Bachelor [Cellular and Molecular Biology] From DePauw University

Biology is the scientific study of living things. Therefore the major and minor in biology are designed to introduce students to the methodology of science while providing a broad exposure to the diversity of life at all levels.?

Students may also, through their choice of upper-level classes, explore specific areas of interest, such as cell and molecular biology, organismal biology, or ecology and evolutionary biology. In addition to its standard course offerings, the department offers numerous opportunities for collaborative research and learning with faculty. For example, internships and other research opportunities, both on and off-campus, are available during the January Winter Term and in the summer. Many students also spend a semester away from campus, either in an off-campus study program, such as the School for Field Studies, Denmark International Study, the School for International Training, or as an intern at such institutions as Oak Ridge or Argonne National Laboratories, Harvard Medical School, or the Mayo Clinic.Biologists must write clear, compelling prose to describe and explain complex patterns and processes. They must also present data graphically and verbally to inform and engage other scientists and the public. Good writing in biology is usually concise and precise, conveying information effectively without relying on emotion. Drafts, revisions, and peer reviews are important steps in the process of writing polished prose in biology. Biological inquiry and writing are both collaborative endeavors. Writing collaboratively requires practice, so in many of our courses, students work together to produce co-authored reports describing their experimental results. While collaborative writing is important, students will be increasingly responsible for their own writing with the goal of achieving effective technical writing in the mode of professional biologists.

The Biology major scaffolds writing assignments from parts of lab reports or proposals in the introductory courses to full lab reports and review papers in upper level courses. Students will experience many different forms of writing in Biology throughout their major coursework.

To fulfill the Writing in the Major certification, Biology majors must either take a course that has been designated by the department as writing intensive or submit a portfolio with three pieces of graded writing to their senior seminar instructor prior to the end of their senior year.?