Courses

Biology (BIOL) 204

Principles of Biology I (Revision 5)

Revision 5 closed, replaced current version.

Delivery Mode:Individualized study with a home lab component. The home lab kit contains seeds, etc. Students living outside Canada should contact the course professor before registering.

Due to quarantine regulations students from outside Canada will have to purchase seeds for the home labs within their respective country.

Credits:3

Area of Study:Science

Prerequisite:None. Senior-level high school biology and/or chemistry is strongly recommended.

Centre:Centre for Science

BIOL 204 has a Challenge for Credit option.

View Home Lab Activities and Resources.

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Overview

BIOL 204 is a introductory course in general biology and the first of two introductory biology courses that will prepare students for most second-year biology courses. This course is designed for home study, supplemented with home labs. Topics covered include chemical basis of life, cell structure, biological membranes, cellular structure, cellular metabolism, photosynthesis, cell reproduction, principles of heredity, molecular genetics, genetics of development, natural selection, population genetics, speciation, and evolution.

Outline

Part I: The Organization of Life

Chapter 1: A View of Life
Chapter 2: Atoms and Molecules: The Chemical Basis of Life
Chapter 3: The Chemistry of Life: Organic Compounds
Chapter 4: Organization of the Cell
Chapter 5: Biological Membranes
Chapter 6: Cell Communication

Part II: Energy Transfer Through Living Systems

Chapter 7: Energy and Metabolism
Chapter 8: How Cells Make ATP: Energy-Releasing Pathways
Chapter 9: Photosynthesis: Capturing Energy

Part III: The Continuity of Life: Genetics

Chapter 10: Chromosomes, Mitosis, and Meiosis
Chapter 11: The Basic Principles of Heredity
Chapter 12: DNA: The Carrier of Genetic
Information
Chapter 13: Gene Expression
Chapter 14: Gene Regulation
Chapter 15: DNA Technology and Genomics
Chapter 16: The Human Genome
Chapter 17: Developmental Genetics

Part IV: The Continuity of Life: Evolution

Chapter 18: Introduction to Darwinian Evolution
Chapter 19: Evolutionary Change in Populations
Chapter 20: Speciation and Macroevolution
Chapter 21: The Origin and Evolutionary History of Life
Chapter 22: The Evolution of Primates

Evaluation

To receive credit for BIOL 204, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent); a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination; and obtain an average of at least 50 percent on the assignments. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Assignment 1 (Chapters 1-6 and home lab activities)	10%
Assignment 2 (Chapters 7-9 and home lab activities)	10%
Assignment 3 (Chapters 10-17 and home lab activities)	15%
Assignment 4 (Chapters 18-22 and home lab activities)	10%
Final Exam (Chapters 1-22 and home lab activities)	55%
Total	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R., & Martin, D. W. (2008). Biology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: - Thompson Brooks/Cole

Daniel, R. S., Daniel, S. C., & Taylor, R. L. (2008). Study Guide to Accompany Biology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning.

Other materials

The course materials also include a student manual, a home lab manual, an assignment booklet, and a home lab kit.

Special Instructional Features

The home lab kit supplies many of the materials used for the home labs. The student will, however, have to supplement the home lab kit with some common kitchen items or supplies. Students may also borrow materials from Athabasca University Library.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 5, June 10, 2009.

View previous syllabus

Last updated by SAS 04/28/2015 15:09:48