http://www.whitworth.edu/biology

The Whitworth Biology Department desires to broadly educate students in the fundamentals of biological processes and organismal diversity, to train students in the practice of science, and to instill an ethic of scientific responsibility in a complex world. Ultimately, this experience will inform their worldviews, their understanding of God, and their roles in society.

The learning outcomes of this major prepare students in the following areas:

Content

Graduates should have a broad base of factual information and principles in biology, including basic knowledge of all major organismic groups, biochemistry and metabolism, as well as the structural and functional components at all levels of biological organization. In addition, they should have reasonable depth in one subdiscipline of biology.

Synthesis: Graduates should be able to integrate and synthesize material from different subdisciplines of biology. This goes beyond simply having knowledge of different areas and should integrate subdisciplines of biology, relating biological processes at various levels of organization.

Communication

Biology graduates should be able to communicate with professional and lay audiences about biology. This skill includes the ability to communicate coherently in both oral and written forms, in plain language, about biological matters, and the ability to use discipline-specific formats, as appropriate, for professional audiences.

Critical Thinking

Graduates should be able to interpret biological research reports and journal articles and to analyze data. They should have the ability to design a useful, workable experiment to address a particular biological question and should be able to use problem-solving skills to modify a planned experimental approach.

Faith and Learning

Graduates will be able to express how their faith and/or worldview informs their practice of biology such that they are equipped to engage in a complex world with an ethic of scientific responsibility.

Technical Proficiencies

Graduates should demonstrate basic laboratory “bench” skills common to the discipline (e.g., using a microscope, performing dilutions, operating a spectrophotometer); be familiar with field techniques such as sampling, habitat analysis, and collecting and preserving samples; follow and use experimental protocols, including recording and maintaining accurate data records; and understand the factors involved in maintaining and handling organisms – plants, animals and microbes – for study.

Research

The ability to conduct a research experiment incorporates many of the goals the faculty would like students to achieve – knowledge of content, synthesis, technical proficiencies and communication skills.

Students must take one course that fulfills the Biology "Faith and Learning (FL)" requirement, and one course that fulfills the Writing Intensive (W) requirement.  W courses are offered with permission of the instructor for most 3-4 credit, upper division, semester-long courses.

• Faith and Learning (FL) courses require a reading or experience that culminates in a major assignment which asks students to reflect and write about an area of faith or worldview of relevance to the course
• Writing Intensive (W) courses require instruction in writing specific to the discipline of biology, with at least two types of writing assignments, at least 12-15 pages of final-draft writing, and the opportunity to revise

No more than four credits of internships, independent study or cooperative studies, no more than two credits of teaching assistant-ships, no more than four credits of BI 400 – Biological Research, and no more than 6 total credits for any combination of the above will apply to the degree program.

For teacher certification: Although there are no specific courses required for the certification in Biology, the Whitworth University School of Education adheres to the Washington State Educator Standards Board which follows a competency-based system outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). To meet these competencies, students pursuing secondary education teacher certification in the area of Biology should consult with an advisor in the Department of Biology when planning biology courses. 

All endorsements subject to change; see School of Education for updated requirements.

Students must take one course that fulfills the Biology "Research (R)" requirement, one course that fulfills the Biology "Faith and Learning (FL)" requirement, and one course that fulfills the Writing Intensive (W) requirement.  W courses are offered with permission of the instructor for most 3-4 credit, upper division, semester-long courses.

• Research (R) courses require a semester-long, student driven research project including the posing of a hypothesis or research question, data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Faith and Learning (FL) courses include course material that culminates in an assignment which asks students to reflect and write about an area of faith or worldview of relevance to the course
• Writing Intensive (W) courses require instruction in writing specific to the discipline of biology, with at least two types of writing assignments, at least 12-15 pages of final-draft writing, and the opportunity to revise

No more than four credits of internships, independent study or cooperative studies, no more than two credits of teaching assistant-ships, no more than four credits of BI 400 – Biological Research, and no more than six total credits for any combination of the above will apply to the degree program.

For teacher certification: Although there are no specific courses required for the certification in Biology, the Whitworth University School of Education adheres to the Washington State Educator Standards Board which follows a competency-based system outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). To meet these competencies, students pursuing secondary education teacher certification in the area of Biology should consult with an advisor in the Department of Biology when planning biology courses. 

All endorsements subject to change; see School of Education for updated requirements.

Environmental Science & Environmental Studies Majors

Requirements for the environmental studies majors are listed on the environmental studies page.

For Washington state endorsement in biology, BI 333, BI 363 and BI 345 must be included and the following additional courses are required:

*

If used to meet this requirement, cannot be used to meet upper-division elective requirement.

Environmental Studies Minor (21-23)

Requirements for the environmental studies minor are listed on the environmental studies page.

Au Sable Institute

The Au Sable Institute is a Christian environmental-stewardship institute whose mission is to work to bring healing and wholeness to the biosphere and the whole creation through academic programs, research projects and educational outreach. Whitworth is a participating member of the institute. Coursework taken through the institute can be counted as elective credit toward completion of a biology degree. The following courses (this is a partial list) are offered during the summer at the Au Sable Pacific Rim campus (on Puget Sound, near Seattle). Other courses are offered at the following campuses: Au Sable Great Lakes (in the Great Lakes Forest, Mich.), Au Sable East (on the Chesapeake Bay, in Virginia), Au Sable Africa (near Nairobi, Kenya), and Au Sable India (in Tamil Nadu, South India). A full listing of Au Sable courses is available in the biology department.

Interdisciplinary Courses

Dean of Arts & Sciences

JOHN PELL

Chair

AARON PUTZKE

Professors

FRANK CACCAVOAARON PUTZKE

Associate professors

GRANT CASADYMICHAEL SARDINIACRAIG TSUCHIDA

Assistant professor

OLIVIA COPE