Competencies

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Apply the steps of the scientific method to scientific laboratory investigations.
• Distinguish between scientific hypothesis, theory and law.
• Evaluate empirical data through the use of statistical analyses.
• Produce accurate scientific laboratory reports.
• Arrange the levels of biological organization from least to most complex.
• Explain the chemical basis for the structure and function of living things.
• Relate the properties of water to their importance in supporting life.
• Demonstrate the proper use of the compound light microscope.
• Identify the structural and functional differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
• Demonstrate, through experimentation, the role of enzymes in biochemical pathways and cellular metabolism.
• Explain how metabolism is subject to the universal laws of energy.
• Explain how photosynthesis and cellular respiration contribute to the carbon cycle on Earth.
• Differentiate between anaerobic and aerobic metabolism.
• Integrate the steps of a signal transduction pathway with the control of cellular metabolism.
• Relate the process of mitosis to asexual reproduction, growth, tissue repair and cancer.
• Explain how meiosis and sexual reproduction contribute to genetic variation in species.
• Demonstrate, through experimentation, how the principles of Mendelian inheritance can be used to predict the outcome of genetic crosses.
• Explain how the genetic code on DNA directs protein synthesis.
• Differentiate between the process of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
• Relate the virus life cycle to AIDS and other viral diseases.
• Operate biotechnology apparatus to extract, isolate and analyze DNA samples.
• Explain the practical applications of DNA technology.
• Explain how the process of natural selection leads to evolutionary adaptation in populations of organisms.

Course Schedule