Contemporary Biology

This course is an introduction to biology as it applies to our everyday life. Learners will explore the interplay between science and self through a personalized case study of themselves and their environment. By the end of the course, learners will be able to recognize the interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of the scientific principles behind the physical world and their experiences living in it.

• Introduction to Cell Structures and Function
• In this module, we will make some discoveries about soil, the original and true cells of organisms that live within it and, the ways in which water and minerals travel from the soil and throughout plants.
• Energy Transfer & Flow
• In this module, we will take what we have learned about cells and cell transport and make discoveries about the way plants and animals obtain the energy they need for life. Building upon the knowledge gained, we will also make discoveries about interactions between organisms.
• Eukaryotic Cells & DNA
• In this module, we will take what we have learned about cells and cell transport, energy flow and transfer, and organismal interactions and we will make discoveries concerning the ways toxins enter cells, and their effects on the cell's genetic material.
• Cell Division & Heredity
• In this module, we will take what we have learned about cells and we will make discoveries concerning our genetic code, the two processes of cell replication, and how we inherit specific traits.