Description: Biology 129 is a non-majors course focusing on human biology. The course consists of a three credit lecture plus a 0.5 credit lab. A single final grade will be given for both the lecture and the lab. The lecture material will be graded based on three in class exams and a mandatory comprehensive final (during finals week). Each in class exam will count for 15% of the student’s lecture grade and the final will count for 40% of the student’s lecture grade. However, because students taking this course vary considerably in relevant background and because the final covers the entire course, the final can count as 100% of the student’s lecture grade if it is to their advantage when the lecture grade is calculated. The lecture grade will count 85% of the final grade. All exams including the final will be open notes/book. The lab consists of three assignments to be turned in by uploading to UBLearns. Each assignment will count for one-third of the student’s lab grade. The lab grade will count for 15% of the final grade.

Topics: The following topics will be covered in the lecture part of the course:

> Conception: How it works including a discussion of issues such as fertility/infertility, birth control and genetics.

> Prenatal development: Developmental “forks in the road” and non-genetic birth defects.

> Birth: How a fetus transitions to life out of the womb.

> Postnatal development: How a baby develops into a reproductive capable adult.

> Reproduction: How to do it and not do it

> Aging: What is it, why does it happen and can we do anything about it.

> Disease prevention and treatment: Infections, cancer, metabolic diseases, immune related diseases etc.

> Death: the inevitable