BIOL 1000 3 cr. 4 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The course focuses on the history, philosophy, and
content of biology as a science. Laboratory work
includes experiences that emphasize problem solving by
the student. Q
BIOL 1100 3 cr. 4 hr. Offered
in the spring semester for day students.
Continuation of BIOL 1000. Q
BIOL 1200 4 cr. 5 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The course explores the structure and function of the
human organism on the cellular, tissue, organ, and
system levels. Cellular metabolism, histology, and the
following systems: skeletal, muscular, and nervous
(including the special senses) are examined. The
laboratory emphasizes both physiology and the dissection
of preserved mammalian specimens. (Not open to students
who have completed BIOL 1700, Human Biology or BIOL
2420, Human Physiology.) Q
BIOL 1300 4 cr. 5 hr. Offered
in the spring semester for day students.
This course is a continuation of BIOL 1200. The
following systems are covered: circulatory, respiratory,
digestive, excretory, endocrine, and reproductive.
(Not open to students who have completed BIOL 1700,
Human Biology or BIOL 2420, Human Physiology.) Q
Prerequisite: BIOL 1200 or permission of Instructor.
BIOL 1350 3 cr. 3 hr.
The human organism is examined in terms of its
adaptation to acute and chronic stress. Physiological
responses to such stressors as exercise, heat, darkness,
altitude, and nutrition are studied theoretically and in
a laboratory setting. Q, IDIS
*BIOL 1400 3 cr. 4 hr.
The course focuses on the biology of bryophytes,
ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. The relationship of
plant biology to agriculture and medicine is also
discussed. The laboratory involves the study of live and
preserved plant materials, simple physiological
experiments, and a plant growth project. The class is
not open for majors or minors in Biology. Q
*BIOL 1500 1 cr. 1 hr.
The seminar evolves around the discussion of current
topics in basic and applied biological research based on
readings of original scientific reports. Each student is
expected to prepare one brief presentation on a topic of
his or her choice.
BIOL 1650 3 cr. 3 hr.
The course involves an examination of nutrients in
foods and their metabolic role in normal nutrition.
Emphasis is on energy sources and utilization, vitamins
and minerals, nutritional requirements in relation to
the changing demands of life, and the effect of food
handling and processing on the nutrient content of food.
Course material is facilitated by lectures, discussions,
and personal nutrition projects. Q
BIOL 1700 3 cr. 3 hr.
Students learn the anatomy and physiology of the
cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems of the human
organism as well as their functional
inter-relationships. (The class is not open to students
who have completed BIOL 1200, 1300.) Unless permission
of instructor is granted. Q
BIOL 1800 4 cr. 6 hr.
The course examines principles of molecular,
cellular, and organismal biology. Topics include
biomolecules, cell structure and function, and
information processing and inheritance. The laboratory
emphasizes the scientific method through
experimentation. Q
BIOL 1900 4 cr. 6 hr.
The class is a continuation of BIOL 1800. The course
examines principles of organismal, population and
community biology. Topics include comparative anatomy
and physiology, evolution and ecology. The laboratory
emphasizes hypothesis formation and testing as well as
data gathering and analysis. Q
BIOL 2000 3 cr. 3 hr.
A study of the biological effects of drugs at the
cellular level. Emphasis is placed on the more popular
psychoactive drugs.
Prerequisite: one year of Biology, Chemistry, or
permission of Instructor.
BIOL 2100 3 cr. 3 hr.
This course is an introduction to the vegetation of
New England. The emphasis of this course is to become
familiar with the flora and the factors that influence
the different ecological associations found in New
England. Laboratory is devoted to the techniques of
plant identification with emphasis on the terminology
and use of botanical keys. Field trips are taken for
collecting representative elements of the local flora
and preparation of a herbarium. Q
BIOL 2300 3 cr. 4 hr.
Offered in the fall semester for day students.
