Biology (BIO)

Co-requisite: CHE 108 is required. This course will introduce concepts and skills to help students successfully navigate STEM courses and the biology major. Study skills, resources, careers, and academic mindset will be discussed. Students will be asked to reflect on their own learning. Consent required.

Offered Fall, Spring

Representative topics in modern biology, emphasizing the present state of knowledge and the major means whereby this knowledge is being expanded. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 102 (may be taken concurrently) Laboratory work and demonstrations in representative areas of modern biology. Emphasizes scientific methodology. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: CHE 108 or satisfactory performance on General Chemistry Placement Test. CHE 110 is recommended. Co-requisite: BIO 121. Introduction to basic biological concepts including biochemistry and macromolecules, the structure and function of cells, basic genetic principles, DNA replication, transcription and translation. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 120. Laboratory investigations of the properties of biological molecules and cells, metabolism, and patterns of inheritance. Modern laboratory techniques and application of the scientific method are emphasized. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 120 and BIO 121, CHE 108 or satisfactory performance on General Chemistry Placement Test. CHE 110 is recommended. Co-requisite: BIO 123. Introduction to basic biological concepts, including biology of prokaryotes, fungi, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates, the anatomy and physiology of select organ systems. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Laboratory investigations demonstrating the major properties of the animal kingdom, plant structure and reproduction, vertebrate organ systems and animal fertilization. Application of the scientific method is emphasized. Three hours of lab per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 122 and BIO 123. Co-requisite: BIO 125. Introduction to basic concepts of evolution and ecology, including Darwinian evolution, biogeography, biodiversity, genomics, biomes, coevolution, and population, community, ecosystem, landscape, behavioral ecology. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 124. Fossils and stratigraphy, population genetics and ecology, field measurements in ecology and field trips to local ecosystems. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

General aspects of marine biology including the principles of physical and biological oceanography, the biological processes of marine life and the ecology of marine environments.

Offered As needed

Introductory course of special interest in Biology for entry level students. Topic and content will vary as announced. Two to three hours of lecture per week. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered Infrequent

Offered All terms

Prerequisites: BIO 120, BIO 121, BIO 122, BIO 123 and CHE 110. Co-requisite: BIO 221. Principles of molecular biology including DNA replication, transcription, translation, DNA recombination and repair and gene regulation. Emphasis on prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

Co-requisite: BIO 220. Basic laboratory techniques used in molecular biology, including DNA recombination, cDNA synthesis, PCR, transfection, gel electrophoresis, protein purification, immunoblotting. Required laboratory reports. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Offered All terms

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or equivalent or BIO 120 or equivalent. Basic principles of anatomical structure and physiological processes of human organ systems. Not open for credit toward the Biology major. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

Co-requisite: BIO 250. Laboratory work and demonstration in the anatomical structure and processes occurring in man. Not open for credit toward the Biology major. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or equivalent. Biological aspects of humans with emphasis on structure and function of organ systems. Additional topics may include human origins, diseases, and health aspects of human genetics and the environment. Not open for credit towards the Biology major. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Offered All terms

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125. Co-requisite: BIO 311. An introduction to cell metabolism in plants. Topics include photosynthesis, respiration, amino acid synthesis and lipid metabolism. Physiology of plants, including hormones, photoperiodism and circadian rhythms, will also be covered. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 310. Associated laboratory to BIO 310. Topics include photosynthesis, respiration, amino acid synthesis and lipid metabolism. Physiology of plants, including hormones, photoperiodism and circadian rhythms, will also be covered. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125.  Co-requisite: BIO 313. Introduction to comparative animal physiology with emphasis on the vertebrates. Topics include gas exchange, circulatory function, digestion temperature regulation, metabolism, osmoregulation and excretion. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Co-requisite: BIO 312. Laboratory work and demonstration of the principles on how physiological systems work in normal and stressed conditions. Exercises coordinate with and reinforce material presented in BIO 312. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125, and BIO 220 required. Co-requisite: BIO 315 required. Students will discuss developmental events from gametogenesis through organogenesis in a variety of animal models. The cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling development will be explored. We will also discuss how intrinsic and extrinsic factors can alter the developmental outcomes, which might lead to developmental defects and diseases.

