Note: This is the 2010–2011 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
Program Requirements
Students may complete this program with a minimum of 71 credits or a maximum of 75 credits depending on their choice of complementary courses.
The Honours program in Biology is designed expressly as a preparation for graduate studies and research, and provides students with an enriched training in biology and some research experience in a chosen area. Acceptance into the Honours program at the end of U2 requires a CGPA of 3.50 and approval of a 9- or 12-credit Independent Studies proposal (see listing of BIOL 479 and BIOL 480 for details). Students also complete a 4-credit Honours Seminar course, BIOL 499. For an Honours degree, a minimum CGPA of 3.50 in the U3 year and adherence to the program as outlined below are the additional requirements.
U1 Required Courses (18 credits)
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BIOL 200 Molecular Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Roy, Richard D W; Brown, Gregory G; Fagotto, Francesco; Zetka, Monique (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial
- Prerequisite: BIOL 112 or equivalent
- Corequisite: CHEM 212 or equivalent
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BIOL 201 Cell Biology and Metabolism (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : This course introduces the student to our modern understanding of cells and how they work. Major topics to be covered include: photosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolic integration; plasma membrane including secretion, endocytosis and contact mediated interactions between cells; cytoskeleton including cell and organelle movement; the nervous system; hormone signaling; the cell cycle.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Levine, Robert; Hewitt, Kathryn; Brouhard, Gary (Winter)
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial
- Prerequisite: BIOL 200.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking ANAT 212 or BIOC 212
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BIOL 202 Basic Genetics (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduction to basic principles, and to modern advances, problems and applications in the genetics of higher and lower organisms with examples representative of the biological sciences.
Terms: Winter 2011, Summer 2011
Instructors: Schoen, Daniel J; Chevrette, Mario; Western, Tamara (Winter) Dankort, David; Western, Tamara (Summer)
- Winter, Summer
- 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial
- Prerequisite: BIOL 200.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking CELL 204.
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BIOL 205 Biology of Organisms (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Dhindsa, Rajinder S (Winter)
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture, optional conference hour
- Prerequisites: BIOL 200 and PHYS 101 or 131 or equivalent
- Corequisite: ANAT 212/BIOC 212 or BIOL 201
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BIOL 206 Methods in Biology of Organisms (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduction to modern methods used in organismal biology, including ecological sampling, experimental methods and statistics, taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of biodiversity, experimental behavioural ecology, microbiological methods, and library search procedures.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Gonzalez, Andrew; MacLean, Eleanor; Schoen, Daniel J (Fall)
- Fall
- 1.5 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratory and local field trip in week 2.
- Prerequisite: BIOL 111 or equivalent
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BIOL 215 Introduction to Ecology and Evolution (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Price, Neil; Larsson, Hans Carl; Potvin, Catherine (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: BIOL 111
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENVR 202
U1 Complementary Course (4 credits)
* Students who have already taken CHEM 212 or its equivalent will choose another appropriate complementary course, to be approved by the Adviser.
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CHEM 212 Introductory Organic Chemistry 1 (4 credits) *
Overview
Chemistry : A survey of reactions of aliphatic and aromatic compounds including modern concepts of bonding, mechanisms, conformational analysis, and stereochemistry.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Summer 2011
Instructors: Daoust, Michel; Tsantrizos, Youla S; Moitessier, Nicolas (Fall) Daoust, Michel; Fenster, Ariel; Schirrmacher, Ralf (Winter) Daoust, Michel; Fenster, Ariel (Summer)
- Fall, Winter, Summer
- Prerequisite: CHEM 110 or equivalent.
- Corequisite: CHEM 120 or equivalent.
- Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken CHEM 211 or equivalent
- Each lab section is limited enrolment
- Note: Some CEGEP programs provide equivalency for this course. For more information, please see the Department of Chemistry’s Web page ().
U2 or U3 Required Courses (7 credits)
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BIOL 301 Cell and Molecular Laboratory (4 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to laboratory techniques with a focus on methods used to investigate fundamental questions in modern cell and molecular biology. Techniques including gene cloning, DNA and protein isolation and manipulation are covered, along with functional analysis of genes and proteins, basic bioinformatics, and computer-based experimental design and data analysis.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Moon, Nam Sung; Harrison, Paul; Zheng, Huanquan (Fall) Moon, Nam Sung; Harrison, Paul; Zheng, Huanquan (Winter)
- Fall or Winter
- 1 hour lecture and one 6-hour laboratory
- Prerequisites: PHYS 102 or PHYS 142, BIOL 200, BIOL 201 or ANAT/BIOC 212, and BIOL 202. BIOL 206 recommended.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken or are taking BIOC 300. Requires departmental approval.
