Download Course Outline

NASHUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COURSE OUTLINE FORM
Course Title: General Biology I
Credit Hours: 4
Course Prefix &
Lecture Hours: 3 Lab Hours: 3
No.:SCIN103
Department: Science, Engineering Technology and Mathematic
Program: Life Science and Chemistry
Prerequisites/ Co-requisites: Successful completion (C or higher) of
college preparatory
Biology and Chemistry within the past five years
Required Accuplacer Score: Reading 80 or above; Sentence Skills 70 or above;
Mathematics 85 or higher
Entrance Skills:
“
Excellent reading skills are mandatory for this course. Strong math abilities are also desirable. Creative
problem-solving, ability to work in teams and a strong background in college-preparatory math and
science will increase success.
Catalog Description:
Biology I for majors is designed for students pursuing a career in the sciences or advanced health
sciences. It is an in-depth exploration of biochemistry, cell structure and function, genetics, and evolution.
Labs will provide opportunities to explore topics using hands-on methodologies and critical thinking in a
project-based learning environment.
Course Competencies
Competency (Knowledge and Skills)
Critical Thinking Skills
Students will be able to:
Themes in the study of life
 Identify the common themes that unify
all living things
 Recognize that evolution accounts for
unity and diversity in life
 Describe biological inquiry as a process
of formulating and testing hypotheses
based on observations
 Explain the scientific method
 Differentiate between theories and
hypotheses
Analyze, criticize, examine, experiment,
question, compose, design, formulate, write,
conclude, explain, predict, summarize
Chemical context of life and role of water
 Describe the concepts of matter and
energy and the major forms of energy
 Demonstrate and understanding of the
atoms and its structure
 Compare and contrast molecular bonds
 Recognize that chemical reactions make
and break chemical bonds
 Describe the mechanisms by which
water’s intramolecular and
intermolecular bonds contribute to
water’s properties
Carbon and Macromolecules
 Describe and compare the building
blocks, general structures, and
biological functions of carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
 Identify the role of dehydration
synthesis and hydrolysis in the
formation and break down of organic
molecules
Cell Structure and Function
 Describe how microscopes are used in
the study of living organisms
 Describe the chemical composition of
the plasma membrane and relate it to
membrane functions
Analyze, compare, contrast, diagram, explain,
relate, write, justify
Breakdown, distinguish, relate, explain, choose,
describe, evaluate.
Identify, illustrate, calculate, collect, design,
devise, explain, generate, plan, support,
interpret, predict.