The course is a survey of major ecological concepts
and methodology as a basis for further investigations of
the dynamic relationship between organisms and their
environment. Field and laboratory work emphasize problem
identification, formulation of hypotheses, data
collection, and analysis and interpretation of results
in terms of their biological implications.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1000, or 1100, or 1800, or 1900 or
permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 2400 3 cr. 3 hr.
Students conduct investigations into public health
with emphasis on forms of life, chemical substances,
environmental conditions, and other environmental forces
that exert an influence on human health and well-being.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1100 or equivalent or permission
of Instructor.
BIOL 2420 3 cr. 3 hr.
This course is an intensive study of the functional
operation of human organ systems and the
interrelationships of these systems. (Intended for
students who are majoring in Biology or Clinical Lab
Science.) Q
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have taken
BIOL 1200/1300 unless permission of Instructor is
granted.
*BIOL 2500 3 cr. 4 hr.
The course starts with a systematic survey of basic
animal cell and tissue types, followed by in-depth
microscopic study of the major organ systems. Practical
work includes histological microtechnique on normal and
pathological specimens.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1800 or BIOL 2420 or BIOL 1200,
1300 or permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 2600 3 cr. 4 hr.
This course focuses on classical and current research
exploring the mechanisms and evolution of Animal
Behavior. Course topics include the genetic, ecological,
evolutionary, cellular and physiological processes that
shape animal behavior. Particular emphasis is placed on
reviewing primary literature to understand the evolution
of adaptive behaviors for communication, predator
avoidance, foraging, habitat selection, courtship,
mating, parental care, kin recognition, and cooperations.
Weekly laboratory session will provide students with the
opportunity to conduct independent experiments on animal
behavior using a variety of model systems.
BIOL 2700 3 cr. 4 hr.
Offered in the spring semester for day students
3 hrs. lecture, 2 hrs. lab per week plus some
additional time.
The course serves as an introduction to the biology
of major groups of micro-organisms including bacteria,
viruses, protozoa, and fungi. Emphasis is placed on
their role in nature and their relationship to man as
agents of infectious diseases. In the laboratory
principles and practices of aseptic techniques and
diagnostic identification and culture of disease
entities are explored.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1300 and CHEM 1200 or permission
of Instructor.
BIOL 2800 4 cr. 6 hr. Offered
in the spring semester for day students.
Basic principles of biological information processing
are examined including Mendelian inheritance, sex
determination, chromosome cytogenetics, linkage,
recombination and genetic mapping, mutagenesis,
molecular genetics and gene-enzyme relationships, and
quantitative inheritance. Laboratory work includes study
of mutational effects and recombinational analysis in
Drosophila, bacteria, and viruses.
Prerequisite: 3 semester hours of Introductory
Biology or equivalent.
BIOL 2860 3 cr. 3 hr.
This course is required of all students preparing for
initial license at the secondary level. It is a
sophomore level course for full-time undergraduates and
the first course taken by transfer students. It is
taught at the local high school and is a clinical
laboratory experience. This course includes a 25 hour
pre-practicum requirement and is a prerequisite for
other certification course requirements. Students become
familiar with the complexities of secondary school
teaching and its demands. The course gives faculty the
opportunity to screen students and gives students the
opportunity to test their commitment to teaching.
*BIOL 2900 3 cr. 4 hr.
Offered in the fall semester for day students.
In this course students investigate the distribution
of the dominant animals and plants in a salt marsh, sand
beach, tide pool, and rocky intertidal area. Data on
physical and chemical factors of these habitats is
correlated with the composition, behavior, and
physiology of the flora and fauna of each habitat.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1800, 1900 or permission of
Instructor.
*BIOL 3000 3 cr. 4 hr.
The morphology and diagnostic identification of
representative groups of parasitic protozoa, helminths,
and arthropods are studied along with their functional
life cycles and pathogenic relationships to animal and
human hosts. Emphasis is placed on epidemiology,
pathology, control, and treatment of important parasitic
diseases.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1900.
