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List
of Courses Taught:
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Fall 2005 (2 sections, 304 students)
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Spring 2006 (2 sections, 200 students)
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Spring 2006 (1 section, 5 students)
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Fall 2005 (1 section1, 10 students)
Course Descriptions:
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BIOL 120 is the first part
of a two-semester sequence designed to prepare biology majors for upper
level courses in biology and to provide non-majors a firm foundation in
the principles of biology. Course content includes cell biology,
developmental biology, classification and taxonomy, and evolutionary
theory. The course also introduces the way scientists approach and
attempt to solve problems leading to the discovery of and development of
new knowledge. The place and role of human in the world is presented.
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BIOL 121 is designed to
provide a broad overview of animal biology, emphasizing animal diversity
and taxonomy, basic anatomy and physiology, evolutionary adaptations, and
ecological relationships. The first part of the course will provide a
basic overview of the various animal phyla starting with the protozoans,
which are the simplest animal-like organisms, and ending with human
evolution. The second part of the course will provide a comparative
examination of the major organ systems found in animals, with an emphasis
on vertebrate organ systems. The third part of the course will provide a
broad overview of how animals interact with each other and their
environment. The entire course will be placed within an evolutionary
context.
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Ichthyology encompasses
various aspects of the study of fishes, including anatomy,
behavior, conservation, ecology, evolution, physiology, taxonomy, and
zoogeography. More than 24,000 species of
fishes have been described from every conceivable aquatic habitat, making
it the largest group of vertebrates known. To help organize the inherent
complexity associated with the study of fishes, this course will
consist of three major parts: (1) the anatomy and physiology of fishes,
(2) the evolution, systematics, and zoogeography of fishes, and (3) the
conservation and ecology of fishes. The material will cover fishes from
around the world, both marine and freshwater, but will emphasize the
freshwater fishes of Texas. The unparalleled diversity of fishes provides
an excellent opportunity to effectively illustrate fundamental concepts of
ecology and evolutionary biology.
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The purpose of this course
is to survey the statistical principles of research design for
experimental and observational studies, emphasizing (1) both exploratory
and confirmatory statistics, (2) both parametric and nonparametric
statistics, and (3) problems and techniques of particular importance in
cellular and organismal biology. Although the course requires no previous
knowledge of statistics, it does require a basic knowledge of algebra.
The purpose and assumptions of statistical methods will be stressed as
much as the mechanics. Emphasis will be placed on the use of SPSS as a
computer program to conduct statistical analyses.
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