2011-12 Catalog

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2011-12 Undergraduate Index A-Z

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Physiology [clear]


Title   Offering Standing Credits Credits When F W S Su Description Preparatory Faculty Days Multiple Standings Start Quarters Open Quarters
Approaches to Healing
Cindy Beck and Wenhong Wang
  Course FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 2 02 Evening W 12Winter Approaches to Healing is a guest lecture series designed to help students explore the theory and practice of the many types of healing arts that our regional wealth of outstanding practitioners provide.  Throughout the quarter, students will be asked to look at broad health care questions and policy, as well as personal healing practices, stress management, and the importance of thoughtful critical analysis at all levels of approaches and outcomes.  Guest speakers representing body work, complementary medicine, Chinese medicine, bacteriophages as antibiotics, and plant medicine will be featured.  Students will also spend time each week outside of class exploring new activities that could contribute to their own health, as well as reading current literature to help expand their understanding of health and wellness.This course meets in conjunction with the program .  (You may enroll either in for 8 credits or for 2 credits, but you may not enroll in both.) Cindy Beck Wenhong Wang Mon Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Winter Winter
Brain and Mind: East-West Insights
Cindy Beck and Jamyang Tsultrim
  Course SO–SRSophomore - Senior 4 04 Weekend S 12Spring Interest in Eastern philosophy and the influence of contemplative practice on the body has been growing over the past few decades.  This class will explore Eastern models of the theory of knowledge, particularly traditional epistemological models of cognition based on Indo-Tibetan studies.  Class material will look at the effect these practices have on neurological function by studying neuroanatomy, brain plasticity, and the connections between sensory input and our emotions, thoughts, and actions.  Students will learn to analyze constructive emotions and thoughts and their influence on mental stability.  Students will also learn methodologies for influencing and improving mental development and function.  Hands-on workshops, readings, and discussions will emphasize class concepts and help students learn to integrate Western science and Eastern philosophy. Cindy Beck Jamyang Tsultrim Sat Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Foundations of Health Science
Benjamin Simon, Glenn Landram and Lydia McKinstry
Signature Required: Winter  Spring 
  Program FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 16 16 Day F 11 Fall W 12Winter S 12Spring This year-long, laboratory-based program will offer students a conceptual and methodological introduction to biology and chemistry with a focus on health and medicine. We will use organizing themes that link the science of human health with the economic, financial, ethical and legal issues associated with the demand and cost of medical research and public health care. Over the course of three quarters, we will study portions of general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, statistics, economics and management, and human behavior. Students will use scientific processes, quantitative reasoning and hands-on experiences to develop problem-solving skills directed at understanding these subjects in the context of human health. This program is primarily designed for students contemplating work in medicine and allied health fields, including nursing, physical therapy, midwifery, athletic training, nutrition and others. This program is also appropriate for students interested in public health or public policy who want a solid foundation in biology and chemistry or students who wish to study rigorous science as part of a liberal arts education. Program activities will include lectures, laboratories, small-group problem-solving workshops, homework, field trips and seminars. Our readings and discussions will be concerned with the economic, ethical and scientific aspects of human health as they relate to the global community as well as individuals. Students will undertake assignments focused on interpreting and integrating the topics covered. During spring quarter, students will participate in small-group collaboration on a scientific investigation relevant to the program content. Project topics will be developed under the direction of the faculty and students will describe the results of this research through formal writing and public presentation. All program work will emphasize quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and development of proficiency in scientific writing and speaking skills. Upon completion of this program students will have gained some of the prerequisites necessary for careers in the allied health fields and public health administration. Students will also be prepared for further studies in upper division science. Students who master the biology and chemistry work in this program will be prepared to enroll in the Molecule to Organism program. Students preparing for medical school will likely need further coursework in inorganic or general chemistry to fulfill prerequisites for medical school. Overall, we expect students to end the program in the spring with a working knowledge of scientific, social and economic principles relating to human health and public health care. We also expect that they will have gained an ability to apply these principles to solving real world problems relating to natural science, disease and human health. medicine and allied health fields, and public health administration. Benjamin Simon Glenn Landram Lydia McKinstry Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall Winter Spring
Global Health: Inequalities and Ethics
Carolyn Prouty
  Course FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 6 06 Day Su 12Summer Session I This course draws from public health, epidemiology, bioethics, and human rights philosophy to consider health and disease in a global context. What are the social, economic, and epidemiological forces that have led to vast inequalities in health outcomes globally? As we investigate how Western ideas apply in non-Western countries, we will explore ethical dilemmas that researchers, healthcare providers, and policy makers encounter in resource-poor environments. Finally, we will examine the epidemiology, physiology, and pathology of specific conditions including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, maternal morbidity and mortality, nutritional deficiencies, and parasitic diseases, paying particular attention to connections between infections and inequalities, malnutrition, and human rights. Carolyn Prouty Tue Wed Thu Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Summer Summer
Lights Out
Bret Weinstein
  Program SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring Complex systems can fail catastrophically. Resent catastrophic failures (such as the global financial collapse of 2008, the Gulf oil spill of 2010 and the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011) hint at the overall fragility of the systems on which civilization presently depends. Many have wondered if the larger system might be equally vulnerable to a major disruption.This program proceeds from a thought experiment: What if the lights went out and didn’t come back on? What if the gas stations ran dry and no one came to refill them? What if the store shelves went bare and stayed that way?The immediate effect would be unavoidably chaotic, disastrous and tragic. But from the chaos would likely emerge groups of people who had figured out how to provide for themselves.How would those groups be organized? What would they understand? What technologies of the past would they have resurrected, and in what form? What newer technologies would they work to retain? How would they use the rubble of modernity to enhance their lives. What would they eat and drink? How would they stay warm and fed in the winter? Would large-scale social organization arise organically, from the bottom up? How would the answers to these question differ by region?This program will not happen at the front of the room. The faculty will not present answers to these questions. The learning community will confront them together, with analytical rigor proportional to the scenario under consideration. As much as possible, we will attempt to prototype answers in the physical world, and let our successes and failures guide us toward a toolkit for survival.This program is not for passive students, or for those that prefer to stay in the abstract or metaphorical layers. It will require students to be both hard workers and careful thinkers. Students must be bold, collaborative and willing to rise to a serious challenge. Bret Weinstein Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Models in Biology
Karen Hogan
  Program SO–SRSophomore - Senior 12 12 Evening and Weekend F 11 Fall Models allow us to test our understanding of particular systems and, if the models are good, to make predictions.  Types of models include conceptual, graphical, mathematical, and systems simulation models.  In biology, processes that can be modeled range from Michaelis-Menten analysis of enzyme kinetics, to diffusion of carbon dioxide and water into and out of a leaf, to population dynamics of plant and animal species, to global climate models.   This program will look at a range of approaches to modeling different levels of biological processes.  After an introduction to modeling concepts and techniques, students will work in groups to construct models of biological processes of their own choosing.  A high level of engagement and initiative is expected in this program; upper-division credit is possible.  Students willing to share their expertise in some area of mathematics or computing are encouraged to participate. Karen Hogan Wed Sat Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall
Molecule to Organism
James Neitzel, Steven Verhey and Michael Paros
  Program SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day F 11 Fall W 12Winter S 12Spring biology, chemistry, education, medicine, pharmacy and health science. James Neitzel Steven Verhey Michael Paros Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall Winter Spring
Reproduction, Birth, and Power
Laura Citrin and Carolyn Prouty
  Program FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 16 16 Day W 12Winter Why is the rate of caesarian section births rising? What are the ethical implications when parents choose for certain traits in embryo selection? How do our ideas of masculinity and femininity shape male and female reproductive health? How is infertility, abortion, and maternal mortality experienced differently across race and class? This program will explore the sociological, psychological, historical, political, and ethical issues related to reproduction and childbirth, mainly in the US, but we look at the global manifestations of these issues as well. We will learn basic female and male reproductive anatomy and physiology in humans, including the physical processes involved in birth.Through lecture, seminar, film, reading and discussion stimulated by multiple guest speakers from the community, students will examine such topics as conception, pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period; ethical issues in fertility (including infertility) and obstetrics; power and hierarchy in reproductive health care; and breakthroughs in the technologies of reproduction. Students can expect to read and analyze primary scientific and social science literature, academic and popular texts, and to learn to recognize and think critically about their own evolving perspectives surrounding reproduction and birth. Laura Citrin Carolyn Prouty Mon Wed Thu Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Winter Winter