Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

• BIOL-B 351 Fungi (3 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 352 Fungi: Laboratory (2 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 364 Summer Flowering Plants (4-5 cr.)

• BIOL-B 368 Ethnobotany (3 cr.)

• BIOL-B 371 Ecological Plant Physiology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-B 372 Ecological Plant Physiology Laboratory (2 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 373 Mechanisms of Plant Development (4 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 415 Phytogeography (2 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 423 Introduction to Paleobotany (3 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 445 Experimental Molecular and Cellular Biology of Eukaryotes (4 cr.)

• BIOL-B 511 Duplicating and Expressing the Genome (3 cr.)

• BIOL-B 530 Anatomy and Morphology Seminar (arr. cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Seminars will include current research studies in plant anatomy and morphology. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 555 Special Topics in Plant Systematics (3 cr.) Topics vary from year to year. Examples of subjects to be treated: phyloge­ny and families of flowering plants, biology of ferns, biosystem­atics, molecular markers in populational biology, and systemat­ics. Enrollment of advanced undergraduates encouraged.

• BIOL-B 560 Seminar in Systematics (arr. cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Topics vary each semester.

• BIOL-B 570 Seminar in Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants (arr. cr.) P: Consent of instructor. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 572 Photobiology (3 cr.) P: S305 or L367 or CHEM C483 or equivalent. Biochemical and biophysical relationship between light and biological systems. Topics will include photosynthesis, visual processes, photorespiration, phototaxis, biolumines­cence, and photomorphogenesis, with emphasis on photosyn­thesis.

• BIOL-B 573 Special Topics in Plant Physiology (2-5 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Advanced topics in plant physiology. This course is not currently being offered. With consent of instructor, may be taken more than once for credit.

• BIOL-B 576 Developmental Plant Physiology (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Chemically oriented; examination of substances uniquely involved in growth and development in higher plants. Application of information to lower plants only briefly dis­cussed. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-B 577 Plant Biochemistry (2 cr.) A comparative treatment of selected biochemical topics, emphasizing unique or important processes in plant metabolism and development. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 465 Advanced Field Biology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-L 473 Ecology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-L 474 Field and Laboratory Ecology (2 cr.)

• BIOL-L 479 Evolution and Ecology (4 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 500 Independent Study (arr. cr.) P: Written consent of faculty member supervising research.

• BIOL-L 501 Independent Study: Laboratory Rotations (3 cr.) P: Written consent of faculty member supervising work. Supervised work. S/F grading.

• BIOL-L 504 Genome Biology for Physical Scientists (3 cr.) An accel­erated but introductory treatment of contemporary issues in molecular biology and genetics including genome structures, gene function and regulation, mapping, proteins, and molecu­lar evolution. Intended to meet the needs of graduate students in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer sciences, and informatics who are considering working in biological areas or collaborating with biologists.

• BIOL-L 505 Molecular Biology of Evolution (3 cr.) P: Senior or graduate standing and consent of instructor. An integrative approach to the link between development and the evolution of morphol­ogy. Topics: evolution of developmental mechanisms and of developmental regulatory genes, production of evolutionary changes through changes in developmental processes, devel­opmental constraints, and origins of major body plans.

• BIOL-L 509 Field Exercises for Biology Education (1-5 cr.) L509 is a graduate course for students in biology and education with an intended career in biology education. Credits are variable (1-5) and will be arranged. Students will design field exercises based at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve on topics in organismal biology and ecology appropriate for public school and other outside groups.

• BIOL-L 510 Introduction to the Research Laboratory (3 cr.) P: Gradu­ate standing. Objectives and techniques of biological research. Completion of a one-semester research problem with a faculty member.

• BIOL-L511 Transcription, Epigenetics, and Human Disease (3 cr.)

• BIOL-L 519 Bioinformatics: Theory and Application (3 cr.) Over­view of theory and applications in bioinformatics, based on fundamentals of molecular biology and information sciences. Common problems, data, and tools in the field are outlined. These include biosequence analysis, alignment and assembly, genomics, proteomics and phylogenetics, biological databases and data mining, and Internet bio-information services.

