Biological Sciences

Question 1.

• Become an informed citizen with regard to biological concepts.
  
  
  • Be able to understand biological news items pertaining to evolution (the basis of modern biology), cells (structure and function), genetics, and the environment. (Medicine is not listed separately because each medical issue relates to one or more of these fundamental aspects of biology.)
    
    
  • Be able to deal, from an informed standpoint, with scientific issues that impact their lives.
    
    
    • environmental
      
      
    • medical (e.g., function as their own health advocate in the health care system)
      
      
• Become familiar with scientific methodology.
  
  
  • experimental basis of science (preferably with hands-on experience)
    
    
  • interpretation of scientific data using graphs and tables
    
    
  • distinguish false and exaggerated claims from truthful interpretations, or at least be skeptical (be able to apply, e.g., to advertising)
    
    
• Reasoning - Enhance/develop ability to:
  
  
  • solve problems using logic.
    
    
  • master a defined body of factual information, and then use the information in the solution of problems.
    
    
  • understand large concepts and apply them to specific situations.
    
    
  • generalize from specific observations

   

• Broaden outlook on the world by learning important scientific information that may be difficult to learn outside a formal educational setting.

Question 2.

• Communicate effectively in written and spoken English, including public speaking.
  
  
• Acquire/refine math skills
  
  
  • applied math
    
    
  • sense of scale (ability to roughly estimate so as to check calculator results)
    
    
• Develop an in-depth understanding of some field outside science with e.g., 3 courses in one of the humanities.
  
  
• Reasoning
  • Ability to understand large concepts and apply them to specific situations.
  • Ability to generalize from specific information.
    
    
• Broaden outlook on world by learning:
  
  
  • important information that may be difficult to learn outside a formal educational setting.
    
    
  • disciplines the student might not have been aware of before the college experience.