All sections of Biology 2750 have the following goals and outcomes:

Goal 1: Students will develop science literacy skills and the ability to construct a scientifically literate argument.  

• Students will evaluate both controversies in biology as well as biological topics viewed as controversial by parts of society.
• Students will use critical thinking skills to evaluate the validity of biological claims presented as scientific in social media and the popular press. 
• Students will synthesize evidence-based arguments to diverse audiences using knowledge and skills from other coursework explaining how biology and technology address problems of the contemporary world.  

Goal 2: Students will develop critical thinking skills through and exploration of logical fallacies and their use in arguments.  

• Students will differentiate biological science from pseudoscience and non-science. 
• Students will identify examples of logical fallacies used in biological misinformation. 
• Students will use logical fallacies to evaluate examples of biological research as well as biological misinformation. 
• Students will compare anecdotal thought and experiences to biological data and reasoning.  

Goal 3: Students understand the scientific process in both modern and historical contexts.  

• Students will differentiate between hypotheses, predictions, theories, laws, and facts. 
• Students will synthesize the contributions of various scientific philosophers in the age of scientific reasoning from both eastern and western culture.  
• Students will recognize that interpretation of data is a regular part of methodology in the natural sciences. 
• Students will analyze the inherent risk of bias as a product of biological research being a human endeavor. 
• Students will synthesize sound scientific explanations grounded in the scientific process. 
• Students will summarize the process of peer review and publication commonly used in the natural sciences. 
• Students will explain the self-correcting nature of science using examples from the history of biological research.  

Goal 4: Students will describe the inter-dependence of scientific and technological developments. 

• Students will compare and differentiate between theoretical biology and applied biology.  

Goal 5: Students will analyze and interpret major forms of human thought, culture, and expression. 

• Students will compare knowledge in the biological sciences to other forms of knowledge. 
• Students will contrast the questions applicable to the scientific process and those that cannot be answered by science.  

Goal 6: Students evaluate how ideas influence the character of human beliefs, the perception of reality, and the norms which guide human behavior. 

• Students will assess uncertainty and its role in biological literacy and agenda-driven interpretation in the media. 
• Students will construct and deliver sound arguments appealing to different ways of thinking in specified environments. 
• Students will apply critical thinking skills to assess human willingness or susceptibility to accept claims without evidence.  
• Students will reflect on the ways their personal experiences have influenced their own thought or perceptions. 
• Students will analyze scientific misconduct in the biological sciences and the conditions that encourage intentional and unintentional malfeasance. 
• Students will analyze the misrepresentation of biological data by individuals and groups within the biological sciences.