BIOL 101 - Creatures and Curiosities

This course deals with unfamiliar, mysterious, beautiful, grotesque, and overlooked animals all around us: the invertebrates. We will explore animal evolution and focus on the biology of creatures such as sponges, jellyfish, insects, and corals. In addition, we will discuss the cultural role of animals as curiosities - as specimens in cabinets and museums, or the subjects of phobias and urban legends. Drawing on topics in marine biology and entomology, students will learn about the ecology, life cycles, and anatomy of major groups of animals through lectures, observation of live animals, and dissections. Students must complete two field trips outside of class time. Two 1-hour lectures and one 1-hour lab per week. Offered most years, fall semester. (4 Credits)