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are encouraged to individualize their programs
with study-abroad experiences in Africa, if
possible, or internships focusing on museums,
performing arts organizations, communication
and media agencies, or non-governmental agencies.
Note that faculty in the program may also
offer special topics courses with African content
that may be substituted or added to the list of
classes below.
Requirements: 18–19 semester hours*
Courses selected from the following
(each 3 semester-hours):
• AN340, Ethnographic Arts
• AN360, People and Cultures of Africa
• GE317, Geography of Tropical Africa
• HS320, History of Africa
• HS325, Modern Africa
• HS390, Topic: Old and New South Africa
• PO350, African Politics
• PO386, Black Political Thought
• RL354, Islam: Religion, Culture, Society
• RL356, African and Afro-Caribbean
Religion
Courses that are listed with special African
content or focus in the areas of African literature,
International Communication, African film
courses; topics courses in these departments
with African content or focus.
Study abroad: Students who complete a
study abroad program in Africa may count the
credit from that experience toward the minor.
For details, consult the coordinator of the
African Studies Program (Terri Jett, Ph.D.,
Jordan Hall, Room 347B).
Foreign Language: Students complete the
liberal arts and sciences requirement in foreign
language, with the recommendation that the
language selected be one widely spoken on the
African continent (such as French).
Biological Sciences Department
Administration
Carmen Salsbury, Ph.D., department chair
Professors
Thomas E. Dolan, Ph.D.; Michael S. Maloney,
Ph.D.; James L. Shellhaas, Ph.D.
Associate Professors
Shelley Etnier, Ph.D.; Travis J. Ryan, Ph.D.;
Carmen M. Salsbury, Ph.D.; Katherine M.
Schmid, Ph.D. Philip J. Villani, Ph.D.
Assistant Professors
Nathanael R. Hauck, Ph.D.; Jennifer R.
Kowalski, Ph.D.
Instructors
Tim Carter, Ph.D., director, Center for Urban
Ecology; Rebecca Dolan, Ph.D., director,
Friesner Herbarium; Erin Gerecke, Ph.D.; Marjorie
L. Hennessy, M.L.A., academic program
coordinator, Center for Urban Ecology; Marva
Meadows, M.S.; Charissa Osborne, Ph.D.
Why Study Biology?
Biology is the study of living things, including
plants, animals and microbes. A major in biology
will provide you with a broad education in
the biological sciences, exposing you to many
different facets of this diverse science. Biological
Sciences is a Liberal Arts major, and therefore
it is largely about teaching students how to
learn and think about the world. Students
will develop an understanding of the scientific
method, a process that develops analysis and
reasoning skills. Students will learn to think
logically, for example, by designing and following
an experiment through to its conclusion
and analyzing the results. Many students do
not realize the amount of creative thinking and
problem solving skills that also go into biology;
these will be developed as well. Biology majors
also have the opportunity to hone their communication
skills, both oral and written, as they
present the results of their experiments. While
many of these skills are emphasized in the
classroom, independent research projects with
faculty members and external internships afford
many students the opportunity to apply these
skills to real questions and problems.
A biology degree is versatile. While many
students major in biology as a precursor to
medical or dental school, there are a number of
other fields that students may pursue as well.
Students may go on to work as lab technicians
at hospitals, or at the state crime lab; others
may go on to teach at the primary, secondary or
college level. Many choose to pursue environmental
careers, such as working in forestry or
parks, or even as an environmental lobbyist.
Many biology majors choose to go on to
graduate school, where they pursue research in
genetics, ecology, cell biology, medical research,
or any other of the wide variety of fields in
biology. Many other career opportunities are
available in biomedical research, agriculture and
environmental management among other fields.
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Butler University
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences