LEBANESE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
BIOL 200: General Biology I (3.0 credits)
Course Syllabus
Course description
This course aims to familiarize the student with the organization and classification of living systems.
The covered topics include mainly the cell structure and function, cell division, cell biochemistry,
cellular respiration, DNA structure and protein function, as well as animal development and
classification. This course has a separate one credit-laboratory component.
Course outcomes
A student completing this course should
 be familiar with fundamental biological concepts and able to apply such principles to daily life
 know the relationship of human biology to evolution, environment, health, and biotechnology
 develop interest in and appreciation of biology as a major discipline
 gain insights about the complexity and efficiency of interacting biological systems
University Peer Review Policy
This is an LIU policy in which during the semester, all classes will be visited by instructors either from
the same or different departments. This policy helps instructors figure out ways to improve student
educational experiences in class and eventually their performance.
Required textbook: Biology; 8th Edition – Eldra Solomon, Linda Berg and Diana W. Martin.
Brookscole, Thompson Learning, USA (www.brookscole.com).
Course prerequisite(s): BIOL160
COURSE OUTLINE BY TOPIC
Topics
Title / Chapter Assignment
1
2
3
A View of Life (Chapter 1; pp. 1-24)
 Characteristics of life
 Levels of Biological organization
 Information transfer
 Evolution: The basic unifying concept of biology
 The energy of life
 The process and method of science (summary: in 5 minutes)
The Chemistry of Life: Organic Compounds (Chapter 3; pp. 45-72)
 Carbon atoms and molecules
 Carbohydrates
 Lipids
 Proteins
 Nucleic acids
Organization of the Cell (Chapter 4; pp. 73-105)
 Cell organization and size
 Methods for studying cells (only Cell fractionation)
 Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
 The cell nucleus
 Organelles in the cytoplasm
 The cytoskeleton
Hours
(50 minutes)
2
4
4
1
4
 Cell coverings
Biological Membranes (Chapter 5; pp. 106-133)
 The structure of biological membranes
 Passage of materials through cell membranes
 Passive transport
 Active transport
 Exocytosis and endocytosis
 Cell junctions
EXAM I
chapters included: 1, 3, 4, 5
5
6
7
8
9
Cell Communication (Chapter 6; pp. 134-151)
 Cell signalling: An Overview
 Sending signals
 Reception
 Signal transduction
 Responses to signals
Energy and Metabolism (Chapter 7; pp. 152-170)
 Biological work
 The laws of thermodynamics
 Energy and metabolism
 ATP, the energy currency of the cell
 Energy transfer in redox reactions
 Enzymes
How Cells Make ATP: Energy-Releasing Pathways (Chapter 8; pp. 171-190)
 Redox reactions
 The four stages of aerobic respiration
 Energy yield of nutrients other than glucose
 Anaerobic respiration and fermentation
Chromosomes, Mitosis and Meiosis (Chapter 10; pp. 211-233)
 Eukaryotic chromosomes
 The cell cycle and mitosis
 Regulation of the cell cycle
 Sexual reproduction and meiosis
The Basic Principles of Heredity (Chapter 11; pp. 234-259)
 Mendel’s principles of inheritance
 Inheritance and chromosomes
 Extensions of Mendelian genetics
EXAM II
chapters included: 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
10
11
12
DNA: The Carrier of Genetic Information (Chapter 12; pp. 260-278)
 Evidence of DNA as the hereditary material
 The Structure of DNA
 DNA replication
Gene Expression (Chapter 13; pp. 279-303)
 Information flow from DNA to protein – An overview
 Transcription
 Translation
 Variations in gene expression in different organisms (without pages 296 and 297)
 Mutations
Viruses and Prokaryotes (Chapter 24; pp. 500-529)
 Viruses
 Viroids and prions (summary)
 Prokaryotes
 The two prokaryotes domains
 Impact of prokaryotes (summary)
Protists (Chapter 25; pp. 530-553)
4
2
2
3
4
3
2
2
4
4
3
2
13


Characteristics of Protists
Means of locomotion, modes of nutrition, interactions with other organisms and modes of
reproduction
 Golden algae, Brown algae, Red algae and Green algae
 Amoebas
Kingdom Fungi (Chapter 26; pp. 555-580)
 Characteristics of Fungi
 Body plan of a fungus
 Life cycle of a typical fungus
 Ecological importance of fungi
 lichens
 Economic and medical importance
2
Final Exam
Chapters included: 5, 6, 12, 13, 24, 25, 26
Grade distribution:
Exam I
30%
Exam II
30%
Final exam
40%
3