Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• CAS BI 494: Topics in Biology 4
  Topics and prerequisites vary.
• CAS BI 497: Honors in Biology Seminar
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: For students taking CAS BI 401, BI 402, BI 453, or BB 453.
  A 2-credit weekly research seminar for students in CAS BI 401, BI 402, BI 453, or BB 453 in the Fall semester. Students learn and present digitally produced descriptions of their research and prepare their theses for defense under the guidance of the Research and Honors Committee. A minimum grade of B+ in BI 402 and this course or BI 498 is required to graduate with honors. Students participate in only one course, either BI 497 or BI 498. Effective Fall 2020, this course carries a single unit in the follow Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression.
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  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
• CAS BI 498: Honors in Biology Seminar
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: For students taking CAS BI 401, BI 402, BI 453, or BB 453.
  A 2-credit weekly research seminar for students in CAS BI 401, BI 402, BI 453, or BB 453 in the Spring semester. Students learn and present digitally produced descriptions of their research and prepare their theses for defense under the guidance of the Research and Honors Committee. A minimum grade of B+ in BI 402 and this course or BI 497 is required to graduate with honors. Students participate in only one course, either BI 497 or BI 498. Effective Fall 2020, this course carries a single unit in the follow Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression.
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  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
• CAS BI 500: Shark Biology & Conservation
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: some background in ecology and/or evolution recommended.
  Explores the natural history and behavior of sharks and their relationship to other animals in the ecosystem. Conservation of sharks and other elasmobranchs is crucial to ecosystem function and requires accurate scientific knowledge to implement the best conservation practices. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Scientific Inquiry II
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS BI 504: Advanced Evolutionary Analysis
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 309; or permission of instructor.
  Modern concepts, controversies, and analytical approaches in evolutionary biology. Topics include adaptation, natural and sexual selection, species and species formation, phylogenetics, origin of evolutionary novelty, adaptive radiation, basic population and quantitative genetics, development and evolution. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• CAS BI 506: Phenotypic Plasticity
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing, CAS BI 107; and one of the following: BI 303, BI 309, BI 315, or BI 410; or consent of instructor.
  Explores the flexible phenotype as a product of development and target of natural selection, addresses phenotypic plasticity in ecological interactions and evolutionary diversity, evolution and mechanisms of plasticity, plasticity in ecology, diversification of life, and conservation in a changing environment.
• CAS BI 507: Diversity of Sex
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing, WR 120 or equivalent; and one of the following: CAS BI 225, BI 309, BI 315, BI 407, or BI 410; or consent of instructor.
  Examines the integrative and comparative biology of sex and sexes based on readings drawn from recent primary literature, review papers, and book chapters. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
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  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS BI 508: Behavioral Ecology
  Examines the adaptive significance of behavior in an ecological context. Topics include the evolution of social behavior, mating systems, sexual selection, alternative reproductive behaviors, life history strategies, optimal foraging, territoriality, cooperation and conflict, host- parasite co-evolution, the ecology of communication, and comparative analyses.
• CAS BI 509: Metapopulation Ecology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
  Introduces students to metapopulation ecology through the lens of propagule dispersal and population connectivity. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS BI 510: Institutional Racism in Health and Science
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 126 or CAS BI 206/216 or ENG BE 209, and senior standing, or consent of instructor.
  Graduate Prerequisites: MSc./PhD. program standing in Bioinformatics, or MSc./PhD. program standing in Biology, or MSc./M.A. standing in BU Wheelock, or consent ofinstructor.
  Traces the historical mischaracterization of race as a biological construct and the physiological manifestations of racism. Through the study of primary sources, students learn to discriminate between fact-based conclusions and unsupported pseudoscience and to construct empirical knowledge.
• CAS BI 511: Coral Reef Fishes
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to the Marine Semester and consent of instructor.
  Introduces the ecology, evolution, and behavior of coral reef fishes, with a special focus on the coral reef fishes of Belize. Students are introduced to the organisms, the environments, and key concepts in behavioral, population, and community ecology.
• CAS BI 513: Genetics Laboratory
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 203 and CAS BI 206; and senior standing, and consent of instructor.
  Genetic techniques such as mutant selection and screening, complementation, mapping, recombinant DNA, and chemical genetic screening are taught using the genetic model systems Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Arabidopsis thaliana. Short-term and long-term projects in which students formulate and test hypotheses.
• CAS BI 515: Population Genetics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 206 or CAS BI 309; MA/CS requirements for Biology major plus BI206 or BI303; or consent of instructor.
  General introduction to population genetics, including the interactions of basic evolutionary processes (mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, inbreeding, recombination, and gene flow) in determining the genetic composition and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. Course considers the classic models and insights of the modern evolutionary synthesis and more recently developed approaches based on coalescent theory and population genomics.
• CAS BI 519: Theoretical Evolutionary Ecology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 107 and CAS MA 121/123 (also recommended: CAS BI 225 or CAS BI303 or CAS BI 309); or consent of the instructor.
  Familiarizes students with the theory of evolutionary ecology. Students gain enough background to read theoretical evolutionary ecology literature, do simple modeling, and move on to more complex theory. Students gain experience through homework assignments and computer labs. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
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  • Scientific Inquiry II
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS BI 520: Sensory Neurobiology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 325 or CAS NE 203; or consent of instructor.
  Animals receive a constant stream of sensory input that they use to adjust their behavior. In this course we explore how sensory systems translate the physical features of the outside world into meaningful patterns of neural activity.
• CAS BI 521: Quantitative Marine Fisheries
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 123; or equivalent and admission to the Marine Semester.
  Centered on the mathematics and computational methods that underly and support fisheries science and management. Course content provides abundant hands-on experience in R; revisits key mathematics and statistics for ecology and marine science; and hones critical thinking & problem solving. The core philosophy for coding exercises is "basic tools to do not-so-basic science". Course provides context on the past, present, and future of managing exploited marine populations and the natural world around them.
• CAS BI 523: Marine Urban Ecology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Marine Semester.
  Marine Urban Ecology is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how human and ecological processes can coexist in human-dominated systems. Topics, ecosystems, and organisms associated with urbanization in the Greater Boston area. Also offered as CAS GE 523.
• CAS BI 525: Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS NE 102 and CAS NE 203; and NE major; and junior or senior standing.
  An in-depth look at molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and their impact and relevance in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Topics include the molecular pathways of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Creuztfeldt-Jacob Disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS BI 527: Biochemistry Laboratory 1
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS CH 204 ; CAS CH 212 ; CAS CH 214; or CASCH282.
  Emphasizes the purification and characterization of proteins and DNA. Development and use of modern instrumentation and techniques. Same as CH527 and laboratory portion of CAS BI/CH421. Required for BMB students enrolled concurrently in GMS BI 555. Four hours lab, one hour discussion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• CAS BI 528: Biochemistry Laboratory 2
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI/CH 421 or CAS BI/CH 527.
  Emphasizes protein, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, and lipid chemistry. Development and use of modern instrumentation and techniques. Four hours lab, one hour discussion. Same as CAS CH528 and laboratory portion of CAS BI/CH422. Required for BMB students enrolled concurrently in GMS BI 556. Four hours lab, one hour discussion.