 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Home > Curriculum > Course Proposal > Descriptions for Course Proposal > Examples of Honors College Science Classes
Examples of Honors College Science ClassesHC 207HProfessor Dennis Todd HONORS COLLEGE SCIENCE "Sex, Selfishness, And Genes" Humans are intensely social animals-and, in a sense, so are our genes. We aggregate in great crowds to celebrate and to mourn. Our genes combine and create an individual. We court, we fight, we jostle for power. Our genes cooperate or compete for dominance. Many of our social behaviors seem exceedingly odd, and approaches to understanding have ranged from mysticism to experimental psychology. A newly developed field of biology, sociobiology, applies a Darwinian model to animal behavior and reveals that much human behavior has deep evolutionary roots. Sex, selfishness, altruism, dominance and submission, nepotism, deceit, and parent-offspring conflict can be observed in animals other than humans; insights gained in studying their behavior may illuminate our own habits and proclivities. While sociobiologists may posit that it is the individual or a kin group of related individuals that survives and reproduces or perishes without offspring, and thus is the unit subject to natural selection, other biologists argue that it is the gene or a group of related genes that is the fundamental unit of selection. They propose that an organism is just the manifestation of and vehicle for the expression of the genes, and that genes may compete with one another, even to the detriment of their host, in the struggle for existence. Recent research has demonstrated, for example, that the genes of the sperm and egg battle to suppress one other when they first unite to form a new individual. We will examine historical and current theories on social behavior, investigate the results of experiments in animal and human behavior and genetics, and perform experiments and observations on social behavior. This course is designed for non-science majors. No background in physics, chemistry, biology, or mathematics is required. Students will write two papers and give one oral presentation. Open book exams. There will be two 1.5-hour lectures and one lab period per week. HC 209H Professor James Schombert HONORS COLLEGE SCIENCE "21st Century Science" The 21st century will be a golden age for scientific knowledge and technological progress. During this last century, our view of Nature shifted from a Cartesian-Newtonian view of a clockwork Universe to an expanding Universe ruled by chaos, complexity and quantum uncertainty. This course will explore scientific topics concerning the macroscopic world, microscopic world and cosmology (dynamics, elementary particles, galaxies, Big Bang) in the context of the philosophy of science that we use to apply meaning to reality (reductionism, emergence, holism and creation). HC 207H Professors Paul Engelking and Dennis Todd HONORS COLLEGE SCIENCE "Pollution and Remediation" Almost every day, we see headlines like "Chemical Spill Poisons Fish," "Exposure to Dioxin Linked to Cancer," and "Greenhouse Gases Warming Atmosphere." In the age of chemistry, we release thousands of substances into the air and water, subjecting each other and the environment to a witch's brew of compounds that may affect our health, the vitality of the organisms around us, and the very climate in which we live. In this class, a chemist and a biologist will guide an exploration of the pollutants we release, their effects on us and the ecosystem, and the ways in which the damage may be prevented or remedied. We will examine the chemistry underlying the problems, the impacts on our health, the ecosystem's responses to the pollutants, and the actions that can be taken to protect ourselves and our environment. Laboratory and field investigations will provide students with hands-on experience. Class participation and in-class discussions will be emphasized. This course is designed for non-science majors. No background in physics, chemistry, biology, or mathematics is required. Students will write two papers and give an oral presentation. Two open book exams. There will be two hour-and-a-half lecture/discussions and one lab meeting per week. |
|
 |
|
 |
||||
|
Phone: (541) 346-5414 · E-mail: Contact the webmaster: |
