GNSCI 141 - Biological Science: Health and Disease

Credits: (4)
This course is designed to fulfill the Natural World domain requirement and is designed to be accessible for students with little scientific background. The first half of the course will explore the fundamentals of immunity from a cell biology perspective, building towards a whole body view of the immune response and the mechanisms and effectiveness of vaccination. The second half of the course will cover the fundamentals of viral, bacterial and human immune diseases by using various “case-study” diseases as guides. Students will gain an understanding of the proper functioning of the immune system, and understand how various pathogens and disease circumvent the human immune response to cause disease. Additionally, this course will rely on student interaction and participation to frame our discussions in the context of current world events, “popular science culture” and relevant scientific and social topics. This course will be complimented by in depth discussions, critical and analytic reading, and labs designed to further the students understanding of the scientific method and general biological mechanisms. (As needed)