*BIOL 3200 3 cr. 4 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
Individually paced instruction is offered to study
the integration of plant structure and function,
emphasizing physiology of the integrated plant-water
relations, transpiration and translocation, mineral
nutrition, photosynthesis, respiration, growth hormones,
differentiation, and morphogenesis.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1900 or BIOL 1400.
BIOL 3250 4 cr. 6 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
Cell and subcellular structure and function are
covered in this course. Membranes, cell organelles,
bioenergetics, photosynthesis, DNA and RNA structure,
function and replication, protein synthesis, and gene
regulation are the major areas considered. Laboratory
includes absorption spectrophotometry, cell
fractionation, organelle isolation, DNA isolation, and
electrophoresis.
Prerequisites: BIOL 2800 and CHEM 2100 or permission
of Instructor.
*BIOL 3300 3 cr. 4 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
Students learn anatomy, habits, life histories, and
identification of insects and some related arthropods.
Laboratory work includes preparation of a representative
collection of adult and larval forms from terrestrial
and aquatic environments with emphasis on techniques for
identification of these forms.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1900 or permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 3400 3 cr. 4 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The course offers a study of fresh waters and their
inhabitants. Class work surveys protists, invertebrates,
vertebrates, and plants collected from local waters and
emphasizes their ecological interrelationships as
determined by biological, physical, and chemical
parameters.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1900 and BIOL 2300 or permission
of Instructor.
BIOL 3450 4 cr. 6 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The course is a study of the chemistry of
biologically important molecules and macromolecules,
including metabolism and regulation, water, proteins,
enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.
Laboratory emphasizes manual and instrumented techniques
for isolation, qualitative and quantitative analysis of
macromolecules, and the kinetics and induction of
enzymes.
Prerequisite: BIOL 2800, CHEM 2100 or permission of
Instructor.
*BIOL 3500 3 cr. 5 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The course examines the classification of higher
plants in accordance with evolutionary principles and
trends. Laboratory is devoted to the techniques of plant
identification with emphasis on the terminology and use
of botanical keys. Field trips are taken for collecting
representative elements of the local flora and
preparation of an herbarium.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1800 or 1900 or permission of
Instructor.
BIOL 3550 4 cr. 6 hr.
Offered in the spring semester for day students.
The course examines a detailed survey of developing
embryos from the fertilized egg through the various
stages leading to the adult organism. Current theories
regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying cell
differentiation and other classic developmental
processes are also themes of this course. Other topics
covered in the survey include regeneration,
metamorphosis, aging, and cancer. Laboratory involves
the study of development in live sea urchins, birds,
frogs, and ferns as well as work with prepared slides.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1800, BIOL 1900, BIOL 2800, BIOL
3250, or permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 3600 3 cr. 4 hr.
Students collect and identify common algae found in
the New England area. Emphasis is on freshwater forms,
but some study of marine algae is conducted as well.
Distribution of algal species is correlated with
physical and chemical factors in their habitats.
Laboratory includes a study of algal physiology and
reproduction as well as techniques for cultivation.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1400 or BIOL 1900
BIOL 3700 3 cr. 3 hr.
Bioethics explores the clash between modern biology
and human values. Students will have the opportunity to
develop ethical guidelines and be prepared to think in a
critical fashion about biologically precipitated
problems. Ethical theories, genetic engineering,
cloning, are some of the topics to be discussed. The
course uses lectures, discussions, and case study
analyses.
Prerequisite: One semester of General Biology or Life
Science or Anatomy and Physiology or permission of
Instructor.
BIOL 3800 4 cr. 6 hr.
This course provides students with a thorough
introduction into the biology of vertebrate animals.
Lecture topics include anatomy, physiology, ecology, and
evolution of the four classes of vertebrates.
Laboratories emphasize the mastery of skills needed to
collect and identify vertebrates.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1900 or permission of Instructor.
BIOL 3900 4 cr. 6 hr. Offered
in the fall semester for day students.
The structure, nutrition, and growth of bacteria is
examined in this course as well as characterization of
representative bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa.