Offered Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 314. Laboratory work and examination of the developmental anatomy in the frog and chick embryos, fertilization and early development of sea urchin and isolation of chick muscle, organs and whole embryos. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite(s): BIO 220, BIO 221 and one of CHE 310 & CHE 311 or CHE 300 & CHE 301 or CHE 316 & CHE 317. This course is an upper division course designed to introduce you to a variety of topics in cell biology. We will learn the fundamentals of cell structure and cell function. Topics will include cell membrane, organelle function, cytoskeleton, cell signaling, extra cellular matrix, cell-cell interactions, cell cycle and apoptosis.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 122, BIO 123; CHE 300, CHE 301 or CHE 310, 311, or CHE 316, CHE 317; Corequisite: BIO 325. The morphology, physiology, genetics and classification of microorganisms; applied aspects of microbiology. Basic bacteriological techniques included in the laboratory. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Co-requisite: BIO 324. Use of basic bacteriological techniques, including correct use of compound microscope, standard staining for microorganism identification, routine aseptic inoculations and culturing microbes. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, All terms

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125, BIO 220, CHE 112 are required. BIO 221, CHE 310, and CHE 311 are recommended. Co-requisite: BIO 327 is required. Introduction to the biology of microorganisms. The course examines microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and growth, and will discuss microorganisms in different ecological environments and their role in pathogenicity. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, All terms

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125, BIO 220 and CHE 110 are required. Co-Requisites: BIO 326 is required. This laboratory course will introduce microbiology research and testing methods, including establishing experimental design. Basic techniques are emphasized, such as sterile techniques, culturing and microscopy. Students will be using methods to identify unknown microorganisms. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 124 and BIO 125 are required. Co-requisite: BIO 331 is required. An introduction to plant biology. Topics include anatomy and morphology, the evolution of land plants, and basic ecology. There will be a special focus on plant reproduction. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered All terms, Fall

Prerequisite: BIO 124 and BIO 125 are required. Co-requisite: BIO 330 is required. Laboratory work to examine plant cells and tissues, diversity of land plants, and plant ecology. Emphasis includes phylogenetics, floral evolution, and Southern California ecology. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125.  Co-requisite: BIO 333. Concepts in ecology including energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, community structure, succession, and population growth and interaction. Sampling techniques and use of ecological instrumentation learned in laboratory. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 332. Laboratory work demonstrating principles of ecology, specifically the physical environment, adaptations of individuals, populations, communities of plants and animals, ecosystem, evolutionary ecology, biodiversity and biogeography, and interactions of human beings with the environment. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or BIO 122 is required. Principles of ecology applied to contemporary environmental problems. Emphasis is placed upon human impact in Southern California. One day (18 hour) field trip is required. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125, BIO 220, MAT 131. CHE 310 and CHE 311 or CHE 316 and CHE 317 are recommended. Principles of heredity, gene expression at the molecular and organismic levels, variation and mutation. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 220 and BIO 221. An introduction to modern techniques of biological research on cell biomolecules and genetics, with emphasis on microscopy, protein isolation and characterization, enzyme activity, electrophoresis of biomolecules, transformation and PCR. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or equivalent. Introduction to human genetics, including human reproduction. Mendelian inheritance, chemical basis of gene action, mutation, and eugenics. Not open for credit toward the Biology major or to students with credit in BIO 340.

Offered Infrequent

Introduction to the biology of marine life. Includes a review of common marine organisms and their taxonomic placement. Also includes an ecological perspective on marine planktonic, nektonic, and benthic communities with emphasis on the intertidal habitats of Southern California.

Offered Fall

Co-requisite: BIO 360. The laboratory is devoted to learning the plants and animals common to each of a variety of local marine habitats. Several field trips are required. Transportation to field sites is the responsibility of each student. Three hours of laboratory or field work per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or equivalent. Biological structure and function as it relates to human behavior. Emphasis on the structure of the central and peripheral nervous systems, sensory systems, neurotransmission, endocrine system and hormones, genetic influences, neuropharmacology and the impact of disease on human behavior. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 102 or equivalent. Introduction to the problem of drug abuse. The action of commonly abused drugs on the human nervous system will be examined including the physiological and behavioral effects which are produced. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered Fall, All terms

Prerequisite: BIO 250 or BIO 254. The physiology of growth and development through the second decade of life; reproductive maturation and the hormonal regulation of puberty; common illnesses, growth disorders and health hazards, including a brief introduction to venereal diseases and drug abuse. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered Infrequent, All terms

Prerequisite: BIO 250 or BIO 254. The effects of aging on the structure and physiology of the human body and the effects of drugs used in the treatment of the elderly. Not open for credit toward the Biology major.

Offered As needed

Prerequisite: BIO 124, BIO 125. Advanced library, field or laboratory work. A contract must be signed by the student and supervising faculty. Credit in this course is contingent upon completion of a written report of work accomplished. Not more than three units may be applied toward the Biology major or minor. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 102 or equivalent or consent of instructor. Courses of special interest in Biology for students not majoring in the field. Topic and content will vary as announced. Not open for credit toward the Biology major. Repeatable course. Two or three hours of lecture per week.

