BIOL-211 Syllabus

Course Description:  Cellular and Molecular Biology

Textbook Information:  Biology, Open Stax (OER), can be found at 

https://cnx.org/contents/GFy_h8cu@10.117:rZudN6XP@2/Introduction 

***See syllabus for assigned chapters. OpenStax is updated regularly. Any material from the book NOT presented in class will not be heavily emphasized on the exams or assignments.

Course Learning Objectives:  

• To understand the fundamentals of biology with a core focus on cellular and molecular biology. Topics we will focus on will include chemistry or life, macromolecules, cell structure and communication, metabolism, energetics, genetics, molecular biology, and gene expression. Students will learn how to read primary literature, execute the scientific method, perform experiments, and analyze data.

Student Learning Objectives: 

• Communication skills: 
  • Reading and writing - students will develop their ability to comprehend readings on biological subjects
  • Reading and writing - students will learn the basics of technical vocabulary of biology
• Thinking and reasoning:
  
  • Critical thinking - students will develop the critical thinking skills by evaluating scientific evidence to reach valid conclusions

Meet Your Instructor:  Dr. Dinh-Mahavongtrakul

Hello! My name is Dr. D and I am excited to be your biology instructor for this semester. I have long loved biology since a child and now get to spend my life hopefully inspiring wonder and appreciation of biology to SAC students! My background is in neurobiology and neuroscience - I received my undergraduate degree from UC Davis and completed my master's and doctoral degree at UC Irvine. I spent the last 10 years doing research, only to realize how much I enjoyed teaching, and here I am! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Looking forward to meeting you all!

When I'm not teaching, I enjoy reading (fantasy and sci-fi), running or hiking outdoors, gardening, doing art (photography, drawing, painting), and experimenting in the kitchen (spicy food predominantly). 

Course Syllabus: BIOL-211_FALL 2017syllabus PM-10.pdf