BIOL 130 - Connecting to Biology

Connecting to Biology examines how social institutions influence science by placing major biological discoveries in historical and social contexts. It offers first-semester Biology majors an introduction to the discipline in a supportive environment, fostering peer teaching and community building.

Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-4 - Lower Division Social and Behavioral Sciences
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Course Typically Offered: Fall ONLY


Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Effectively communicate ways the biological sciences are influenced by (and shape) social, economic, and political institutions, including the evaluation of historical racism, sexism, and colonialism in Biology;
2. Explain core biological concepts within the historical and social contexts leading to their discoveries and understanding;
3. Demonstrate knowledge of how power, privilege, and social inequity have produced existing structures in the biological sciences;
4. Practice biological inquiry: hypothesis generation, data collection, data analysis, data visualization, hypothesis testing, and reporting conclusions on real-world case studies;
5. Gather, interpret, evaluate biological information, and make informed and ethical decisions focusing on social justice issues in the context of biology, ethical debates in modern biology, and the interplay between biology and society.
6. Apply learning within, and outside, of the classroom through authentic research on real-word case studies and activities;
7. Develop skills and abilities that will serve students throughout their lives by making lifelong connections with the environment & natural world.

1. Explain how social, political, and economic institutions and/or principles intersect with each other.
2. Describe how people produce, resist, and/or transform social, political, and economic institutions/principles.
3. Investigate contemporary and/or historical events/issues from a social science perspective.