Course

Trends in Biology

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Biology
Course code
BIOL 1100
Credits
4.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course offers an overview of essential biological concepts and principles, and their connection with current issues in society. Topics include genes and inheritance, evolution, the diversity of life, ecology, and the form and function in plants and animals. This is a laboratory course for students who are not majoring in sciences. It does not fulfill the prerequisites for second- and third-year BIOL courses.
Course content

1. Scientific Thinking

  • Making observations
  • Formulating and testing hypotheses
  • Scientific theories

 

 2. Molecules of Life and the Cell

  • Macromolecules and lipids
  • Main components of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

 

 3. DNA, Genes and Inheritance

  • The cell cycle: mitosis and meiosis
  • Basics of Mendelian inheritance

 

 4. Evolution

  • Darwin’s research
  • The theory of evolution by natural selection

 

 5. Origin and Diversification of Life

  • Theories of the origin of life
  • Key events in life history
  • Phylogeny and the tree of life
  • Domains and kingdoms of life

 

 6. Ecology

  • How populations are studied
  • Community interactions
  • Human activities and ecosystems

 

 7. Plant Form and Function

  • The diversity of the Kingdom Plantae
  • Plant support and growth
  • Resource acquisition in plants
  • Gas exchange and transport in plants
  • Plant reproduction

 

8. Animal Form and Function

  • The diversity of the Kingdom Animalia
  • Nutrition, feeding, and digestion
  • Circulation and respiration
  • Excretion and osmoregulation
  • Reproduction
  • Nervous systems

 

9. Weekly discussion on current relevant topics in biology

 

10. Laboratory Investigations:

  • Parts of the microscope
  • Use of microscope to examine cells and tissues
  • Cell processes, such as osmosis, fermentation, and photosynthesis
  • Cell division, genetics, hereditary material, natural selection, and evolution
  • Use of live specimens to facilitate observations and discussions of animal and plant structure and function
Learning activities

Class time will include lecture, group discussion, and activities. Weekly journal article and/or textbook readings will be required.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Class quizzes and assignments     20-25%
Laboratory assessments    5-10%
Laboratory examination  15-20%
Midterm examination  25-30%
Final examination  30-35%
Total    100%

 

Notes:

Class quizzes and assignments are a compulsory component of this course. A minimum of 50% of the quizzes and assignments must be completed to receive a grade if D or higher in the course. 

Laboratory experiments and assignments are a compulsory component of this course. A minimum of 50% of the laboratory experiments and assignments must be completed to receive a grade of D or higher in the course.  

There will be one midterm which will cover the course content to that point. The final examination will cover the entire course.  If the student achieves a better grade on the final exam than on the midterm examination, the midterm grade will be raised to equal that achieved on the final examination.

Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
  •  discuss essential biological concepts and principles;

  • explain the scientific method, including the use of hypotheses and 

    experiments;
  • describe the organization and diversity of life;
  • explain the principles of inheritance;
  • explain the process of evolution by natural selection;

  • describe the ecological relationships among living organisms and 

    between them and the environment;
  • describe selected physiological processes in plants and animals;

  • conduct basic laboratory experiments and interpret the observations 

    and results;

  • apply biological concepts and principles in the discussion of issues of 

    current societal relevance.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

Douglas College BIOL 1100 Laboratory Manual

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for BIOL 1100
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX BIOL 100 (4)
Athabasca University (AU) AU BIOL 1XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU BIOL 1XX (4)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) DOUG BIOL 1100 (4) & DOUG BIOL 1210 (5) = CMTN BIOL 101 (3) & CMTN BIOL 102 (3)
College of New Caledonia (CNC) CNC BIO 1XX (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR BIOL 1XX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU BIOL 1112 (4)
Langara College (LANG) LANG BIOL 1XXX (4)
North Island College (NIC) NIC BIO 111 (3)
Northern Lights College (NLC) NLC BIOL 1XX (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC BIOL 112 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BISC 100 (4)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU BIOL 1XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU BIOL 103 (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW BIOL 1XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO BIOL_O 1st (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV BIOL_V 1st (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC BIOL 110 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV BIO 1XX (4)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC BIOL 150A (1.5) or UVIC BIOL 1XX (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) No credit
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU BIOL 1st (4)

Course Offerings

Winter 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
36
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
36
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - South Bldg.
Room
S0640
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Section notes

BIOL 1100 001 Students must also register in either BIOL 1100 L01 or BIOL 1100 L02.