BIOL210

The goal of this course is to present an integrated approach to essential core themes and concepts for an introductory microbiology course. This course is for science majors and provides a foundation for practical hands-on applications and critical thinking skills that are a critical part of science and medical based professions. Darwinian principles of evolution provide an overarching theme to the course. Cellular structures, metabolic pathways, regulatory signals, and genetic exchange mechanisms exhibited by microorganisms at present are the products of natural selection. Evolutionary processes are observed in the microbial world today and demonstrated in cases such as antibiotic resistance, xenobiotic biodegradation, and the coevolution of hosts and pathogens. Microorgaznisms discussed in the course include subcellular viruses and other infections agents, cellular life forms to include all prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes, and multicellular helminthic worms. Prerequisite: BIOL 221 Human A & P I w/"C" or better or BIOL 201 Principles of Biology I w/"C" or better