• BIOL-L 520 Seminar in Genetics (arr. cr.) P: L364 or Z420 or equiva­lents. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 521 Problems in Genetics—Higher Organisms (3 cr.) P: L364 or equivalent. Selected topics in the genetics of higher organ­isms emphasizing studies at the molecular level. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 522 Advanced Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics (3 cr.) P: Con­sent of instructor; beginning course in genetics. Correlation of genetic data with changes in chromosome structure and num­ber. Mechanics of chromosome behavior in crossing over and disjunction. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 523 Critical Analysis of the Scientific Literature (1.5 cr.) De­tailed analysis of current research papers in biology. Emphasis on experimental design, research methods, interpretation of results, and suitability of controls. Generally taken in the first semester of graduate residence. Topics may vary to suit specific fields (e.g., molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and genetics, or ecological and evolutionary biology).

• BIOL-L 529 Bioinformatics in Molecular Biology and Genetics: Practical Applications (4 cr.) P: I501, I502, L519, or consent of instructor. Practical experience in a range of data analysis and software engineering methods applied to molecular biology data.

• BIOL-L 533 Evolution of Genes and Genomes (3 cr.) Provides a broad conceptual overview of issues in molecular and genomic evolu­tion, with an emphasis on population-genetic issues.

• BIOL-L 534 Evolution of Proteins and Cells (3 cr.) This course integrates modern evolutionary theory with our knowledge of phylogenetic variation in protein architecture and cell biological features, in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. 

• BIOL-L 553 Sensory Ecology (3 cr.) Sensory systems provide animals all the information they have about their environment, therefore they are under natural and sexual selection. This course examines how sensory systems transduce and extract environmental information and drive evolutionary divergence. Course includes lectures, discussion of scientific literature, and visits from guest speakers.

• BIOL-L 555 Alternative Approaches to Teaching College Biology (2 cr.) Frameworks for teaching college biology. Addresses dif­ferent teaching objectives (knowledge, applications, scientific thinking, ethical and policy considerations); different teaching methods (lectures, readings, recitations, discussions, exercises, experiments, projects); student heterogeneity (expectations, abilities, development, learning styles); evaluation and grading; course and curriculum design; and evaluation and improve­ment of teaching.

• BIOL-L 560 Physiological Ecology (3 cr.) Influence of the abiotic envi­ronment on energy and material transfers in individual organ­isms, with emphasis on terrestrial animals.

• BIOL-L 567 Evolution (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing in psychology or biology or consent of the instructor. Topics include quantitative genetics, population genetics, and strategic models of natural selection. Special topics include: life history theory, sex and sexual selection, kin selection, shifting-balance theory, specia­tion, macroevolution, and comparative methods.

• BIOL-L 568 Evolutionary Genetics (3 cr.) A graduate-level course in evolution covering population genetics, quantitative genetics and ecological genetics. Students will learn evolutionary genetics from first principles and then use case studies to understand how these principles are applied to understand patterns in data with emphasis on practical application of theory to students' own research programs.

• BIOL-L 570 Seminar in Ecology and Environmental Biology (1 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Presentations and discussions of current research in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior. May be taken more than once.

• BIOL-L 572 Microbial Ecology (3 cr.) Principles of microbial ecology with emphasis on the population, community, and ecosystem ecology of bacteria and fungi.

• BIOL-L 573 Quantitative Genetics and Microevolution (1.5-3 cr.) Explores the fundamentals of the quantitative genetic ap­proach to understanding evolutionary process. Topics include the conceptualization and measurement of selection and the response to selection, the measurement and consequences of genetic architecture, as well as application of these ideas to classical and modern evolutionary theory.

• BIOL-L 575 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (3 cr.) P: L473 and L474 (or equivalent) or instructor’s consent. Does biodiversity matter? Analysis of relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Emphasis on current literature, includ­ing theoretical and empirical work. Lectures will alternate with class discussion and debate.

• BIOL-L 577 Theoretical Ecology (3 cr.) Empowers students to develop and analyze ecology-based models and use them as statistical hypotheses. Topics include nonlinear one- and multi-species dynamics; stability analysis; bifurcations; maximum likelihood; model competition and information criteria.

