2009-2010 Course Catalog

Required for the biology major

  1. Biology 110, 120, and 140
  2. Chemistry 115 and 116
  3. At least seven six-unit courses in biology numbered 200 or above (excluding Senior Experience courses, of which at least five must be laboratory courses
  4. Completion of the Biology Senior Experience

Required for the biology minor

  1. Biology 110, 120, and 140
  2. At least four six-unit courses in biology numbered 200 or above, of which at least two must be laboratory courses.
  3. C average in the minor
    4. Note: Only two six-unit courses designated as either tutorials or independent studies can be counted toward the major or minor requirements and only one of these can be counted toward the upper-level laboratory requirement.

Required for the interdisciplinary major in the natural sciences in biology and physics or geology

  1. Biology 110 and 120 or Biology 110 and 140
  2. Physics 150 and 160 or, with the permission of the secondary department, Physics 120 and 130, and
  3. Geology 110 (any section) and Geology 210, chosen to include the secondary discipline
  4. At least 10 six-unit courses in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, and physics) numbered 200 or above, with at least five in biology (of which at least three must be laboratory courses), and at least three in the secondary discipline in other departments
  5. Completion of the Biology Senior Experience
    6. Previous interdisciplinary combinations of biology and chemistry have been replaced by the Biochemistry major.

Wisconsin Teacher Certification
Students who major in biology and who wish to gain certification to teach biology in Wisconsin public schools should choose a broad range of biology courses that includes ecology, plant and animal organismal biology, as well as molecular and cellular biology. Students should gain experience in both field and laboratory research. Beyond the coursework required for the biology major, students will need to take the following additional courses:

For more detailed information about the certification program refer to the course of study for the Department of Education.

Senior Experience in Biology
The Biology Department's Senior Experience consists of a two-term seminar (typically fall and spring terms). The first term is a thematic "skills" course that emphasizes and reinforces skills in scientific listening, reading, writing, and speaking. This skills course will be an offering in which students will hear outside speakers, read primary literature, write papers, and make presentations. All of these activities will be related to the theme of the year (the theme will vary year to year). A major component of this course will be defining a "work" that the student will conduct, typically, during the remainder of their senior year.
In the second course the student will complete the work, which has been defined earlier, and the culmination of the course will be a public presentation to the Lawrence community of the work at the Senior Biology Symposium in the possible form of a talk, performance, or poster. The "work" may involve a bench or field research project (conducted in the summer or school year), an extensive literature review of a topic, or a community service or teaching project. Other types of projects may be available to the student in consultation with the department chair and student's advisor. In all cases the students will relate their "work" to one or more biological principles which have been introduced in Biology 110, Integrative Biology: Principles of Biology.