Important Note
Suggested Sequence of Biocore and Related Courses
Courses
345 Noland Hall, 250 North Mills Street, Madison, WI 53706; 608/265-2870; www.biocore.wisc.edu/biocore
Biocore Committee: Professors Batzli (associate director), Hardin (director), Harris, Howell, Moser, Oertel, Spalding
Undergraduate advisor: Dr. Janet Batzli, 363 Noland Hall, 263-1594
Faculty diversity liaison: Dr. Michelle Harris, 307 Noland Hall, 262-7363
The Biology Core Curriculum (Biocore) is a four-semester, interdepartmental honors sequence that provides undergraduates with a broad, solid background for further work in any biologically oriented field of study. It is not a major but fulfills some or all of the biology requirements for a variety of biological science majors, including many in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences as well as those in Letters and Science. The strength of the Biocore program derives partly from the participation in each course of faculty from different departments with different viewpoints and special interests, and partly from the fact that the whole spectrum of living organisms is used to gain an understanding of the basic organization and function of biological systems. The curriculum thus offers an integrated approach to biology and permits students to attain a relatively high level of general sophistication with complete flexibility of choice for subsequent specialization.
The Biocore curriculum consists of four courses intended to be taken in sequence: Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics (301, 302); Cellular Biology (303, 304); Organismal Biology (323, 324); and Biological Interactions (333). Students planning on following the Biocore sequence should not take other introductory biology courses. There is extensive overlap in the contents of the various introductory courses, and most majors will not allow credit for both. Math 221 or 217 and Chem 104 or 109 or 115 are prerequisites for the sequence, and students should take these courses in their freshman year.
All Biocore courses are honors courses and are very challenging. However, it is not necessary to be in the honors program to participate in Biocore.
Students wishing to enroll in Biocore must download an application from the Biocore Web site and submit it to the Biocore office, 345 Noland Hall, by mid-March the preceding spring (deadline may vary). For most students, this means applying in the spring semester of the freshman year. The admissions committee will notify those admitted before registration in April. Late applications will be accepted as space allows. Call the Biocore office for further information.
Prerequisites into the Biocore program are (1) Math 221 (first-semester calculus), (2) Chem 104, 109, or 115 (introductory chemistry), (3) concurrent (fall) or previous registration in Chem 343 (organic chemistry). Please inquire about course equivalents.
Students who are majoring in programs that require chemistry course work should check with an academic advisor to obtain the most current information.
Chem 103, 109, or 115
Math 114, 171, or 221
Chem 104 or 343
Math 221, 222, or 217
Biocore 301, 302
Chem 343 or 344, 345
Stats 301, 371
Biocore 303, 304
Chem 344, 345
Physics 207
Biocore 323, 324
Biochem 501 or 507
Physics 208
Biocore 333
Biochem 508
All classes listed in the course descriptions section will be offered regularly unless otherwise noted. Please check with the department office for information on specific courses.
301 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics. (Crosslisted with Biology) I; 3 cr (B-I). Focuses on history of life and the development of our ideas about evolution and natural selection; principles of genetics, including Mendel's laws and the structural and functional organization of chromosomes; interrelationships between individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, and their environments. P: Math 221, Chem 104 or 109, prev or con reg in Chem 341 or 343; or cons inst.
302 Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratory. (Crosslisted with Biology) I; 2 cr (b-B-I). Writing-intensive course with opportunities for students to make observations and generate and test their own ideas. Includes field trips to local marsh, prairie, and woodland communities and projects that deal with evolutionary relationships, interactions between organisms, adaptations, and genetics. P: Prev or con reg in Biocore 301.
303 Cellular Biology. (Crosslisted with Biology) II; 3 cr (B-I). Cellular and molecular basis of life. The main themes are the structure and function of cells and organelles, the flow of energy in cells, and the storage, expression, and regulation of genetic information. P: Biocore 301, Chem 341 or 343; or cons inst.
304 Cellular Biology Laboratory. (Crosslisted with Biology) II; 2 cr (b-B-I). Writing-intensive course in which students undertake projects in areas such as enzyme catalysis, subcellular fractionation, motility, growth of bacteriophage, genetic mapping, genetic analysis of a biochemical pathway, and transformation of bacterial cells with DNA. P: Prev or con reg in Biocore 303 or Biochem 501 & Genetics 466. So or Jr st or cons inst.
323 Organismal Biology. (Crosslisted with Biology) I; 3 cr (B-I). Physiology course that considers how plants and animals interact with their environments to survive, obtain nutrients, exchange gases, and reproduce, also how the complex systems of neural and endocrine regulation in animals and hormonal and environmental regulation in plants allow cells and organs to communicate. P: Biocore 301 & 303; or cons inst.
324 Organismal Biology Laboratory. (Crosslisted with Biology) I; 2 cr (B-I). Students learn plant and animal physiology by collaborating on experiments, in many cases using themselves as subjects (e.g., electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, respiration rate). Emphasis is on critical thinking required in designing and conducting experiments and in analyzing and interpreting results. P: Biocore 323 or con reg.
333 Biological Interactions. (Crosslisted with Biology) II; 3 cr (B-I). Biological systems do not operate in isolation but are characterized by interactions at all levels of organization. This capstone course helps students build on and integrate the knowledge they have gained in the previous three semesters while addressing current research in topics such as signaling pathways and genetic disease. P: Biocore 301, 303, and 323; or cons inst.
699 Directed Study. I, II, SS; 1-3 cr (A). P: Biocore 301 & cons inst.