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This course focuses on the ecology of conserving biodiversity and includes species, population, and ecosystem-level issues. Topics such as biodiversity, extinction, sustained yield, exotic species, and preserve design will be covered. Management implications are integrated throughout the course. Labs emphasize ecosystems and conservation problems of southern Minnesota.

This course will study animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective by covering proximate mechanisms and ultimate adaptiveness of behavior in a diversity of organisms from invertebrates to humans. It will examine how behaviors enhance survival and reproductive success, and the ways in which ecological pressures shape communication, predator avoidance, foraging, parental investment, altruism, and sociality, among other topics.

BIO 374 Genetics: This course extends the study of genetic principles and proficiency with primary literature introduced in the four-course core sequence. Focusing on the molecular basis of gene function and inheritance mechanisms, it underscores the enduring nature of fundamental genetic processes across evolution, covering topics like mutations, phenotypes, (Non) Mendelian genetics, population genetics, and evolution. Additionally, the course explores the intersection of genetics with society and ethics, exploring the historical and contemporary applications in agriculture, medicine, and law. Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab/recitation weekly.

This course will explore a selection of the mechanisms by which genetic changes permit uncontrolled cell growth in cancerous cells. We will examine how altered cell-cell interactions and physiology permit cancer cells to metastasize to multiple tissues. Additionally, we will discuss immunological defenses and modern treatment approaches that limit cancer cells' growth and spread.