Offered As needed

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125 and BIO 312, BIO 313. Vertebrate evolution, classification and ecology and adaptive morphology will be investigated through observations of behavior, study of fossils, and comparative anatomy dissections. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Several field trips, including one or more weekend trips required.

Offered Infrequent

Interrelationships among ecosystems in space and time. How abiotic, biotic, and historical factors and disturbance combine to shape present-day landscapes. Use of computer technologies, such as remote sensing and geographic information systems, to study landscape characteristics.

Offered Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 420. Preparation of normal and abnormal tissues for microscopic study. Methods of preparation of tissues for sectioning with paraffin and freezing microtomes. Methods of fixation, dehydration, infiltration, embedding and sectioning tissues. Application of different stains on tissues. Six hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 122, BIO 123.  Co-requisite: BIO 419. Preparation of tissues for microscopic study, with emphasis on paraffin embedding and staining. Two hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring, All terms

Prerequisites: BIO 220, BIO 221, BIO 320, BIO 340, BIO 342, CHE 310 and CHE 311. Recombinant DNA techniques used in the study of genome organization and gene structure, expression and regulation; emphasis on eukaryotic cells. One hour of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 122 and BIO 123 are required. Co-requisite: BIO 424. Microscopic study of the structure and function of cells and tissues and their integration into organs. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 320 or BIO 422 and BIO 424. Structure and function of eucaryotic sub-cellular constituents at the light and electron microscopic and biochemical level.

Offered Infrequent, All terms

Co-requisite: BIO 422.Microscopic study of the structure and function of cells and tissues and their integration into organs. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 324, BIO 325, CHE 310, CHE 311 or CHE 316, CHE 317. Co-requisite: BIO 435. Characteristics of bacterial agents in human disease emphasizing host-parasite relationships, epidemiology and infection control. Two hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 320 or BIO 340; BIO 342 is recommended. Co-requisite: BIO 436. Principles of immunology. Emphasis on the cellular and molecular nature of antigens and immunoglobulins; immunobiology; laboratory immunoassays. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 324 and BIO 325. BIO 425 and BIO 435 are recommended. Comparative morphology, physiology and pathogenicity of medically important fungi. Laboratory methods for identification emphasize interpretation and evaluation of results including the recognition of contaminating or opportunistic organisms. Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisites: BIO 320, CHE 300, CHE 301 or CHE 310, CHE 311, or CHE 316, CHE 317. The anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and pathogenesis of bacterial and animal viruses emphasizing virus diseases of humans. Topics include structure, classification, theory and practical aspects of growth, purification and identification, host-virus interactions, tumor viruses and antiviral agents. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 124, BIO 125 and BIO 340. BIO 332 is recommended. Strategies for rigorous comparisons of different species: Permissions (legal), collection, identification (diagnosis), taxonomy, maintenance-alive and preserved, character state description, phylogenetic analysis and biogeography. Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Infrequent

Co-requisite: BIO 425. Laboratory methods used. Medical bacteriology, including detection, isolation and identification of medically important bacteria. Six hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Spring

Co-requisite: BIO 426. Principles of immunology. Emphasis on the cellular and molecular nature of antigens and immunoglobulins; immunobiology; laboratory immunoassays. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 320 and BIO 340. Genome structure in relation to control of gene expression in prokaryotic and eucaryotic cells; interplay between genes and regulatory reactions that control development. Topics include antibody diversity, neoplastic transformation by oncogenes, and pattern formation. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 320 and BIO 340. BIO 440 is recommended. Principles of human genetics including cytogenetics, Mendelian inheritance, pedigree construction, complex patterns of inheritance, biochemical defects, gene mapping, hemoglobinopathies, molecular genetics, prenatal diagnosis and gene therapy. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisite(s): BIO 124 and BIO 340 required. Explores how modern approaches to studying evolution are teaching us new and surprising things about how evolution works and its power to help explain patterns in the natural world. This course is a paper-based, discussion-based course.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: BIO 220 is required. BIO 320 is recommended. This course deals with the issue of minority health disparities from the many possible courses and treatments to ways to address this problem in the future.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 220 is required. The role of endocrine glands and tissues in metabolic regulation, environmental adjustment, reproduction, and development of vertebrates, with emphasis on mammals. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 122 and BIO 123. Co-requisite: BIO 459. Physiological aspects of parasites in man, their symbiotic host and parasite relationships and clinical diagnostic techniques. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Co-requisite: BIO 458. Physiological aspects of parasites in man, their symbiotic host and parasite relationships and clinical diagnostic techniques. Three hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: BIO 312 or BIO 320. Advanced lecture and discussion of the functional activities occurring in the human organ systems.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: Senior standing and department consent; completion of general education requirements, lower division major requirements and BIO 340. Students will engage in biological writing for diverse audiences including writing for other biologists and the general public. Synthesis of biological literature, data presentation, and the importance of biology to society will be addressed. A grade of C or better in this course fulfills the GWAR requirement for all Biology majors and minors.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

