Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Biology

This proseminar is designed to teach students many of the writing and analytical skills that are required to succeed in graduate-level courses in the biological sciences. Through critical reading and presentation of research articles, students learn how to form questions that can be addressed experimentally and how to write a corresponding, testable hypothesis. The course also addresses the process of experimental design and current experimental methodologies in biology. Students are given multiple opportunities to hone their writing skills on several short writing assignments. Students are expected to participate in class discussions, present a paper to the class, and write a final research proposal due at the end of the semester. We focus our attention on innovations in genetics and genomics. Some background in these areas is beneficial but not required. Students learn to think scientifically while they gain knowledge of how recent advancements can be applied to agriculture, vaccine developments, personalized medicine, and other areas. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.