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 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.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS BI 608: Insect Biology
  Undergraduate prerequisites:(CASBI107 & CASBI108) CAS BI 303 is recommended. 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. Lab focuses on insect diversity.
• 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
  Graduate Prerequisites: CASBI203 (or equivalent) & CASBI206 (or equivalent) or consent of inst ructor. - 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
  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, and sleep. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory, one hour pre-lab.
• 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, and 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: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning.
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  • 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
  Fundamental principles of developmental neurobiology. Course stresses molecular mechanisms that underlie early neural development, differentiation, process outgrowth, and behavior. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• CAS BI 671: Survey of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Biology graduate students, who have not yet taken their qualifying exam, in areas of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology. Other s 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.
• CAS BI 681: Molecular Biology of the Neuron
  Topics include electrical properties of single neurons, how neurons propagate electrical signals and communicate in synaptic transmission. The course will also examine the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopment and study synaptic plasticity in relation to learning and memory and disease. 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.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS BI 696: First Year Graduate Seminar in Biology
  A seminar designed to help guide first-year Biology PhD students through their first semester as graduate students at BU.
• CAS BI 697: A Bridge to Knowledge: A Practical Seminar for First-Year Graduate Students in Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: first-year MA or PhD students in Biology or MCBB, or first-time teach ing fellows in Biology or MCBB. - A seminar for first-year biology and MCBB graduate students. Basic pedagogical theory and professional development topics are covered. The course is intended to help students become effective teachers and members of the graduate community. Also offered as GRS MB 697.