Biology Courses

Course Detail: This course is an intensive two-quarter, college-level sequence in biology, entailing broad coverage of the entire subject area including biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, organismal biology, population biology, ecology, behavior, bio-diversity, and evolution. Laboratories include all or most of the recommended AP labs, plus additional laboratories of the instructor’s choice. Students who complete the sequence with a cumulative grade of B or better may be encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Exam for Biology at the end of the academic year. Other sequences of courses may also enable the student to cover the AP Biology curriculum and students are encouraged to seek advice from the Biology Department. Prerequisites and corequisites: 1.0 CU of high school honors biology with a grade of A or B; Successful completion or concurrently taking CH102 or above; permission of instructor.

Course Detail: This course is an intensive two-quarter, college-level sequence in biology, entailing broad coverage of the entire subject area including biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, organismal biology, population biology, ecology, behavior, bio-diversity, and evolution. Laboratories include all or most of the recommended AP labs, plus additional laboratories of the instructor’s choice. Students who complete the sequence with a cumulative grade of B or better may be encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Exam for Biology at the end of the academic year. Other sequences of courses may also enable the student to cover the AP Biology curriculum and students are encouraged to seek advice from the Biology Department. Prerequisites and corequisites: 1.0 CU of high school honors biology with a grade of A or B; Successful completion or concurrently taking CH102 or above; permission of instructor.

Course Detail: This course is a two term interdisciplinary course. The course provides students with scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. The course considers environmentally based issues such as pollution, habitat degradation, and resource conservation. This course requires a keen interest in issues concerning the welfare and sustainability of the earth. Many of the labs conducted will involve issues relating to pollution and energy. Completion of this course prepares students for the AP Environmental Science exam. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent.

Course Detail: This course is a two term interdisciplinary course. The course provides students with scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. The course considers environmentally based issues such as pollution, habitat degradation, and resource conservation. This course requires a keen interest in issues concerning the welfare and sustainability of the earth. Many of the labs conducted will involve issues relating to pollution and energy. Completion of this course prepares students for the AP Environmental Science exam. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent.

Course Detail: This course is a two-quarter sequence in honors high school biology, entailing broad introductory coverage of biology including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, organismal biology, population biology, ecology, behavior, biodiversity, and evolution. Laboratories are designed to reinforce the concepts introduced in lecture. The course is intended to supply an introductory biology for students who have not yet had an opportunity to take biology in high school. Prerequisites: Placement in this course is determined by performance on the biology placement exam.

Course Detail: This course emphasizes the evolution, taxonomy and identification of vascular plants. Plants are studied in the context of major biomes and major local habitats. Students are required to sight identify important plant species, families, and divisions and to understand the ecological dynamics in local plant communities. This course has a heavy field emphasis, with weekly field trips to collect and study plants. One or more weekend field trips may be required. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent.

Course Detail: Ornithology is the study of birds. Students study the classification, anatomy, physiology, biogeography, population biology, and behavior of birds. The laboratories are bird watching trips that emphasize species recognition. Students regularly visit nearby localities for the observation of birds. One or more weekend field trips may be required. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent.

Course Detail: This course begins with the fundamentals of cell division and focuses on modes of inheritance of traits, beginning with Mendel's pea plants and stressing extensions and exceptions to Mendel's principles. Laboratory activities, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills are emphasized. Prerequisite: Honors Biology or equivalent

Course Detail: The marine environment encompasses the majority of the Earth’s biosphere and contains tremendous biological diversity. This one quarter course is an introduction to the common marine organisms of the ocean and examines the abiotic and biotic factors that influence their distribution and abundance. Topics include basic oceanography and ecology principles, the rocky intertidal zone, coral reefs, pelagic and deep-sea communities and ocean conservation. Prerequisite: Honors Biology or equivalent

Course Detail: The one-term Anatomy & Physiology course offers broad coverage of basic scientific concepts, gross anatomy, and human physiology with clinical applications and relevance to disease states and tissues. An independent research component and presentation is included in each unit. Emphasis is placed on the relationships between structure and function and units cover cellular and autonomic physiology; integumentary; endocrinology; neuromuscular and musculoskeletal physiology; cardiorespiratory physiology; and gastrointestinal and metabolic physiology. The course focuses on human anatomy with some comparative physiology mixed in. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent

Course Detail: Marine science is an interdisciplinary science field in which geology, physics, chemistry and biology interact in complex ways that are fundamental to the oceanic environment. This course serves as an introduction to physical, chemical, geological and biological oceanography. Current events and topics of interest (ocean acidification, sea level rise, ocean mining, whaling, overfishing, coral bleaching) will be heavily incorporated to give students a solid background in oceanography while also keeping an eye towards developing issues relating to the ocean environment. Prerequisite: BL101

