2024-2025 Course Flipbook v2 - Flipbook - Page 22
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is all about trying to determine how we know what we know. Remember the
online debates on whether people saw a blue or gold dress or heard Yanny versus Laurel?
Everyone had a different interpretation of these situations- Why is that? How do these
differences occur? In Psychology, students will learn how people process, analyze, and
interpret their everyday surroundings. The course emphasizes three main areas of the
昀椀eld: neuroscience (biology of the brain), learning theory (rewards and punishments),
and our cognitive processes (memory). Within each unit, students conduct their own
experiments to dive deeper into their own interests and passions using learned ideas
within research methodology. Students also learn how to read and analyze peer-reviewed
scienti昀椀c journal articles to both support their own experiments and critically analyze the
core ideas presented in the course. One unique aspect of this course is the anchor topic
of abnormality. For example, a deep dive into the diagnosis of a mental health disorder
helps students see how one core idea can be evaluated from multiple perspectives with
regards to biological, learning, and cognitive theories of the development of this disorder.
Students engage in interdisciplinary project work, such as analysis of the portrayal of
mental illness in contemporary media and the performing arts. The overall aim of this
course is for students to foster curiosity for the interaction between human behavior and
mental processes while developing critical thinking skills along with clear and concise
scienti昀椀c writing style.
Note: Prior completion of Biology recommended, but not required
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY
SCIENCE
How do the molecular and cellular systems in our body work together to gain energy,
maintain homeostasis, and respond to pathogens? This course helps us to
zoom into the more “micro” or molecular-based aspects of biological systems
in areas such as cell biology, metabolism and macromolecules, microbiology,
immunology, disease, gene regulation and epigenetics. Student-driven choice
projects and lab design, as well as the use of peer-reviewed journal articles
from scienti昀椀c studies play a signi昀椀cant role in this course. For example, students
have the opportunity to analyze a health claim of their choice such as analyzing
the impact of a fad diet on the body, or the impact of consuming an arti昀椀cial
sweetener such as aspartame versus regular table sugar. Another project
includes analyzing the molecular mechanisms and causes of conditions such as
long COVID. Students design and conduct their own experiments in the laboratory
to apply new techniques such as advanced microscopy, gram-staining, and
antibiotic assays, while sharpening analytical writing skills. Overall, this challenging
course prepares students for higher-level coursework and careers in biology
through student-driven research and lab skills. Students interested in any of the
health or medical sciences are especially encouraged to take this course.
Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry
