Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. 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 593: Marine Physiology and Climate Change
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI108) or consent of the instructor, and admission to the Marine Semester. - Explores the range of physiological responses marine organisms exhibit in response to climate change. Investigates phenotypic plasticity exhibited across different organisms and how this plasticity can influence an organism's resilience to its changing environment.
• CAS BI 594: Topics in Biology 5
  This course may be repeated for credit if the topic is different. Prerequisites vary with topic.
• CAS BI 595: Master's Research in Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Admission into the MS or BA/MS combined program - Biology laboratory research conducted under supervision of a faculty member. Externships are acceptable with prior approval. Minimum of 7.5 or 15 hours per week in the lab, culminating in submission of a written progress report.
• CAS BI 597: Graduate Directed Study in Biology
  Mentored directed study with a faculty member of the Biology Department. The directed study should involve graduate level investigation on a well-defined subject determined in consultation with faculty member.
• CAS BI 598: Neural Circuits
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASBI 325 or CASNE 203, and CASPY 106. - Reviews modern techniques and toolsets that are capable of dissecting neural circuits, which are critical for understanding how coordinated patterns of neural activity lead to complex behavior. Recent literature on information processing, guided behavior and cognition is discussed.
• CAS BI 599: Physiology of the Synapse
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. Recommended: CAS BI 325 or BI 445 or BI 481. - Neuron development and maturation, synapse formation, structure and molecular components of synapses, synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitter receptors, cellular basis for learning and memory, synaptic pathology in neurological diseases. Two hours lecture, two hours paper presentation and discussion.
• CAS BI 607: Animal Behavior
  Ethological approach to animal behavior. Physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes and adaptive significance of behavior are examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS BI 608: Insect Biology
  Explores the biology of insects, focusing on insect diversity and complexity. Lectures focus on various aspects of insect biology, including development, physiology, behavior, ecology and evolution. The lab focuses on insect diversity, highlighting major insect orders and families. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory.
• CAS BI 610: Developmental Biology
  Contemporary aspects of development, drawing from current literature. Emphasis on the use of experimental approaches to address topics such as polarity in the egg, body axis specification, embryonic patterning and organogenesis. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• CAS BI 611: Microbiome: Our Intimate Relationship with Microorganisms
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASBI203 (or equivalent) & CASBI206 (or equivalent) or consent of instructor. The microbial community - referred to as "microbiome" - that colonizes the human body plays an important role in our health. Topics include (1) the human microbiome; and (2) fundamental aspects of the interactions between animals and the microorganisms that reside with them. Three hours lecture; one hour discussion.
• CAS BI 613: Microbial Ecology
  Microorganisms are the most abundant, diverse form of life on Earth. Through lectures and discussions, this course views microbes in coordination with their environments, exploring how they evolve, move, metabolize, and interact in relation to their abiotic and biotic surroundings.
• CAS BI 614: Ornithology
  Examines the behavior, ecology, and morphology, physiology, classification, and evolution of birds. Flight, navigation, migration, territorial courtship, nesting, and parental behavior. Field trips. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion and demonstrations.
• CAS BI 623: Marine Biogeochemistry
  Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry.
• CAS BI 643: Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI107 OR CASES105) and CH 101/102, or consent of instructor. The patterns and processes controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include net primary production, nutrient use efficiency, and biogeochemical transformation.
• CAS BI 645: Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology
  CASBI 645 Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology Undergraduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. Cellular and molecular basis of neural excitability and synaptic transmission. The molecular understanding of ion channels is extrapolated to higher brain functions such as learning, memory, sleep and seizures. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory, one hour pre-lab.
• CAS BI 647: Neurotoxins in Biology, Medicine, Agriculture and War
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASBI 203 or CASNE 203. We study effects of neurotoxins—including animal venoms and man-made chemicals such as pesticides and chemical weapons—on mammalian physiology. Topics covered: biochemical and cell/molecular mechanisms, toxin effects on system physiology, medical applications and behavioral context of animal venom. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning 1.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Critical Thinking
  • Quantitative Reasoning I
• CAS BI 648: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
  The study of biological diversity and modern methods to protect endangered plant and animal species. The environment, population, genetic, and human factors that affect the survival of species are examined for temperate and tropical communities, as well as terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
• CAS BI 649: Neuroscience Design Lab
  Design and build devices for neuroscience experiments. Interface sensors with computers using Arduino microprocessors. Guided exercises followed by independent design projects to quantify human sensory and motor performance, or emulate animal sensory-motor circuits. All levels of programming experience accepted. Also offered as GRS NE 649.
• CAS BI 655: Developmental Neurobiology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASBI 203 or CASBI 325 or CASNE 203 or consent of instructor. Fundamental principles of developmental neurobiology, stressing molecular mechanisms that underlie early neural development, differentiation, process outgrowth, and behavior. Two hours lecture, two hours paper presentation and discussion.
• CAS BI 671: Survey of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology
  Graduate Prerequisites: Biology graduate students, who have not yet taken their qualifying exam, in areas of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology. Others will be permitted at the discretion of the instructor. Introduces graduate students to current faculty and graduate student research in ecology, behavior, evolution, and marine biology. Students and faculty share expertise and establish collaborations, helping the Department of Biology to leverage its most important asset: intellectual capital.