Describe and explain the form and
function of organelles found within
various types of cells across the three
domains of life
 Name the key components of the
endomembrane system and describe its
role in regulating protein traffic and
metabolism in the cell.
 Recognize that both the cytoskeleton
and extracellular components support
the cell’s physical structure,
communication, and functions
Membrane structure and function
Illustrate, model, diagram, explain, compare,
 Describe the molecular basis of the fluid contrast, describe
mosaic model
 Compare and contrast the mechanisms
of active, passive, and bulk transport
 Describe the role of the plasma
membrane in cell signaling
Metabolism
 Explain the role of ATP in cellular
metabolism
 Explain enzyme activity, its effect on
activation energy, and metabolic
controls
 Explain how metabolic processes
transform energy and matter
 Evaluate the spontaneity of a reaction
based on its free energy changes
Respiration and Fermentation
 Describe how catabolic pathways yield
energy by oxidizing organic fuels
 Describe the 3 stages of cellular
respiration in the complete oxidation of
glucose
 Describe the interconnected nature of
the reactants and products formed
within the complete oxidation of
glucose
 Identify the conditions under which
cells utilize aerobic and anaerobic
respiration and fermentation to produce
ATP
 Describe how glycolysis and the citric
Diagram, examine, question, point out, explain,
conclude, estimate, plan, predict, summarize,
synthesize, support
Explain, plan, predict, analyze, conclude,
generate, relate, support, justify
acid cycle connect to many other
pathways
Photosynthesis
 Recognize that photosynthesis converts
chemical energy to food
 Compare and contrast the light reactions
and the Calvin cycle with a detailed
understanding of the net projects of each
set of reactions
The Cell Cycle
 Explain how normal cell division results
in genetically identical cells
 Explain the cellular changes that occur
through each phase of the cell cycle
 Explain how regulation is employed
throughout the cell cycle
Meiosis and sexual life cycles
 Explain how genetic information is
passed from parent to offspring
 Explain the cellular changes that occur
through each phase of meiotic cell
division
 Recognize that fertilization and meiosis
alternate throughout the sexual
reproduction
 Differentiate between diploid and
haploid life cycles
 Describe how genetic variation is
produced during sexual reproduction
Mendelian genetics and the chromosomal basis
of inheritence
 Describe how Mendel used scientific
inquiry to identify the two laws of
inheritance
 Describe Mendel’s law of segregation
and law of independent assortment
 Predict the outcome of monohybrid and
dihybrid crosses
 Recognize the complexity of inheritance
patterns in living organisms as
compared to theoretical inheritance
patterns
 Relate patterns of Mendelian genetics to
Explain, analyze, plan, predict, generate,
analyze, conclude, defend, describe, create
Model, explain, conclude, diagram, relate
Diagram, arrange, assemble, predict, diagram,
differentiate, compare, contrast, model,
question, conclude, analyze
Analyze, explain, model, diagram, summarize,
tell, write, predict
the physical patterns of chromosomes
 Explain how sex-linked genes and
linked genes affect patterns of
inheritance
 Explain the chromosomal basis of
genetic disorders
Molecular basis of inheritence
 State that DNA is the genetic material
 Describe the proteins associated with
DNA replication and repair
 Describe chromosomal structure on a
molecular level
Protein synthesis
 Describe the process of protein
manufacturing from gene to
polypeptide, including the steps of
transcription, mRNA modification, and
translation
 Evaluate the effects of chromosomal
mutation upon gene expression
 Discuss the universality of the gene as
the basis for life
Regulation of gene expression
 Describe how bacteria alter their gene
expression with respect to
environmental changes
 Explain how eukaryotic gene expression
is regulated and results in different cell
types in a multicellular organism
 Explain the chromosomal basis of
cancer
Viruses
 Describe the physical structure of virus,
prions, and viroids
 Describe the process of viral replication
and the life cycle of a virus
Biotechnology
 Outline the steps involved in DNA
cloning
 Differentiate between various
techniques used in biotechnology
 Evaluate potential applications of
current biotechnology methods
 Defend the use of cloning in treating
Model, diagram, explain, analyze, support, tell,
write
Explain, analyze, conclude, predict, identify,
question, relate
Plan, predict, evaluate, conclude, analyze,
diagram, explain, support, write
Model, diagram, explain
Explain, plan, predict, analyze, conclude,
interpret, support, set up, tell, synthesize,
summarize
environmental and human ailments
Genomes and evolution
 Explain how scientists use
bioinformatics to analyze and sequence
genomes
 Discuss the variations seen in genomes,
including size, number of genes, and
gene density
 Recall that multicellular eukaryotes
contain significant amounts of noncoding DNA
 Explain how the genomic sequence is
the molecular basis for evolution and
that duplication, rearrangement, and
mutation are mechanisms for change
Darwinian evolution
 Explain the historical context within
which Darwin developed the theory of
evolution
 Outline the process of natural selection
by which populations evolve
 Express that the theory of evolution is
supported by multiple, verifiable
scientific studies and explorations
Synthesize, analyze, explain, compare, contrast,
defend, develop, criticize
Population evolution
 Explain why genetic variation makes
evolution possible
 Employ the Hardy-Weinberg equation
to evaluate evolution in a population
 Relate changes in allele frequencies in a
population to natural selection, genetic
drift, and gene flow
 Relate natural selection as the only
mechanism responsible for adaptive
evolution
The origin of the species
 Explain that the biological species
concept emphasizes reproductive
isolation.
 Relate how speciation can take place
with or without geographic speciation
Calculate, predict, analyze, summarize, explain,
synthesize, evaluate, estimate
Synthesize, criticize, justify, judge, predict,
explain, support
Compare, contrast, evaluate, explain, appraise,
model, outline, relate

Describe the role of hybrid zones in
causing reproductive isolation
 Explain how speciation can occur at
different rates form changes in genes.
The history of life on earth
 Describe the conditions on Earth that
made the origin of life possible.
 Relate how the fossil record documents
that history of life.
 Discuss key events in life’s history,
such as the origins of single-celled and
multicelled organisms.
 Explain how the rise and fall of groups
of organisms reflect differences in
speciation and extinction rates.
 Describe how major changes in body
form can result from genetic changes.
 State that evolution is not goal-oriented,
and explain.
Relate, explain, analyze, construct, defend,
judge, criticize, support, tell, write
Course Outline:
Content Topic
Subtopics ( a., b., etc.)
Themes in the Study of Life
a. Scientific inquiry
b. Unifying nature of the themes of
biology
c. Evolution as the core unifying theme
The Chemistry of Life
a. The Chemical Context of Life
b. Water and Life
c. Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of
Life
d. The Structure and Function of Large
Biological Molecules
The Cell
Genetics
Mechanisms of Evolution
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
a.
b.
c.
d.
A Tour of the Cell
Membrane Structure and Function
Metabolism
Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
Photosynthesis
Cell Communication
The Cell Cycle
Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
Mendelian Genetics
The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritence
The Molecular Basis of Inheritence
From Gene to Protein
Regulation of Gene Expression
Viruses
Biotechnology
Genomes and Their Evolution
Descent with Modification
The Evolution of Populations
The Origin of Species
The History of Life on Earth
Performance Evaluation
Formative Assessments
Summative Assessments
-Chapter Quizzes (in class)
-Mastering Biology activities (web-based)
-Lab activities (data collection, experimental
design, answering questions)
-Individual presentation of current research
-Entrance and Exit Exam (standardized, based
on national standards)
-3 Unit Exams, consisting of both objective
and subjective items, as well as a
comprehensive final exam
-A number of required laboratory reports to be
written throughout the semester
Method of Instruction:
Lectures, class discussions and debates, weekly laboratory activities, library research, field trips,
guest speakers, regular assessments.