BI 211: Principles of Biology 1

Includes introduction to science, biochemistry, metabolism, the cell, molecular biology, and reproduction. The first course of a three-course sequence for students majoring in biology and other sciences, including premedical, pre-dental, and related fields.

Addendum to Course Description

To clarify the teaching of evolution and its place in the classroom, Oregon Coast Community College affirms the following statements about what qualifies as science and how the theory of evolution is the major organizing theory within biology:

• Science is a non-dogmatic and self-correcting investigatory process. In science, a theory is neither a guess, dogma, nor myth. Instead, theories are explanations for natural phenomena based on a preponderance of evidence. Theories developed through scientific investigation are not decided in advance but can be and often are revised through observation and experimentation.
• The theory of evolution meets the criteria of a scientific theory. In contrast, ‘creation science’, ‘intelligent design’ or similar designations are neither self-examining nor investigatory. ‘Creation science’ is not considered a legitimate science, but instead a form of religious advocacy and pseudoscience. This position is established by legal precedence (Webster v. New Lenox School District #122, 917 F. 2d 1004).
• Teaching evolution is a necessary foundational framework for understanding biology because it explains the unity and diversity of life past and present. Evolution is not a controversial topic in the scientific community because it is overwhelmingly supported by scientific evidence. 

Biology instructors of Oregon Coast Community College will teach the theory of evolution not as absolute truth but as the most widely accepted scientific theory on the diversity and unity of life. Furthermore, they will stand with such organizations as the National Association of Biology Teachers in opposing the teaching of pseudo-sciences.