• BIOL-L 578 Advanced Population Biology (3 cr.) P: Courses in ecology, genetics, and basic calculus, and permission of instructor. A detailed assessment of population-ecological and population-genetic theory, and the factors determining the size and com­position of animal populations in nature.

• BIOL-L 579 Community Ecology (3 cr.) P: Ecology and genetics. Survey of ecological and evolutionary topics between population and ecosystem levels. Review of scientific levels of selection and speciation. Major emphasis on interactions among populations (consumer-producer, competition, symbiosis, etc.) and commu­nity analysis (island biogeography, niche, diversity, and commu­nity structure).

• BIOL-L 580 Introduction to Research (1 cr.) Individual faculty from the various graduate programs in biology present seminars on their research programs. Discussion between students and faculty about possible thesis research projects is encouraged.

• BIOL-L 581 Behavioral Ecology (3 cr.) Integrated elements of ethol­ogy, physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology providing a synthetic approach to animal behavior. Emphasis on integrated studies providing new insights into both evolutionary and mechanistic questions. Students are asked to analyze the litera­ture critically and debate controversial issues actively.

• BIOL-L 585 Genetics (3 cr.) Focuses on genome organization and transmission and molecular genetics in a number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Topics include molecular mechanisms of mutation, suppression, replication, meiosis, recombination, complementation, and approaches to identifying and analyzing genes. Introduces students to the use of databases, programs for computational analysis of DNA and protein sequence data, and high-throughput methods in genomics and proteomics.

• BIOL-L 586 Cell Biology (3 cr.) Critical analysis of recent advances in our understanding of molecular organization and function of cellular structures. The emphasis of this course will be on eukaryotic cells. Topics include membrane organization, cytoskeleton assembly and functions, signal transduction, cell-cycle regulation, protein sorting, and vesicle trafficking.

• BIOL-L 587 Developmental Biology (3 cr.) Evaluation of classical and current molecular and genetic approaches to studying de­velopment of eukaryotic organisms. A significant portion of the course is devoted to discussing recent findings from molecular genetic studies in Drosophila and C. elegans.

• BIOL-L 590 Seminar in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biol­ogy (2 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Presentation and discus­sion of topics in molecular and cellular biology as seminar by students. Topics from current literature. Concentration on a particular area each semester to be announced before registra­tion. S/F grading. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 591 Plant Population Biology—An Experimental Approach (3 cr.) P: Ecology course and evolution course. The mechanisms by which plants, as individuals, contribute to development of population structure. Experimental studies of intra- and inter-specific mechanisms of population regulation, reproduction, and vegetative growth. Emphasis on development and physi­ological characteristics which determine mode of interaction. Greenhouse projects designed and conducted by students.

• BIOL-L 600 Special Topics in Genetics (arr. cr.) P: L364 or equivalent. Topics not extensively treated in other courses, e.g., popula­tion genetics, human genetics, immunogenetics, biochemical genetics of clones of mammalian cells. Topic presented will not be duplicated within three to five years. L600 carries credit in plant sciences, microbiology, and zoology programs. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-L 800 Research (1-15 cr.)

• BIOL-M 300 Biomedical Sciences Documentation (1 cr.)

• BIOL-M 310 Microbiology (3 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-M 315 Microbiology Laboratory (2 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL M416 Biology of AIDS (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 430 Virology: Lecture (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 435 Viral-Tissue-Culture Laboratory (3 cr.) P: or C: M430, or consent of instructor.

• BIOL-M 440 Medical Microbiology: Lecture (3 cr.) P: BIOL L211. R: BIOL M250, M255.

• BIOL-M 460 Microbial Evolution (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 465 Biology of the Prokaryotes: Laboratory (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 480 Microbial and Molecular Genetics (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 485 Microbial and Molecular Genetics Laboratory (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 500 Introduction to Research: Laboratory Rotations (Microbiology) (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 511 Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes (3 cr.) P: CHEM C584. The course will first develop an understanding of nucleic acid structure and function to a professional level, then use these principles to explore molecular aspects of gene expression and evolution. Emphasis will be on prokaryotes.

