Course Syllabus

BIOL 1450 Human Dynamics for Visual Artists and Performers (Formerly BIOL 2150)

Course Description

Human Dynamics for Visual Artists and Performers is designed primarily for students interested in the human figure and its form and function as it relates to drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, dance, and athletics. The focus of the course is primarily on the musculoskeletal system, but includes the study of the human species at levels of organization from the atomic through the biosphere with the study of cell biology, major organ systems, genetics, human development, reproduction, and evolution. It must be taken concurrently with the laboratory, BIOL 1455.

Justification

Each year 60-70 new students declare Art as their major. The Visual Arts Department and faculty from the Dance and Athletic Departments have requested a general education biology offering that focuses on the human form and function as they apply to the fields of art and performance. This course fulfills that request, satisfies the Life Science/Lab GE requirement, and will provide students with a unique opportunity to study a wider scope of human biology from the perspective of an artist and performer. Study of human form and function, utilizing the scientific method and through observation, has been an effective model of study since the Italian Renaissance. The focus on these topics will effectively prepare students who plan to take or are taking dance classes or ART 2900 Figure Drawing and ART 2620 Figure Sculpture and provide enhanced knowledge for students on human performance. This correspondence of content between art and science will provide a unique cross-disciplinary approach to the Life Science General Education curriculum. Understanding of human form and function is a requisite for many majors and has applicability to graduates entering creative industries.  For the natural sciences, science is the systematic inquiry into natural phenomena, organizing and condensing those observations into testable models and hypotheses, theories, or laws. The success and credibility of science is anchored in the willingness of scientists to: 1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists which requires the complete and open exchange of data, procedures and material; 2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more complete or reliable experimental evidence. Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for self-correction that is the foundation of credibility of science. (Adapted from a statement by the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society which was endorsed by the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1999.) While properties of matter and energy in the physical sciences are common to life science, the emergent properties resulting from the complexities of life require additional study to amplify and clarify the molecular mechanisms of life.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. The primary purpose of this course is to give students a strong understanding of human anatomy, its relation to the natural world, and its application in art/performance settings. As students read material from various sources (textbooks, secondary literature, and primary literature), participate in class discussions, and test their knowledge through short-answer and essay questions, problem solving exercises, and standard testing strategies, as well as a comprehensive final exam, they will display a mastery of human anatomy and its applications.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students will complete at least one library project and several test essay questions over the course of the semester where students can demonstrate effective reading, knowledge retrieval, and clear written communication.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. To adequately explore the human form, function, and biology this course explores not only biological science, but social and behavioral sciences as well. With an emphasis on form and function this course also addresses the humanities and art from a unique perspective. Students will see how scientific method is employed to aid in logically addressing complex problems which can apply inside and out of the course. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. This course will address humans and science's role in historical and contemporary issues and problems. Lectures and discussions on ethics, medical ethics, personal and social responsibility, and current events help the students and their reasoning abilities. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate the application of scientific inquiry's scientific methods and tools by actively and directly collecting analyzing the world around them and their own experiences, interpreting data, presenting findings, and using information to answer questions. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams. Students will demonstrate the application of scientific inquiry's scientific methods and tools by actively and directly collecting analyzing the world around them and their own experiences, interpreting data, presenting findings, and using information to answer questions. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.
2. Demonstrate basic understanding of how organisms live, grow, respond to their environment, and reproduce.  This course will include biological concepts such as mitosis, meiosis, human reproduction, evolution, adaptation, and genetics. Students will also be instructed on how the human form during adolescence differs from adulthood with its intrinsic and numerable variations. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.
3. Discuss the organization and flow of matter and energy through biological systems.  This course will include biological concepts such as trophic levels, nutrient cycling, cellular respiration, macronutrients, and the basics of human nutrition. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.
4. Explain from evidence patterns of inheritance, structural unity, adaptation, and diversity of life on Earth.  This course will include biological concepts such as genetics, the central dogma of biology, evolution, and human taxonomy. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, and/or exams.
5. Describe how the Life Sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts. This course explores how science and medicine were historically influenced by artists, and how social and moral factors have and continue to influence our interpretation of past events and present ethical standards. Students will have opportunities to think critically, interpret data, evaluate information, and communicate clearly about life in the world around them. Students will be assessed through quizzes, homework, writing assignments, library projects, and/or exams.

Course Content

Through lecture, discussion, assessment and practical application, students will study the following topics: Science; Evolution; Ecology; Chemistry of life; Cell structure; Cell function; Human development and reproduction; Body organization; Introduction to the skeletal system; Axial and appendicular skeleton and its contribution to form; Introduction to muscle anatomy and physiology; Muscles of the trunk and extremities and its contributions to form; Facial features, along with other surface features; Reproductive systems and physiology.To accurately represent the varied and dynamic human experience, efforts will be made to provide examples from various cultures, histories, and beliefs.