Course Detail: Students will gain an understanding of the origin, function and structure of living organisms by examining life at increasing levels of biological complexity, from the molecular and cellular level to whole organisms. This course deals with the biology of cells of higher organisms: the structure, function, and biosynthesis of cellular membranes and organelles; cell growth; transport, receptors, and cell signaling; the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and cell movements. After developing a foundational understanding of cell biology, this course explores the interactions of these cells to form tissue, organs, organ systems and ultimately complete organisms, and finally students will be able to make predictions about how positive feedback mechanisms amplify activities and processes in organisms based on scientific theories and models. Prerequisite: BL101

Course Detail: This course focuses on understanding the diverse world of modern microbes. Students will demonstrate knowledge in comparative characteristics of microbial organisms, general bacteriology and microbial techniques, collection and handling of laboratory specimens. This course will be accompanied by a lab portion where students will develop a research question aimed to understand the role, distribution, environmental controls of microbes etc. Prerequisites: Honors biology or equivalent

Course Detail: Ecology is the study of connections in nature. This two-quarter sequence studies the major sub-disciplines and theoretical foundations of ecology. Through the investigation of various habitats in Southern Alabama, students gain experience in conducting field research, data analysis, and writing and presentation of research results. The prerequisite for Ecology 1/2 is Honors Biology or equivalent; CH102 or equivalent; permission of instructor. The second quarter, when offered, is a focused concentration on a limited number of advanced topics. The prerequisite for Ecology 2/2 is Ecology 1/2 - BL351 or permission of the instructor. One or more Saturday field trips will be required per term.

Course Detail: Ecology is the study of connections in nature. This two-quarter sequence studies the major sub-disciplines and theoretical foundations of ecology. Through the investigation of various habitats in Southern Alabama, students gain experience in conducting field research, data analysis, and writing and presentation of research results. The prerequisite for Ecology 1/2 is Honors Biology or equivalent; CH102 or equivalent; permission of instructor. The second quarter, when offered, is a focused concentration on a limited number of advanced topics. The prerequisite for Ecology 2/2 is Ecology 1/2 - BL351 or permission of the instructor. One or more Saturday field trips will be required per term.

Course Detail: This course is a two-quarter sequence in honors high school biology, entailing broad introductory coverage of biology including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, organismal biology, population biology, ecology, behavior, biodiversity, and evolution. Laboratories are designed to reinforce the concepts introduced in lecture. The course is intended to supply an introductory biology for students who have not yet had an opportunity to take biology in high school. Prerequisites: Placement in this course is determined by performance on the biology placement exam.

Course Detail: The one-term course is designed as an overview of the field of zoology, the branch of biology that studies animals. The course emphasizes critical thinking and the scientific process by exploring the structural/functional adaptations and evolutionary history of vertebrates and invertebrates. Students explore the diversity and evolutionary relationships among major invertebrate and vertebrate phyla with an emphasis on morphological features, functional aspects, systematics, and life history for each phylum. The laboratory builds scientific skills experience by dissections and both microscopic and macroscopic examination with a diversity of organisms from structural, functional, and ecological perspectives. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent

Course Detail: This course focuses on DNA. Beginning with Watson and Crick's double-helix model the course focuses on DNA structure, replication, transcription and translation. Current topics in DNA technology, gene cloning and bioinformatics are discussed as well as the ethics of emerging genetic techniques and possibilities. Critical thinking skills and thoughtful data interpretation are stressed. This is a non-lab course that will meet 4 days a week for one hour. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent. This course does not satisfy the 1.5 CU graduation requirement. Students must have completed or be currently enrolled in a biology elective w/lab that satisfies biology graduation requirements. This course does count towards a concentration or concentration with distinction in Biology.

Course Detail: This course will provide students an overview of the field of veterinary medicine. They will participate in a survey of topics typical in veterinary programs such as anatomy, parasitology, animal health, animal handling, etc. and explore the various career opportunities in veterinary science. Students will have a chance to tour a vet facility and talk to veterinary guest speakers. Laboratory sessions will work to build hands-on skills that are relevant in small animal clinics. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent.

Course Detail: A college-level study of biological diversity and the ecological, biogeographic, developmental, geological, taxonomic, anatomical, and molecular bases for the development of diversity over time, which comprises the science of evolutionary biology. This is a non-lab course that will meet 4 days a week for one hour. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent. This course does not satisfy the 1.5 CU graduation requirement. Students must have completed or be currently enrolled in a biology elective w/ lab that satisfies biology graduation requirements. This course does count towards a concentration or concentration with distinction in Biology.

Course Detail: This course will have students take a journey through how microbes have intimately shaped our world, to understand the evolution of eukaryotic organisms via the endosymbiotic theory, and the scientists responsible for the field of microbiology. Students will be expected to read and digest primary literature. This is a non-lab course that will meet 4 days a week for one hour. Prerequisites: Honors Biology or equivalent. This course does not satisfy the 1.5 CU graduation requirement. Students must have completed or be currently enrolled in a biology elective w/lab that satisfies biology graduation requirements. This course does count towards a concentration or concentration with distinction in Biology.

Course Detail: Students will participate in a Biology research project under the guidance of ASMS faculty. Projects may entail competition participation, conference attendance, authoring a professional paper, Research Fellows work, or similar efforts. Prerequisite: Completion of Biology graduation requirements.