Revised 1/97
NVCC COLLEGE-WIDE COURSE CONTENT SUMMARY
BIO 101 - GENERAL BIOLOGY I (4 CR.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Explores fundamental characteristics of living matter from the molecular level to the ecological community with emphasis on general biological principles. Introduces the diversity of living organisms, their structure, function and evolution. Lecture 3 hours. Recitation and Laboratory 3 hours. Total 6 hours per week.

GENERAL COURSE PURPOSE

This course is to provide students with an opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge of the principles and living systems and their applications to everyday life. The course is designed for both science and non-science majors. The course may serve as a prerequisite for advanced biology courses, a laboratory science graduation requirement, or as transfer credit for a four-year institution. BIO 101 is a prerequisite for BIO 102, or BIO 102 may be taken without BIO 101 with Division approval.

ENTRY LEVEL COMPETENCIES

The student should be able to read and express him/herself both orally and in writing on a college freshman level as measured by a college English competency examination.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

A. Describe the fundamental importance of evolution as a unifying concept in biology
B. Describe the major taxonomic groups of living organisms
C. Apply the scientific method to investigate elementary biological problems
D. Diagram and describe the atomic structure of biologically important elements
E. Explain the principles of chemical bonding and apply those principles to the formation and properties of both inorganic and organic molecules
F. Describe the structure and function of enzymes and their roles in metabolic pathways
G. Diagram a typical plant, animal and procaryotic cell and label the component parts of each and explain their function
H. Describe the processes by which materials move across the cell membrane and within the cell
I. Describe the main events of cell division and relate these to the formation of new cells
J. Apply the basic principles of inheritance and probability to the solution of genetic problems
K. Describe the molecular aspects of the storage, expression, and transmission of genetic information
L. Describe the recent developments in genetics and relate these to human welfare
M. State the Hardy-Weinberg Law and discuss its relevance to evolution
N. Describe the main features of the modern theory of evolution MAJOR TOPICS TO BE INCLUDED A. Characteristics of life
B. Scientific method
C. Biological chemistry
D. Cell structure
E. Cell division (mitosis)
F. Cell physiology 1. Transport
2. Metabolic processes a. Glycolysis
b. Fermentation
c. Aerobic respiration
d. Photosynthesis G. Cell division (meiosis)
H. Classical genetics
I. Molecular genetics
J. Population genetics
K. Diversity of Life
L. Evolution OPTIONAL TOPICS

Research projects, field trips, research papers and seminars may be available for interested students or for students who need these elements for a particular purpose. The optional elements may be offered at the instructor's discretion.

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