BIOL 351 Special Topics

Spring 2027

BIOL 351*:  Mechanisms of Neurotherapeutics
Instructor: Dr. John Peters

An examination of the molecular mechanisms of action of emerging drug therapies for neurological disorders. Primary literature will be used to understand clinical pipelines for new drug therapies. An emphasis will be placed on developing oral and written technical science communication skills.

BIOL 351*:  Zoology
Instructor: Dr. Nathan Derstine

Why have some animal lineages radiated into thousands of forms while others dwindled or disappeared? This course surveys animal diversity across the tree of life, from sponges to vertebrates, connecting the body plans, ecology, and behavior of major groups to the geologic, climatic, and evolutionary events that have shaped their histories over more than half a billion years. Students will learn to recognize major animal groups and explain how evolutionary innovation, environmental change, and extinction have produced the diversity of animal life we see today.

*Courses will have no labs.