undergraduate bulletin - LaGrange College

INTRODUCTION
BIOLOGY
The Biology curriculum provides a broad base of knowledge of biology while improving the creative, critical,
and communicative abilities of students. Biology, the study of life, is intriguing to students on a fundamental
level, because it is essentially the study of themselves, their bodies, and the living world around them. The
Biology faculty works with their majors to help them develop an understanding and working knowledge of the
life phenomenon at subcellular through organismal levels. Within the major, a student may elect to emphasize
human biology, field-oriented biology, or biochemical and microscopic aspects of life science.
MISSION
The Department of Biology provides students with the opportunity to explore, understand, and
explain the unity, diversity, and complexity of life.
GOALS
The Department of Biology strives to
1. provide opportunities for all students to understand the nature of science, to improve their
scientific literacy, and to develop a greater knowledge of and appreciation for living
systems.
2. provide a broad-based biology curriculum for students who pursue degrees in Biology,
providing them with the background needed for post-graduate study and the guidance to inform
their choices.
3. provide a supportive and nurturing environment for faculty in which they can develop teaching
expertise as well as engage in discipline-specific research and scholarship.
4. provide collaboration opportunities for student-faculty research, including the necessary
equipment, space, and funding.
5. provide opportunities for students to develop their abilities in critical and creative thinking and
effective communication.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE MAJOR
The Department of Biology offers a curriculum that will provide the basis for all students majoring
in Biology to be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge in major fields of biology.
2. demonstrate effective communication skills, using both written and oral formats.
3. demonstrate critical and analytical thinking and the ability to creatively address issues in the biological
sciences.
4. demonstrate competency in reading primary literature in the biological sciences.
5. demonstrate mastery of basic laboratory and field skills and techniques.
6. apply the scientific method to answer questions in the biological sciences.
7. effectively collect and analyze data and to creatively solve problems in the biological sciences.
8. work collectively and collaboratively on group projects in the biological sciences.
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