Biology Department
Department Information
Department Mission
The Biology Department of Southwestern College is a learning community dedicated to:
- challenging each person to acquire the knowledge and conceptual maturity needed to pursue a career in Biology and other related fields, or to excel in higher levels of education;
- developing an understanding of biology as a science, to investigate the nature of science and the scientific method;
- developing habits of careful reading and listening, clear speaking and writing, intellectual competency and curiosity, syntheses of factual and conceptual data, creative analysis and thought, and cooperative learning;
- challenging each person to search for truth through discipline of the mind;
- emphasizing a broad-based, value-centered liberal arts curriculum as the core of intellectual life, professional development and personal growth, and lifetime learning and leadership;
- helping to develop and grow community leaders through community service and the spreading of scientific knowledge.
Department Description
Biology investigates life processes at the molecular, cellular, organismal, population, and ecosystem levels. Biology is a science that demands a knowledge and application of chemical, physical, and mathematical principles. The study of biology helps all students to understand the nature of science and the process of scientific inquiry.
Southwestern College's biology department offers a balanced program in field and laboratory science. Students have the opportunity to develop close working relationships with biology professors in the classroom, laboratory, and in the field.
The curriculum is inclusive of a wide range of sub-disciplines that challenges students and empowers them to acquire the concepts and scientific problem-solving skills necessary to pursue careers in research, the health professions, education, environmental science, conservation, and other related fields. It provides students with a solid foundation of biological principles and at the same time offers students of varied backgrounds the opportunity to explore specialized topics that meet their needs and interests. The biology curriculum at Southwestern College also assists in meeting specific needs of other disciplines and serves preparatory programs in secondary teaching, nursing, and social work.
A number of the courses in the curriculum focus upon the investigative nature of biology. Lectures and discussions examine the interpretation of data, experimental design, and specific readings from the scientific literature. Laboratory and field work emphasize experimentation, student designed research projects, and class projects.
Departmental Outcomes
- Biology majors graduating from Southwestern College will have the opportunity to develop a broad-base of knowledge in the biological sciences. Specifically, all of our majors will have knowledge of 1) the diversity of life; 2) ecological relationships of living organisms; 3) genetic and evolutionary processes; 4) cellular and molecular processes; 5) structure and function, regulation and maintenance; 6) a variety of field and laboratory techniques; and 7) physical and chemical phenomena as they relate to biological processes.
- Biology majors graduating from Southwestern College will have 1) experiences emphasizing scientific investigation and the scientific method; 2) the ability to collect, record, analyze and interpret various forms of data using scientific methodology; and 3) opportunities to communicate their understanding of biology both orally and in writing.
- The Biology Program at Southwestern College is designed to meet the needs of students interested in a diverse array of career opportunities.
