Independent reading or research course. A full course. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

(Offered as BIOL 440 and ENST 441) Conservation biology is a highly interdisciplinary field, requiring careful consideration of biological, economic, and sociological issues. Solutions to biodiversity conservation and environmental challenges are even more complex. Yet, conservation is a topic of timely importance in order to safeguard biological diversity. Utilizing articles from the primary literature, course topics will include invasive species, restoration, climate change, and biodiversity banking, as well as how to determine appropriate conservation priorities.

This course will explore the relationship between an animal's behavior and its social and ecological context. The topic for 2018 will be the evolution of sexual dimorphism in animals. Sexual dimorphism is widespread in animals, yet its causes remain controversial and have generated much debate. In this seminar, we will examine a variety of sexual dimorphisms in different groups of animals and consider hypotheses for how these sexual dimorphisms may have evolved.

The vertebrate immune response is a consequence of the developmentally programmed or antigen-triggered interaction of a complex network of cell types. These interactions, controlled by regulatory cells and molecules, often result in the production of highly specific cellular or molecular effectors of immune responses. This course will present the principles underlying immune responses and introduce the literature and methodology of immunological research.

(Offered as BIOL 371 and BCBP 371) A study of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission and expression of genes. DNA replication and recombination, RNA synthesis and processing, and protein synthesis and modification will be examined. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be analyzed, with an emphasis upon the regulation of gene expression. Application of modern molecular methods to biomedical and agricultural problems will also be considered. The laboratory component will focus upon recombinant DNA methodology.

(Offered as BIOL 370 and BCBP 370) A study of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission and expression of genes. DNA replication and recombination, RNA synthesis and processing, and protein synthesis and modification will be examined. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be analyzed, with an emphasis upon the regulation of gene expression. Application of modern molecular methods to biomedical and agricultural problems will also be considered. Four classroom hours per week.