BIOL 100 - Introduction to Biology

Credits: 4
Lecture Contact Hours: 4
Lab Contact Hours: 3
Description: This course introduces the non-science major to the concepts of modern biology and to the principles of scientific inquiry. Major concepts such as the scientific method, biological chemistry, organization of cells, energy transformation in living systems, DNA and inheritance, evolution, the diversity of life and ecology are examined. Emphasis is placed on processes common to all organisms, with special reference to humans. Related topics such as human evolution and human impacts on the environment will also be explored. This course provides the framework for making informed decisions regarding pertinent biological issues in society. Students participate in four hours of instruction and three hours of laboratory each week. Students going into allied health fields or majoring in science are required to take BIOL 101 or BIOL 120.

Prerequisites: None.
Corequisites: None.
Recommended: None.

Course Category: Liberal Arts | Science with Lab
This course counts toward Schoolcraft’s General Education Requirements.
This course counts toward a Michigan Transfer Agreement General Education Requirement.

This Course is Typically Offered: Winter, Spring, Fall
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Course Competencies

Explain how the scientific method is used to acquire new knowledge.
Analyze the claims of others in a scientific context.
Relate the structure and function of living things to their chemical basis.
Identify the structural organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Outline the acquisition and transformation of energy in photosynthesis.
Relate dietary energy to cellular respiration.
Differentiate between mitosis and meiosis.
Relate DNA to inheritance and gene expression.
Examine how scientists use biotechnology for practical purposes.
Explore principles of genetics and basic patterns of human inheritance.
Relate mutation and the process of natural selection to the evolutionary adaptation of organisms.
Explore the diversity of life on earth.
Examine human evolution and the origins of life.
Compare populations, communities and ecosystems.
Characterize the movement of energy through organisms and the environment.
Examine chemical cycling between organisms and the environment.
Identify human impacts on the environment.
Apply the steps of the scientific method to scientific laboratory investigations.
Determine the length, volume, temperature and mass of objects using standard metric units of measure.
Use basic lab equipment to analyze scientific data.
Explore basic principles of human physiology.