New Courses
There are a number of courses being offered in upcoming semesters that are either new courses, not yet in the Undergraduate/Graduate catalogs, or courses for which the topic changes each time it is taught.
New undergraduate courses are often designated as BIOL 190 or BIOL 490. BIOL 190 is a non-majors freshman biology course with a lab. Different sections of BIOL 490 are usually different 400-level courses taught by different faculty.
New graduate courses are taught as sections of BIOL 590 or 490. Different sections of BIOL 490 or 590 are usually entirely different courses taught by different faculty. Graduate seminars (BIOL 595 and BIOL 596) have a different topic each time they are taught.
Spring 2023
Population Genetics – 17606 – Biol 422A – 001
Credit Hours: 3.0
Lecture: MWF 9:00-9:50 AM
Pre-requisite: BIOL 220 and BIOL 327 OR Instructor Approval
Instructor: Dr. Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer
Unites the fields of molecular genetics and evolutionary biology to explore processes and mechanisms of evolutionary change, and provides a theoretical basis for interpreting molecular variation and population changes over time and space. For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Butts-Wilmsmeyer.
Population Genetics Lab – 17606 – Biol 422B – 001
Credit Hours: 3.0
Lab: W 12:00-1:50 PM
Pre-requisite: BIOL 220 and BIOL 327 OR Instructor Approval
Co-requisite: BIOL 422A
Instructor: Dr. Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer
Molecular and analytical techniques commonly employed in basic and applied fields of population genetics. Requires concurrent enrollment in BIOL 422A. All laboratory exercises will take place in R using real-world genetic datasets. For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Butts-Wilmsmeyer.
Plant Systematics – 17613 – Biol 471 – 001
Credit Hours: 4.0
Lecture: TR 12:30-1:45 PM, Lab: R 2:00-3:30 PM
Pre-requisite: BIOL 220 OR Instructor Approval
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Esselman
We will examine some basic principles of plant evolution: provide some possible explanations for the diversity of plant life; to learn the basic structures of vascular plants and recognize several common plant families and spring ephemeral species. For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Esselman.
Fall 2023
Topics in Cellular and Molecular Biology – 36498 - BIOL 595 - 002
Credit Hours: 2.0
Lecture: Thursays 4:00-5:50 PM, SE 2270
Pre-requisites: Graduate Status
Instructor: Dr. Faith Liebl
Topic: Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Other CNS Disorders
This is a graduate seminar course, open only to graduate students and can be counted as one of the two graduate seminar courses (BIOL595/596) required for the Master’s degree in Biological Sciences. The course involves the examination in depth of topics in organismal biology by means of seminars, discussions, readings, and papers.
The molecular mechanisms of several neurodegenerative diseases overlap. How neuronal populations and behavior are affected, however, differs substantially between diseases. This seminar will examine how the molecular mechanisms of these diseases lead to cell death and changes in behavior. We will also examine the molecular mechanisms that underlie several other diseases or disorders of CNS including epilepsy, leukodystrophies, and metabolic disorders. For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Liebl
