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Category IV: Investigations in Science and Technology These courses focus on a particular area of research using perspectives from several scientific disciplines and demonstrating connections among scientific principles, their technological applications, and social consequences. A lab or field experience is required.
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ANTHROPOLOGY 200Lg
Sheeran
MW, 2:00-3:20
This class explores the evolutionary roots of humanity. It is intended to provide a foundation in how the scientific method can reveal aspects of our ancestry, using the fossil record of early humans, the behavior of living primates, and the behavior of living hunter-gatherer people. The course is a lecture format with a weekly lab and a field project. The core of this course is Darwinian theory, and all components of it. These principles explain how an ape ancestor evolved and diversified over 5 million years, leading to modern homosapiens.
Readings and Assignments:
Texts: Boyd and Silk: How Humans Evolved
Physical Anthropology Reader
Goodall: Through a Window
Plus other supplemental readings and much hands-on work in TA-run labs.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE 102Lg
Humans and their Environment
Kiefer
TTh, 2:00 - 3:20
The goals of this course are to teach ecological and evolutionary principles that control the size and species composition of populations plant species buy also the human population. We will see how the activities of humans have modified and destroyed natural communities, and how the human population is itself ultimately constrained by these principles. Each week the course material is presented in two 80-minute lectures and is discussed in one 120 minute discussion group. The discussion group also includes local field trips, a computer lab devoted to population dynamics, and several laboratory studies. Grades are based upon examinations, papers, and participation during the discussion group.This course explores principle of energy and material transformations,genetics, evolution, and ecology.
Readings and Assignments:
Reading assignments are in Audesirk and Audesirk, "Life on Earth," and in Goldfarb, "Taking Sides." The field trips are made to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the Page Museum. The laboratory studies explore natural selection and predator prey interactions. Students are required to write short papers on the articles from Goldfarb, their field trips, and their laboratory studies.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE 150g
Human Health and Disease
Appleman
TTh, 9:30 -11:00
BISC 150L is designed to bring students to a level of understanding of modern Biomedical Science that will enable them to make rational decisions on personal, ethical, and political issues in health and disease. This level will be reached through lectures, reading of texts and news media, discussions, and laboratory experiments.Topics include:
The molecular and cellular nature of man
Nutrition, atherosclerosis, and osteoporosis
Human genetics and genetic diseases
Cancer, its treatment and its prevention
Infection and the immune response
HIV, HIV therapy, and AIDS
Neurology and mental disease
BISC 150Lg is a participatory course. Frequent lecture exercises will encourage students to take ethical and social positions on health issues; critical assignments will allow students to evaluate public and media views on controversial subjects; a research project will lead students to become true experts on a subject of their choice; and laboratory experiments will give an appreciation of modern biotechnology. Examinations, which count for about one third of the course grade, will be open-book.
Note: Please contact the department for the readings and assignments list.
CHEMISTRY 203Lg
Chemistry in Life: AIDS Drug Discovery and Development
McKenna
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20
"Chemistry in Life" is a friendly new category IV GE course designed for "non"-science majors. However, students interested in health sciences (medicine, pharm., dentistry will find it interesting as well as business (entrepreneurism and biotechnology companies), law, social sciences and humanities students; undeclared majors are also welcomed (the first class, given F / 97 included cinema and exercise science majors, among others).
The focus of the course is the science underlying new AIDS drugs. 'Real world' aspects are also covered: how a drug is synthesized and tested, patent issues, economics of bringing a drug to the marketplace, how drugs are approved for human use. The course itself provides the necessary chemistry and other scientific background which is introduced on an as-needed, "just-in-time" basis. A multimedia snapshot of the course is currently available at the Chemistry 203Lg Website. Prospective students are encouraged to explore this site (for a quick overview, try the Chemistry 203Lg FAQ).
Students are guided through the amazing new molecular technology which is revolutionizing medicine, with focus on the science underlying new anti-viral agents or diagnostic reagents, from drug design to clinical use. The course adopts a multidisciplinary approach, integrating different scientific principles to explore how effective drugs have been developed against AIDS, a disease which was only clearly recognized 15 years ago.
Readings and Assignments:
A multimedia snapshot of this course is currently available at the Chemistry 203Lg Website. The Website lists the text and includes outline notes for the entire course. The course makes extensive use of the World Wide Web to find information resources. A virtual lab (computer-based) is included which provides every student with a hands-on tutorial on:
1) how to use a computer interface with the Web;
2) how to find medical and other scientific information on the Web;
3) how to locate specific drugs and drug makers on the Web; and much else. In addition, the course features several guest lectures by experts who provide current perspectives on course topics.
EXERCISE SCIENCE 205Lg
The Science of Human Performance
Girandola
MWF, 10:00 - 10:50
Please contact the department for course description.
GEOGRAPHY 265Lg
The Water Planet
Bauer
TTh, 3:30 - 4:50
Please contact the department for course description.
GEOGRAPHY 281Lg
Environmental Geographic Information Systems
Wilson
TTh, 2:00 - 3:20
This course introduces students to the evolving science, technology, and applications of Geographic Information Systems. These methods are increasingly used to advance scientific knowledge of the natural and built environments, and they have been applied to problems of water supply, soil water distribution, erosion and deposition, non-point source pollution, crop yield and growth, and ecological modeling. The lab assignments provide "hands-on" exposure to computer processing of environmental information with a variety of GIS software packages.
