BI**194: Fall 2025 Course Descriptions
Disclaimer: Students may not receive credit for a second attempt of the same topic that was previously completed.
| Instructor |
Golden, Susan |
| Title |
Biological Rhythms |
| Description |
This class will cover current topics in molecular and behavioral rhythms related to circadian, annual, tidal, or lunar timescales, and topics that may range from human sleep and performance to processes in environmental and laboratory organisms. |
| Prerequisites |
Please see the Biology Course Prerequisites page for most current prerequisite information. |
| Instructor |
Golden, James |
| Title |
Microbiology Current Topics |
| Description |
This class will cover current topics in microbiology from recent scientific review articles and primary research papers. Topics could include areas such as molecular mechanisms of bacterial cell biology; genetics and evolution of traits such as antibiotic resistance; bacterial interactions such as biofilms, symbiosis, or pathogenesis; and microbial biotechnology. |
| Prerequisites |
Please see the Biology Course Prerequisites page for most current prerequisite information. |
| Instructor |
Karlseder, Jan & Saghatelian, Alan |
| Title |
Genetics and Metabolism of Cancer |
| Description |
Cancer is a leading cause of death and understanding this disease at a fundamental level has been at the forefront of biological science. Cancers are linked by abnormal cell growth and therefore the mechanisms that promote and enable uncontrolled cell growth and immortality are of interest. These mechanisms include changes to the genome that lead to a gain of cancer promoting genes or loss of cancer suppressing genes. Similarly, cancers acquire changes in metabolism that enable a tumor cell to grow more rapidly that non-cancerous cells. This course focuses on the most recent genetic and metabolic pathways that have been linked to cancer; how these pathways were discovered; and the tools that are used to study cancer in a lab. The material in this course will require a basic understanding of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry. |
| Prerequisites |
Please see the Biology Course Prerequisites page for most current prerequisite information. |
| Instructor |
Wertheim, Joel |
| Title |
Contagion: Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases |
| Description |
In this course, we will explore the factors that underlie the emergence, epidemiology, and evolution of infectious diseases. We will use the 2011 feature film Contagion as an entry point to understanding how we can use molecular epidemiology to study and combat these emerging threats. Students will read and discuss primary literature describing the current state of the field, with a particular focus on viral pathogens like HIV, Ebola virus, and SARS-CoV-2. |
| Prerequisites |
Please see the Biology Course Prerequisites page for most current prerequisite information. |