- For approval email anne-marie.sdicu [at] mcgill.ca. Specify your ID number as well as the term and lab day.
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BIOL 373 Biometry (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Elementary statistical methods in biology. Introduction to the analysis of biological data with emphasis on the assumptions behind statistical tests and models. Use of statistical techniques typically available on computer packages.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Seizilles de Mazancourt, Claire; Potvin, Catherine (Fall)
- Fall
- 2 hours lecture and 2 hours laboratory
- Prerequisite: MATH 112 or equivalent
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
U2 and U3 Complementary Courses (33 credits)
Students who take CHEM 212 in U1 complete 30 credits and those exempted from CHEM 212 complete 33 credits selected as follows:
12 credits selected from:
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BIOL 300 Molecular Biology of the Gene (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : A survey of current knowledge and approaches in the area of regulation of gene expression, post-transcriptional control of gene expression, and signal transduction.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Nilson, Laura; Zetka, Monique (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture, optional tutorials
- Prerequisites: BIOL 200 and one of BIOL 201 or ANAT/BIOC 212.
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BIOL 303 Developmental Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : A consideration of the fundamental processes and principles operating during embryogenesis. Experimental analyses at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels will be presented and discussed to provide an overall appreciation of developmental phenomena.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Nilson, Laura; Rao, Yong; Dufort, Daniel (Winter)
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture and 1 hour optional tutorial
- Prerequisites: BIOL 200, and BIOL 201 or ANAT/BIOC 212.
- Corequisites: BIOL 202. BIOL 300 strongly recommended.
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BIOL 304 Evolution (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : This course will show how the theory of evolution by natural selection provides the basis for understanding the whole of biology. The first half of the course describes the process of selection, while the second deals with evolution in the long term.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Bell, Graham (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: BIOL 205 and BIOL 215 or ENVR 202
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BIOL 306 Neural Basis of Behaviour (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Neural mechanisms of animal behaviour; neuroethology; cellular neurophysiology, integrative networks within nervous systems; neural control of movement; processing of sensory information.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Pollack, Gerald; Dent, Joseph Alan (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: ANAT 212/BIOC 212 or BIOL 201 and PHYS 102 or PHYS 142 or CEGEP Physics.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 308.
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BIOL 308 Ecological Dynamics (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Guichard, Frederic (Fall)
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture, 1 hour computer lab/tutorial
- Prerequisite: BIOL 215 or both ENVR 200 and ENVR 202
18-21 credits in Biology at the 300 level or higher, of which 9 credits may be from other Science departments, with approval of the Adviser.
U3 Required Courses (4 credits)
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BIOL 499D1 Honours Seminar in Biology (2 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Selected series of guest speaker seminars of general interest, round table discussions with speakers, preparation of reports, 'scientific writing' module, and presentation of student's research.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Price, Neil; Cooper, Linda H (Fall)
- Fall, Winter
- Students must register for both BIOL 499D1 and BIOL 499D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 499D1 and BIOL 499D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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BIOL 499D2 Honours Seminar in Biology (2 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : See BIOL 499D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Price, Neil; Cooper, Linda H (Winter)
- Winter
- Prerequisite: BIOL 499D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 499D1 and BIOL 499D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
U3 Complementary Courses (12 credits)
9 - 12 credits selected from:
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BIOL 479D1 Honours Research Project 1 (4.5 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduces students to original research, and to its design, execution and reporting.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Price, Neil (Fall)
- Fall, Winter
- 8-12 hours per week research project and related seminars
- Restriction: Biology Honours students. Projects must be arranged individually with, and accepted by a staff member of the Biology Department
- Students must register for both BIOL 479D1 and BIOL 479D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 479D1 and BIOL 479D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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BIOL 479D2 Honours Research Project 1 (4.5 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : See BIOL 479D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Price, Neil (Winter)
- Winter
- Prerequisite: BIOL 479D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 479D1 and BIOL 479D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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BIOL 480D1 Honours Research Project 2 (6 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduces students to original research, and to its design, execution and reporting.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Price, Neil (Fall)
- Fall and Winter
- 10-15 hours per week research project and related seminars
- Restriction and course description: as for BIOL 479
- Students must register for both BIOL 480D1 and BIOL 480D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 480D1 and BIOL 480D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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BIOL 480D2 Honours Research Project 2 (6 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : See BIOL 480D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Price, Neil (Winter)
- Winter
- Prerequisite: BIOL 480D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOL 480D1 and BIOL 480D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
Faculty of Science—2010-2011 (last updated Jan. 19, 2011) (disclaimer)