Prerequisite: Permission by professor. Current topics in biological and biomedical research presented by CSUDH faculty and prominent scientists from throughout the country. CR/NC grading. Repeatable for up to 2 units.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: BIO 124 and BIO 125. Advanced course of special interest for students majoring in Biology. May include laboratory exercises. Topic and content will vary as announced. Repeatable course. Two to three hours of lecture per week.

Offered As needed

Prerequisites: BIO 124 and BIO 125 are required. BIO 332 and BIO 333 are recommended. This course is available as an elective in the BS in Biology: Ecology and Environmental Biology option only. Supervised internship in ecological setting off campus. A maximum of three units may be applied towards the Biology major.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 124 and BIO 125 are required. BIO 332 and BIO 333 are recommended. This course is available as an elective in the BS in Biology: Ecology and Environmental Biology option only. The class is intended to allow students to receive ecological research experience off-campus. A maximum of three units may be applied towards the Biology major.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: Fulfillment of the Graduation Writing Requirement (GWAR). Standard forms of presentation of scientific research, including research articles, review papers, abstracts, poster and oral presentations. Sources of biological literature and contemporary literature search skills as well as data presentation formats and technical writing conventions will be addressed. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: MAT 131 or MAT 171 or MAT 191 or equivalent. Application of statistical analyses to biological research with emphasis on experimental design. Analysis of variance, regression and correlation will be the primary topics. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Introduction to the operation and application of common instruments used in biological research. Emphasis on those instruments available for graduate research. Two hours of lecture and two hours of activity per week.

Offered Infrequent

Introduction to how research is conducted and how to avoid the major pitfalls that can beset researchers. Ethical conduct of research, permits and permissions, important laboratory and field techniques, preparation for a PhD program. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Overview of environmental science. Problems specific to urban context. Pollution of air, water, etc., land-use change, environmental conflicts. Hands-on analysis of environmental conditions in Los Angeles area.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: BIO 124 and BIO 125 are required. BIO 332 and BIO 333 are recommended. Interrelationships among ecosystems in space and time. How abiotic, biotic, and historical factors and disturbance combine to shape present-day landscapes. Use of computer technologies, such as remote sensing and geographic information systems, to study landscape characteristics. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: BIO 421 or BIO 440. Current developments in the structure and function of viruses, prokaryotic cells, and eukaryotic cells. Three hours of lecture per week. Repeatable for credit in biology master's program for up to six units.

Offered Spring

PABS Skills III is a graduate course for students in the PSM program. In this course, students will learn advanced molecular biology techniques including isolation of DNA and RNA, Southern and Northern blots, transcriptional profiling, and siRNA mediated gene silencing.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisite: BIO 421. Theory and use of the electron microscopy preparation of tissue and photographic techniques. One hour of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week.

Offered Infrequent

Presentation and discussion of selected topics in Biological Science. A minimum of two and a maximum of four units may be applied toward the biology master's degree. The repeated courses must be taught by different instructors or must be on different topics. Two hours of seminar per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: Consent of Department Chair. Advanced course of special interest to graduate students in Biology. Topic and content will vary as announced. Repeatable course. Two to three hours of lecture per week.

Offered As needed

Library research on a specific subject in biology. Topic for study to be approved and directed by instructor. Can be used to prepare for the comprehensive examinations or to formulate a research problem prior to enrollment in BIO 598 or BIO 599. A maximum of three units may be applied toward the master's degree. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring

Laboratory research on a specific subject in biology. Topic of research to be approved and directed by an instructor. A maximum of three units may be applied toward the master's degree. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring

Laboratory research and writing of thesis for the master's degree. Topic of research to be approved by graduate advisor. A maximum of 9 units of BIO 597, 598 and 599 combined may be applied toward the master's degree. Open only to thesis option graduate students. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring

Graduate students who have completed their course work but not their thesis, project, or comprehensive examinations, or who have other requirements remaining for the completion of their degree, may maintain continuous attendance by enrolling in this course. Signature of graduate program coordinator required.

Offered Fall, Spring