Required Texts:Clarke K.C. (1999) Getting Started with Geographic Information Systems (2nd edition). Upper Saddle Creek, NJ, Prentice Hall. 338p.
Grading: Laboratory Assignments (10 total) 40%
Mid-term Exam 20%
Final Exam 40%
GEOLOGY 108Lg
Crises of a Planet
Anderson
TTh, 11:00 -12:20
This course will explore the impact of Earth's natural evolution on civilization and the impact of our growing population on the Earth's ecosystems and resources. As leaders of tomorrow, students of today face unprecedented challenges that include both ethical and technical issues regarding our planet and its environment. The Earth is a "restless" planet. Without volcanism and earthquakes, it would not have evolved to a state supportive of biologic life. Yet, the success of our species is leading to an increasing number of natural disasters. From floods to earthquakes to landslides, such forms of planetary instability are natural. They have always occurred but can become disasters when we fail to understand what is natural.
The course will consider how the Earth came to be where it is today and how humans fit into its natural evolution. Human population trends are increasing geometrically. Although it took two million years for our population to achieve the first billion mark, today our population grows by a billion every decade. As result, our impact on Earth is becoming severe with remarkable effects on the balance of nature in areas such as global warming, acid rain and pollution, and high atmosphere ozone depletion. Other topics include the Earth's diminished ability to provide through its water, mineral, and energy resources. Because of such issues, students of today and our leaders to tomorrow need to be educated about the Earth, including the natural aspects of its instability and the ways that humans are unnaturally affecting its continued evolution. Are we to be part of the problem or part of the solution? These are global problems that carry into every corner of the world.
Required Texts:
Pipkin and Trent, Geology and the Environment, 2nd edition
Lab manual - to be added later
Grading: The assignment of grades will be based on two midterms and a final for the lecture portion and weekly exercises, three writing projects, and a final for the laboratory portion of the course. Also included is a two-day field trip with an overnight camp out. Students that are unable to attend the field trip are asked to submit a term paper.
GEOLOGY 125Lg
Earth History: A Planet and Its Evolution
Hammond
MWF, 9:00 - 9:50
How did Earth originate? What is the origin of life? Why did the dinosaurs die? Will climate change? Why do earthquakes occur? Will California fall into the Ocean? Basic sciences are used to interpret clues from astronomical observations and those written in the rock record; these trace the origin and history of the Earth, beginning with the Big Bang. Weekly labs emphasize skills in observation and analysis of data. A field trip visits rocks in their habitat. No previous college science required.
Required Texts: To be decided.
Grading: Laboratory (25%)
Field Trip (10%)
2 Mid-terms (20% each)
Final Exam (25%)
Note: Please contact the department for the reading and assignments list.
GEOLOGY 150Lg
Climate Change
Stott
MWF, 10:00 - 10:50
The Earth's climate influences all aspects of Earth's environment and plays an important role in determining the economic vitality development within a society. The Earth's climate also plays an important role in determining patterns of biological change. Earth's geological history teaches us that some climate changes that have occurred have been very abrupt and had dramatic effects on the Earth's biota. Future climate changes are inevitable and, to some extent, predictable. Yet predicting exactly how, why and when climate will change is very difficult, requiring sophisticated scientific data gathering techniques and advanced computer models in order to make even the most fundamental predictions, like what the climate will be tomorrow or the next day. Understanding the climate system and being able to make accurate statements about future climate change is of such importance to our social well being that climate research is a major focus in the United States scientific community.
This course is designed to provide the student with an introduction to the science of climate change. In this course we will examine how the climate system operates. We will investigate records of past climate on Earth ranging from the time of the dinosaurs to the dawn of man. We will examine the impact of climate change on biological, sociological and economic patterns on Earth. We will also examine some of the controversial aspects of potential future climate change, including global warming and greenhouse effect and El Niño. The course consists of three lectures each week and one laboratory . In the laboratory the students will participate in the development of scientific hypothesis which will then be tested by conducting an experiment or making observations. The laboratory assignments will provide a hands-on experience with the science of climate change.
The laboratory portion of the class is intended to help you understand the complexity of the climate system, how it operates and how it is susceptible to change. We will examine real climate data and will use this data to learn how climate change is evaluated. You will also be asked to form work groups (of approximately 5 people) to conduct a research project. The project will be to investigate a climate event. You can use all the resources you've learned in the class to document as much about the climate of this event as possible. The group will then present its findings on the last week of the class.
Required Texts:
Text Book: Atmosphere, Climate and Change, by T. Graedel and P. Crutzen (required)
Text Book: The Atmosphere 7th ed., F. Lutgens and E. Tarbuck (optional)
Lab Manual: The Atmosphere 7th ed., C. Carbone (required)
plus handouts provided.
Grading: The course grade is based on a total point scale of 500 points. There are two midterm exams (100 points each). The laboratory portion of the class is worth 150 points. Group Reports are 50 points. The final exam is worth 150 points.
GEOLOGY 240Lg
Earthquakes
Dolan
TTh, 12:30-1:50
Please contact the department for course description.
LINGUISTICS 275Lg
Language and Mind
Mintz
TTh, 11:30-12:20
Please contact the department for course description.
PHYSICS 200Lg
The Physics and Technology of Energy: Keeping the Motor Running
Bozler
TTh, 10:00-11:50
Please contact the department for course description.
