Learn about biological aspects of both health and pathology, and the biological underpinnings of medical research.
REQUIREMENTS
Any three of the following courses:
- BIOL_SCI 302-0 Fundamentals of Neurobiology - Cellular and biochemical approaches to the nervous system, focusing on neuron structure and function. May not receive credit for both BIOL_SCI 302-0 and NEUROSCI 202-0. Prerequisite: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 201-0, BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 310-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course. May not receive credit for both BIOL_SCI 302-0 and NEUROSCI 202-0.
- BIOL_SCI 310-0 Human Physiology - An exploration of the functions of the human body at the tissue, organ and organ system level. Emphasis on homeostatic mechanisms and interdependence within organs and organ systems and the influence of modulatory systems. Topics will include, but are not limited to: nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal systems. Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 201-0, BIOL_SCI 202-0, and CHEM 132-0, CHEM 152-0, or CHEM 172-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 319-0 Biology of Animal Viruses - Virus structure, synthesis of viral nucleic acids and proteins, the interaction of the viral and cellular genomes. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 325-0 Animal Physiology - Physiological principles and mechanisms responsible for the ability of animals to regulate variables in the steady state. Prerequisite: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 310-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 327-0 Biology of Aging - Biological aspects of aging, from molecular to evolutionary. Prerequisite: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 201-0 and BIOL_SCI 202-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 328-0 Microbiology - How microbes interact with their environments, including with humans. Prerequisite: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 201-0, BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, and have completed or be currently enrolled in BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 344-0 Anatomy of Vertebrates - Vertebrate phylogeny illustrated via comparative morphology; anatomical/ functional and ontogenetic considerations; dissections. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 103-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, BIOL_SCI 341-0, or BIOL_SCI 342-0.
- BIOL_SCI 353-0 Molecular Biology Laboratory - Project-based approach to learning lab skills in eukaryotic molecular biology. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, BIOL_SCI 234-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 355-0 Immunobiology - Nature of host resistance; characteristics of antigens, antibodies; basis of immune response; hypersensitivity. Prerequisite: BIOL_SCI 201-0, BIOL_SCI 202-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 358-0 Advanced Physiology Laboratory - Students will learn about techniques and instrumentation for physiological measurements, basic techniques of quantitative data analysis, and data presentation in written and oral formats. These are concepts and tools that apply beyond the experiments performed in this class. The experiments utilize several species, cover several preparations in physiological experimentation, and will provide data that can be analyzed in various ways. In several cases, two weeks will be needed for a set of experiments, so that students can become familiar with an experimental setup and then devise different experiments during the following week. Experiments will include: ion transport across amphibian skin, cardiovascular function in the amphibian heart; and the diving reflex in humans. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 310-0 and BIOL_SCI 234-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 360-0 Principles of Cell Signaling - Emphasis on principles, components, and logic that are common to different cell signaling systems. Modern experimental strategies for studying cellular signaling as well as the implications of disrupting cell communication pathways in disease will be described. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0 and BIOL_SCI 203-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 377-0 The Human Microbiome - Course explores different communities of microorganisms in the human body – the gut, urogenital, oral, and skin microbiota, and how these communities contribute to or are altered in health and disease. Topics will include but are not limited to: the contribution of these communities to digestion and gut health, mood, obesity, the immune system, fertility and pregnancy, and neurological disorders. Prerequisites: BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 380-0 Biology of Cancer - Various mechanisms controlling cell proliferation, signal transduction, DNA damage repair, cell fate decisions, and cell-cell communications, will be discussed. Topics will also include nature and hallmarks of cancer, and current strategies for cancer treatment. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course. to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 381-0 Stem Cells & Regeneration Biology - Developmental and molecular biology of tissue regeneration, with regard to regeneration from embryonic or adult stem cells. Discussion of conserved developmental pathways necessary for regeneration. Applications in regenerative medicine. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0 and BIOL_SCI 203-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 391-0 Developmental Biology - Molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development, including establishment of the body and organogenesis. Discussion of original literature. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0, BIOL_SCI 203-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
- BIOL_SCI 392-0 Morphogenesis - Development of independent projects alongside classic readings and experiments exploring key concepts in developmental biology. Prerequisites: Students must have completed BIOL_SCI 202-0 BIOL_SCI 203-0, BIOL_SCI 234-0, and BIOL_SCI 301-0 to register for this course.
Concentration Checklist
Human Health & Disease Concentration Checklist
2024-2025 Course Offerings in this Concentration*
Course # |
Title |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
BIOL_SCI 302-0 | Fundamentals of Neurobiology | Tracy Hodgson | ||
BIOL_SCI 310-0 | Human Physiology | Tracy Hodgson | Tracy Hodgson | Christine McCary |
BIOL_SCI 319-0 | Biology of Animal Viruses | Curt Horvath | ||
BIOL_SCI 325-0 | Animal Physiology | Tracy Hodgson | ||
BIOL_SCI 328-0 | Microbiology | Keara Lane | ||
BIOL_SCI 355-0 | Immunobiology | Hilary Truchan | Hilary Truchan | |
BIOL_SCI 377-0 | The Human Microbiome | Hilary Truchan | Hilary Truchan | |
BIOL_SCI 380-0 | Biology of Cancer | Xiaomin Bao | ||
BIOL_SCI 381-0 | Stem Cells and Regeneration | Christian Petersen | ||
BIOL_SCI 391-0 | Developmental Biology | Shelby Blythe | ||
BIOL_SCI 392-0 | Morphogenesis | Gregory Beitel |
*Course schedule considered tentative until published in Caesar