Organic Chemistry I

What are our moral obligations to other animals? Should non-human animals have legal rights and moral standing? If so, on what basis? How does the moral treatment of animals change across the contexts of food, research, captivity, and the home? Historically, western philosophers construct the animal in opposition to the human. Why? What is an “animal” and why is the “human” contrasted with it? How does language shape and produce our relationships with animals? How is the animal represented and characterized, and how does this representation impact our thinking about animal ethics?

This discussion-based course explores the relationships between humans and non-human animals. Drawing on fiction, philosophy, and ethology, we will examine our beliefs and assumptions regarding animals, human-animal relations, and the ethical implications of the human-animal binary. This course will focus on a wide range of theoretical approaches, including the traditions of animal liberation and animal rights as articulated by thinkers such as Tom Regan and Peter Singer, the growing field of animal studies as represented by thinkers like Jacques Derrida, and current debates in practical ethics, such as animal experimentation, hunting, and invasive species.

Upon completion of the course, students will have refined their understanding of the concept of the animal and they will be familiar with the key legal and ethical debates regarding human-animal relationships. Course requirements include class discussions, weekly writing exercises, a midterm exam, and a final paper or project. Students should come to this class prepared to read challenging philosophical essays and to share their ideas with others.

This course explores the fundamentals of biochemistry. Emphasis will be placed on the flow and regulation of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein, protein composition, structure and function, enzyme kinetics, metabolic pathways, and sensory systems. The integration of these key concepts will be explored through the lens of drugs: mechanism of action, metabolism in the body, and manipulation of protein and pathway function. This course should be especially useful to students with an interest in medicine, nutrition, physiology, toxicology, genetics, and pharmacology. This class meets for three hours of lecture per week; some sessions will include laboratory demonstrations and/or experiments. Evaluations are based on class preparation and participation, mid-term exam, and final paper.

This course introduces students to the molecular and cellular processes that are essential for life. We will initially cover some basic chemistry to develop a common language for discussing the complex molecular events that are the basis of the structure and function of cells. This class will explore cellular processes involved in metabolism, communication, growth, and reproduction. There is a strong emphasis on the understanding the genetic basis of these processes as well as how these processes are controlled, and we will delve into the structure and function of the DNA molecule in some detail. We will examine how our understanding of genetic processes and genome sequencing has led to applications in research, medicine, agriculture, and industry, with time also devoted to discussion of the social and ethical consequences attached to these technological innovations. Students will be evaluated on participation, performance on problem sets and quizzes throughout the term, and a final oral presentation.

This is one half of a 20-week, two-term introductory course in biology, providing an overview of the discipline and prerequisite for many intermediate and advanced biology courses. The course will emphasize biological structures at the level of whole organisms and organs and their role in the survival and reproduction of individuals and the evolution of populations . We will explore principles of evolution, classification, anatomy and physiology, epidemiology, behavior, and basic ecology. The primary focus of the course is on vertebrate animals and vascular plants, but we will make forays into other phylogenetic lineages at intervals. Weekly field and laboratory studies introduce students to the local range of habitats and a broad array of protists, plants, and animals. Attendance at two lectures and one lab each week is required; course evaluation is based on class participation, exams, preparation of a lab/field notebook, and a presentation. It should be stressed that this course emphasizes the unity of the organism within its environment. Ideally students will subsequently enroll in Biology:Cells and Molecules in order to further their exploration of issues in a more reductionist form, but neither course is a pre-requisite for the other.

This course will provide students with a toolbox of techniques in statistical analysis, with a focus on the biological sciences. Students will learn how to choose and apply a variety of widely used statistical tests, how to design experiments and studies with statistical analysis in mind, and how to use a range of specialized statistical approaches for data types frequently encountered in the biological sciences. The methods we will cover include parametric and nonparametric tests; approaches designed for categorical, ordinal, and continuous data; biodiversity statistics and ordination methods; Bayesian vs. frequentist inference; and robust experimental design. The class will highlight the assumptions involved in statistical inference and the conditions that must be met in order to use statistical tests appropriately. In the lab, students will use the statistical programming language R to explore, display, and analyze data using the methods covered in class. By the end of the term, students should be able to choose appropriate analytical methods for a wide range of data types, design statistically valid experiments, and write code for basic statistical tests in R. Students will be evaluated based on daily homework assignments, weekly lab work, several take-home exams, and a final group presentation based on an original analysis of an archived data set chosen by the students. Note: each student should have a laptop for lab (PC preferred; limited support will be provided for Mac users). Contact the instructor if you do not have your own laptop.

The goal of this sequence of courses is to develop the essential ideas of single-variable calculus: the limit, the derivative, and the integral. Understanding concepts is emphasized over intricate mathematical maneuverings. The mathematics learned are applied to topics from the physical, natural, and social sciences. There is a weekly lab/discussion section. Evaluations are based on homework, participation in class and lab, and tests.