Program Overview

Natural History, Department Award (D)

Overview

The Natural History Departmental Award recognizes achievement by students interested in careers in natural history interpretation, freshwater and marine fisheries, forestry, environmental monitoring, and wildlife management. The curriculum for the Natural History Departmental Award is individually designed with the student's career goals, interests, and talents in mind. The courses are selected in consultation with the Faculty Adviser for Natural History. The Faculty Adviser will then submit this program of study to the Biological Sciences Department for review and approval.

Requirements

Complete all department requirements with a “C” or better in each course.

• Department Requirements
  • BIOL 110: Natural Science (3-4 units)
  • or BIOL 120: Natural History
  • or BIOL 140: Principles of Biology
  • BIOL 112: Evolution and Adaptation (3 units)
  • or BIOL 150: Biodiversity
  • BIOL 122: Ecology (3 units)
  • BIOL 123: Ecology Laboratory (1 unit)
  • BIOL 144: Biogeography (3 units)
  • or ERTH 141/GEOG 101: Physical Geography
  • BOT 121: Plant Diversity 1 (4 units)
  • ZOOL 122: Animal Diversity 2 (3 units)
  • Natural History Electives (9 units)

Total Units: 29.00-30.00

Notes

1. BIOL 101 Plant Biology may substitute for BOT 121 Plant Diversity.
2. ZOOL 123 Animal Diversity Laboratory is recommended.
3. Students may choose courses from the areas of Anthropology, Biology, Bio-Medical Sciences, Botany, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Zoology. The 9 units of Natural History Electives must be selected in consultation with the Natural History Faculty Advisor and approved by the Biological Sciences Department.

Learning Outcomes

• Compare, contrast, and illustrate the life histories of a wide variety of life forms representing the diversity of life.
• Examine the techniques for organizing biodiversity through nomenclature, taxonomy, systematics, and biological and ecological hierarchies.
• Evaluate the various fundamental ecological principles, from populations to communities and ecosystems, that determine the geographical distribution of life on Earth.
• Describe fundamental metabolic pathways, explain bioenergetics, and relate the interdependence of these pathways within an organism and between an organism and its environment.
• Collect data to test hypotheses using basic methods, instrumentation, and quantitative analytical skills used to conduct biological research and analyze, graphically present, and interpret these data.
• Produce original research reports and review papers in a standard scientific format based on laboratory, field experiments, and literature searches that include critical quantitative and qualitative evaluation of data to effectively communicate results, interpretations, and concepts.