SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal Form
Electronically submit a copy of the course proposal form and attachments to
the Chair of the CCC. Please submit a separate copy of the proposal form for
each learning goal.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Name of Proposer: Margaret Field
Email address: mfield@stmarys-ca.edu
Department/Program of Proposer: Biology Department
Name of Department/Program housing the course: Biology Dept.
Name(s) of Program Director/Department Chair (if not the proposer): Carla
Bossard
6. Course Acronym, Number and Title: BIOL 88, BIOL 89
7. Semester(s) in which course will be offered: Fall
8. How often is this course taught? Every other year currently
9. Course Prerequisites (if any): none
10. Unit Value of Course: 1
11. Proper Audience for the course (delete those that don’t apply):
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
12. The Learning Goals for which the course is being submitted

Pathways to Knowledge
Scientific Understanding
Biology of Women will cover the three Scientific Understanding learning outcomes
through lecture, readings, discussion, notebook, final paper with presentation, and
weekly laboratory exercises.
Learning outcome #1 will be met by covering the topics on the syllabus including
genetics, developmental biology, growth, development and reproduction in the first
half of the course. The latter half will be focused on health issues predominantly
impacting women, exclusively affecting women, or those that manifest differently in
women. These include but are not limited to, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer,
osteoporosis, heart disease, and high-heeled shoes. In all cases the process of
science and the interpretation of scientific information is stressed. Most content is
covered in lecture, student presentations, and some video materials
Learning outcome #2 will be met by BIOL 89 laboratory sections. Each student will
attend a 3 hours laboratory section. We expect student to actively engage in the
different ways that science information is gathered and interpreted. We have
observational labs (microscopic) with assessment, computer-based scientific
information acquisition, and experimental procedures. Learning outcome #2 is also
met as students collect and analyze data on themselves in weekly laboratory
exercises that range from a complete nutritional analysis followed by a write-up of
how to correct deficiencies to glucose tolerance tests for prediabetic states. There
are weekly topics ranging from quantitative labs to breast and testicular exam.
Learning outcome #3 will be met in the lecture section by student-centered
discussion related to current social and ethical issues arising from women’s health.
Each semester there is a one-page write-up on an issue which has been presented
(often with film and current research articles). Examples of previous years include
current topics such as use of vaccines to Human Papilloma virus, sex-selection of
children both domestically and internationally, domestic violence, and access to
health care for reproductive issues.
Learning outcome #1 will be assessed through 1 mid-term exam, an 8-10 page
paper (length varies according to the number of people in a working group) and
presentation on that material. There is a final notebook that requires assessing
material from various media sources, with cross-checking in scientific literature.
(see notebook instructions attached). Mid-terms are a combination of multiple
choice and short answer essay. Factual material is primarily multiple choice and
scientific concepts are more often in essay format.
Learning outcome #2 will be assessed by lab write-ups on approximately 50% of the
labs where quantitation, graphing, and analysis are required. The multi-week lab of
nutritional analysis requires a write-up of the findings and further research of the
literature to find out about where specific nutrients are found. A written analysis of
how they can correct their diet and health status is required and graded.
Learning outcome #3 is assessed with a one page ethical assessment on a topic from
the lecture, which is graded. There are also social and ethical issues raised in the
media notebook which are part of the grading system for the notebook.
Expected Attachments
(1)
Syllabus: Course syllabus containing a course description and a list of
learning outcomes. The course’s learning outcomes should include coverage of the
Learning Outcomes associated with the Core Curriculum Learning Goal for which
the course is being proposed.
(2)
Teaching: A brief narrative (300 words) that explains how the course will
guide students toward achieving the Learning Goal. The CCC believes it would be
simplest both for the proposer and for the Working Groups if the narrative
addressed the Learning Outcomes one by one.
(3)
Learning: A brief explanation of how coursework (e.g., papers, exams,
videotaped presentations) will be used to measure student achievement of each of
the Learning Outcomes. Please address the outcomes directly and one by one.
Any course approved for the core must provide data for the assessment of Core
curriculum learning goals at an institutional level. Via this proposal a chair/program
director agrees to oversee the submission of the student work necessary for the
assessment of the learning goals. If the proposal is from an instructor, that
individual agrees to oversee submission of work from appropriate sections of their
course.
Similarly, while courses, and individual sections within courses, may vary, the Core
should provide somewhat consistent experiences within each Learning Goal. To this
end, by submitting this proposal a chair/program director/instructor agrees that
instructors of Core courses will participate in assessment exercises.