• BIOL-M 512 Molecular Biology of AIDS Virus (3 cr.) P: CHEM C341 and BIOL L311. A detailed consideration of the human immu­nodeficiency virus (HIV, causative agent of AIDS). The functions of the HIV genes and how those functions affect pathology and normal cellular mechanisms.

• BIOL-M 525 Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing and C483 or M350 or equivalent. The course will consider topics in physiology and biochemistry of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms. Subjects include membrane physiology and regulatory networks in metabolism and gene expression.

• BIOL-M 541 Virology and Host Responses (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 545 Medical Microbiology Laboratory (1 cr.) P: M540. Labo­ratory experiments to illustrate material discussed in M540.

• BIOL-M 550 Microbiology (3 cr.) P: Two semesters of college chem­istry. Application of fundamental principles to the study of microorganisms. Signifi­cance of microorganisms to humans and their environment. Critical evaluation of current microbiological literature.

• BIOL-M 575 Human Parasitology (4 cr.) P: BIOL M310 and M315. Biology of human parasites focusing on their etiology, epide­miology, immunology, diagnosis, and treatment. Major groups of protozoa, helminths, and medically important arthropods covered. Independent research assigned on a special topic. Lab presents both live and fixed materials complementing lecture.

• BIOL-M 585 Microbial Genetics and Pathogenesis (3 cr.)

• BIOL-M 610 Recent Advances in Microbiology (1-3 cr.) P: Gradu­ate standing in microbiology or related area. Course content changes each semester so that over a cycle of several years, major research areas are covered. May be repeated for credit.

• BIOL-M 612 Microbial Development (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. An analysis of recent publications concerned with the biochemistry of development in viral, prokaryotic, and simple eukaryotic systems. The topics vary and emphasize the regulatory aspects of development. Cell differ­entiation and cell-cell interactions are discussed. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-M 620 Medical Microbiology and Medical Immunology (3 cr.)
• BIOL-M 800 Research (1-12 cr.)

• BIOL-M 850 Seminar (1 cr.) P: Graduate standing in microbiology or consent of instructor. Reports on assigned topics of current interest. S/F grading. May be repeated for credit.

• BIOL-Z 373 Entomology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 374 Invertebrate Zoology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 406 Vertebrate Zoology (5 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 420 Cytology (3 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-Z 460 Animal Behavior (3 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 466 Endocrinology (3 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 476 Biology of Fishes (3 cr.)

• BIOL-Z 486 Standards and Techniques of Animal Experimentation (2 cr.) This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-Z 508 Advanced Ornithology (4 cr.) P: Z406. Emphasis on avian ecology, distribution, and behavior; discussion and evaluation of recent literature. Field work includes investigation of popula­tions of a wintering species and a breeding species. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-Z 540 Genetics of Structured Populations (4 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. R: Z465, MATH M216, or equivalent. Survey of the theoretical basis of population genetics and a review of current problems and experimental findings. Content varies from year to year.

• BIOL-Z 563 Comparative Neurobiology of Animal Behavior (3 cr.) This course addresses the intersection of two disciplines – animal behavior and neurobiology.  The course uses integrative and comparative approaches to understand how the nervous system controls animal behavior in natural contexts.   Students will learn not only how neural circuits control behavior, how the behavioral output of neural circuits impacts life history and how neural circuits evolve to generate behavioral diversity.

• BIOL-Z 566 Laboratory in Endocrinology (2 cr.) P: Z466. Development and structure of major endocrine glands; their role in maintain­ing constancy of internal environment. Limited to 12 students. This course is not currently being offered.

• BIOL-Z 576 Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory (2 cr.) P: P or C: Z374. Laboratory and field studies of invertebrates, with an emphasis on experiments with living specimens.

• BIOL-Z 620 Special Topics in Zoology (arr. cr.) P: Advanced under­graduate or graduate standing. Topics not extensively treated in other courses, e.g., theoretical zoology, oceanography, reservoir limnology, human ecology, biochemistry, viruses and disease, critical analysis of the scientific literature, and other fields. Topics presented will be treated every three to five years.