Their genetic and metabolic peculiarities, immunological
techniques, and the immune response in man is studied.
Laboratory work includes aseptic technique, isolation
and cultivation of microbes, staining techniques and
diagnostic metabolic reactions.
Prerequisites: Organic Chemistry and BIOL 2800 or
permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 4250 3 cr. 3 hr.
The course covers chemical integration of
physiological processes by hormones and related agents.
Discussions include structure and function of vertebrate
and other animal endocrine systems, neuroendocrine
relationships, and other topics of current interest.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1200/1300, or BIOL 1800/1900 and
one year of Chemistry, or permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 4500 4 cr. 6 hr.
The course offers studies of restriction enzymes,
plasmids, gene cloning, recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing,
oncogenes, and other topics of current interest.
Laboratory work includes restriction enzyme digests and
mapping, gene cloning, bacterial transformation,
blue/white color selection, minipreps, PCR, blotting
techniques and introduction to Bioinformatics.
Prerequisites: BIOL 2800 and BIOL 3250.
*BIOL 4600 3 cr. 3 hr.
The course is an introduction to the principles and
processes governing the evolution of living organisms.
Emphasis is placed on the ways by which various other
biological disciplines relate to evolutionary studies. A
survey of paleontological evidence is given to
demonstrate how evolutionary principles have affected
life.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1900, 2300, and 2800 or
permission of Instructor.
*BIOL 4800 3 cr. 3 hr.
A survey is conducted of neural activity and the
neural bases of behavior as illustrated by simpler
invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. Topics
covered in the class include structure and function of
neurons, neurodevelopment, cellular basis of behavior
(sensory and motor systems), neuropharmacology, and
neural plasticity. The class is facilitated by lectures
and laboratory.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1200/1300, or BIOL 1800/1900 and
one year of Chemistry, or permission of Instructor.
BIOL 4810 3 cr. 3 hr.
Offered in the spring semester for day students.
The course consists of a survey of immune response,
antibody formation and function, immunosuppression,
blood group antigens and antibody-antigen reactions. The
principles of complement activity, hypersensitivity, and
autoallergic reactions are discussed.
Prerequisites: BIOL 2800, BIOL 3250, or permission of
Instructor.
BIOL 4850 3 cr. 3 hr.
The course examines the methods for teaching modern
Biology, includes a 25 hour pre-practicum, and is a
prerequisite for student teaching. Topics include
methods for teaching scientific inquiry, bioethical
decision-making, and critical thinking as well as
research on alternative assessment, classroom
management, and technology in the classroom. Students
who plan to student teach should see "Teacher
Preparation Programs (Undergraduate)" for additional
requirements.
Prerequisites: BIOL 1800/1900 and permission of
Instructor.
BIOL 4901-4903 1 to 3 credits
Offered in the fall and spring semesters for day
students.
In the Independent Study participants fulfill
laboratory or other independent research under the
guidance and supervision of one or more faculty members.
A comprehensive term paper and an oral presentation are
required for successful completion of the project.
Independent Study may be repeated for credit to a
maximum of 9 semester hours.
Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, 15 credits
of Biology and special permission of the Departmental
Curriculum Committee.
BIOL 4860, 4870 6 cr. 6 hr. s
Students are assigned to cooperating secondary
schools for a semester of student teaching.
BIOL 4950, 4960 3 or 6 cr.
Offered in the fall and spring semester for day
students.
The Internship involves off-campus laboratory or
field experience in conjunction with established
research programs at cooperating governmental,
industrial, or private facilities. Supervision is shared
by program directors and faculty members at Fitchburg
State College. Assignments are contingent upon students'
abilities and acceptance by the cooperating institution.
One or two full days of work per week may be expected. A
comprehensive term paper and an oral presentation are
required after each semester of Internship work for
successful completion of the project. An Internship
course may be repeated for up to a maximum of 12
semester hours.
Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and approval
of the Biology Department.
BIOL 4975 1-6 cr.
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