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Hawaii Pacific University
BIOL 2010 The Human Life Cycle Section ____
Semester and year, meeting times
Instructor: Name, contact information and other relevant information about the instructor.
Course description: An introduction to the biochemical and hormonal control of human growth and
reproduction.
Course prerequisite: None
General Education Requirement: This course is classified under the Global Systems Theme and meets
the requirement for a course in Global Systems C: Other Global Systems Courses.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the Five Themes: HPU’s general education
curriculum is focused around five themes. This course emphasizes the Global Systems Theme and
provides students with opportunities to achieve the following related general education student
learning outcomes.
Students will utilize various systems approaches or theories to comprehend natural global
processes that cause conflict and/or peace. (GS 1)
Because this course aims to teach non-majors the fundamentals of biology using the context of
the Human Life Cycle, this is by far the most important outcome of this course. This course uses
humans as a relevant example of any species that lives, reproduces and dies on this planet,
while teaching facts highly relevant to their own health and longevity. The predominant
approach taught in this course is the Scientific Method. Other core theories that provide the
foundation include evolution by natural selection, DNA as the molecule of heredity and life, and
newer paradigms such as cell-to-cell communication in developmental processes.
Students will integrate knowledge and understanding from various disciplines in the analysis of
global systems. (GS 2)
Students will apply basic concepts from biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and psychology in order
to understand how humans are so interconnected with and similar to other species on a
biochemical level, yet unique on a cognitive level. Students will have the opportunity to explore
in discussions how the cognitive aspects of human sexuality is affected by basic biochemistry and
how cognition has affected our evolution.
Students will understand the importance of global environmental systems and the interactions
between humans and the environment. (GS 5)
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Since no species exists in isolation from its environment, this outcome is addressed in the
context of environmental influences on human health and reproduction as well as the impact of
relevant behaviors on the environment.
The course also addresses the Values and Choices Theme by providing students with opportunities to
achieve the following related general education student learning outcome:
Students will analyze the interrelationships among beliefs, choices, and cultural, social and/or
scientific institutions and practices (V&C 2).
Nothing is so personal as one’s beliefs that pertain to human reproduction, continuation of life,
and how such issues interface with medical technology and the rules that govern them. This
course will provide the scientific facts to promote responsible and rational personal decisions as
well as tolerance of dissenting views. This course will touch on such “hot button” issues such as
gay relationships, family planning and birth control, abortion, infertility remedies and other
controversial issues. Assessment of this outcome is accomplished with a position paper toward
the end of the course, plus a final exam essay question
Note: Purple text shows places where specific course information must be filled in. Red text contains
explanatory notes to the instructor which should be deleted before using the syllabus. Blue explanations
above should be rephrased by the individual instructor to reflect the specific approach in that section of
the course. Course-specific outcomes below are provided as an example and may also be rephrased or
modified by the instructor but the digital literacy standards should be included.
Course-Specific Student Learning Outcomes for BIOL 2010 The Human Life Cycle
General Science Outcomes:
Students should be able to:
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Ask scientific questions of their world and understand the limits of the scientific method
Describe the scientific method, and in a given scenario, be able to judge whether it is applied
appropriately.
Write a testable, falsifiable hypothesis for a given observation
State the definition of a scientific theory and explain what distinguishes a scientific theory
from the colloquial usage of the word “theory”
Demonstrate the ability to read and understand scientific literature written for the educated
lay reader Students should be able to:
Understand that progress in science depends heavily on the political, social, economic and
cultural influences occurring within a society at any given time
Discuss and identify ethical issues that new scientific technology raises
Biology Outcomes:
1. Evolution is the unifying theme of biology. Living systems change through time.
 Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection
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Explain how mutation and selection are instruments of evolutionary processes and give
examples that demonstrate evolution as an ongoing process
 Relationship of structure and function to evolution
o Identify examples that illustrate that diversity is a result of the evolutionary process as
organisms adapt to different environmental pressures
DNA is the molecule of life. Living organisms are related to other generations by genetic material
passed on through reproduction
 The gene and its relationship to phenotype
o Explain how the molecular structure of DNA is the code that enables both the uniformity
and diversity of life
 Patterns of Inheritance
o Explain the basic processes of inheritance and expression of genes
o Relate the principles of Mendelian genetics to the processes of meiosis that generate
variability in sexually reproducing organisms.
Living systems interact with their environment and are interdependent with other systems
 Biology depends on and is interrelated with the fields such as mathematics, physics,
chemistry, and geology
o Describe how the chemical structure of reproductive hormones is chemically related to
the cholesterol molecule
Living systems grow, develop, and differentiate during their lifetimes based on a genetic plan
that is influenced by the environment
 Patterns of growth, development and differentiation
o Describe the general structures and functions of the reproductive system
o Explain how the promise of stem cell research depends on the genetic potential of a cell
to develop and differentiate into different cell types, plus the ability of medicine to
provide the cells with the proper environmental signals.
Living systems are complex and highly organized, and they require energy and matter to maintain
this organization
 Hormone Regulation
o Define hormones and their role in the perpetuation of development and reproduction
Living systems maintain a relatively stable internal environment through their regulatory
mechanisms and behavior
 Detection of Environmental Stimuli
o Describe how organisms respond to environmental stimuli in the context of development
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For the rest of these required syllabus items see the details in the faculty handbook. Delete this note
once the syllabus is complete. For online courses there are some additional requirements given at this
link.
Texts List textbooks with ISBN’s and include this language as well
All textbook information (pricing, ISBN #, and e-books) for this course can be found on the HPU
Bookstore website: hpu.edu/bookstore.
If you have any questions regarding textbooks, please contact the HPU Bookstore at:
Phone:
808-544-9347
Or e-mail:
jyokota@hpu.edu
mmiyahira@hpu.edu
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Assignments and mode of evaluation
Summary of important dates and deadlines (if the schedule is a separate document and due dates are
not given with the description of the assignments).
Class rules and policies (including regarding attendance, late work and academic dishonesty)
Schedule of events (may be attached separately)