Successful students in all versions of Biology 3501xx will achieve the following goals and objectives:
Goal 1: Students will identify and evaluate appropriate primary literature in the life sciences and will compare that information with examples in the secondary literature and popular press.
research a topic using a variety of databases and sources of credible and relevant information, including primary literature.
analyze the validity of the methods and results of a scientific study.
evaluate alternative viewpoints and assumptions to a scientific study.
compare and contrast information in primary literature with corresponding information in the secondary literature and popular press.
Goal 2: Students will understand and demonstrate scientific communication norms in various modalities.
apply scientific writing styles in the creation of a written paper.
apply scientific writing styles and norms in the creation of a scientific poster.
demonstrate effective communication of scientific principles in an oral presentation.
reflectively use scientific communication for a specific purpose, context, and audience using an appropriate genre and modality.
reflect on how to adapt persuasive communication and research strategies to new contexts and evaluate the social and ethical implications of those strategies.
Goal 3: Students will understand the role of quantitative analysis, statistics, and probability in scientific research.
explain basic concepts of statistics and probability.
recognize the importance of statistical ideas.
apply methods needed to analyze and critically evaluate statistical arguments.
evaluate the social and ethical implications of data collection and analysis, especially in relation to human subjects.
Goal 4: Students will develop a critical appreciation of the relationship between science and technology and their effect on society.
analyze the relationship of theoretical and applied sciences.
recognize how technologies emerge and change.
critically describe the relationships between technology and society in historical and cultural contexts.
evaluate the social and ethical implications of technological developments.
demonstrate critical thinking and scientific logic in the analysis of natural phenomena and the ethics behind the human involvement in these phenomena.
Goal 5: Students will understand the integration among the biological science subdisciplines and the role of science in their lives and across society.
analyze the interconnectedness of the biological sciences through the lens of a single broad topic.
reflect on the role of Biology in society, business, industry, and health fields.
become self-directed learners by which they can independently study biological content and procedures.
develop an awareness of the careers and professions that rely on knowledge of biological sciences.