Biology
Explore the coast of Ireland
Embark on a memorable semester in Dingle, Ireland, maintaining your focus on your Biology major by enrolling in diverse courses such as Anatomy & Physiology, Nutrition, Intro to Coastal Ecology, and GIS for Environmental Applications. Tailored for biology majors seeking an enriching international experience, this program allows you to earn credits towards your biology degree while immersing yourself in a new cultural setting.
Looking for a short-term experience? Join us for two weeks exploring the expansive archaeological sites of the region in Tombs, Rituals & Traditions; investigating the influence of the microbial world on Irish culture in Feast, Famine, and Fermentation; or exploring the genetics of Irish populations in Genetic & Genealogy.
BI 104 – Intro to Coastal Ecology of Ireland
3 Credits
Liberal arts exploration
Scientific Literacy
Offered
Spring Semester
Faculty
Sharon Ni Shuilleabhain
Description
This course will introduce students to the varying marine environments surrounding the Dingle Peninsula and their importance, in terms of biodiversity and sustainability. Through multiple field trips and lecture, we will explore many coastal ecosystems, how they are shaped and the organisms that live in them.
Students are introduced to the abiotic and biotic processes that influence aquatic communities including coastal streams, rocky intertidal zones, sandy beaches, marshes, harbors, and the open ocean.
Throughout the course, we will also discuss how human activities affect these ecosystems, and other topical marine issues.
BI 120/HI 199 – Genetics & Genealogy
3 Credits
Liberal arts exploration
- Humanistic Inquiry
- Scientific Literacy
Offered
Summer 1 Short Term
Faculty
Mark Jareb Ph.D.
Jennifer McLaughlin Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
Who are we and where do we come from? This course addresses that question both by understanding the genetics that underlie genetic ancestry tests and the genealogy of the students’ family trees and the historical context of their personal family’s ancestors. In addition, to exploring their own personal family genealogy and genetic history, the class in groups will research the family genealogy of a member of the Dingle community and compare the history impacting their family trees. Students will have access to numerous genealogical databases as well as the results of AncestryDNA tests for themselves and the local community members.
Students will learn about and help build local Dingle genealogy resources with trips to nearby historical societies and cemeteries. They will also interview selected individuals from the local Dingle community using this information and the genetic information from AncestryDNA results to help create a “Book of Life” for these community members. In doing so, students learn a more personal history about Dingle and the people who live there.
BI 199/PH 294 – Tombs, Treks, and Transcendence
3 Credits
Liberal arts exploration
- Social & Global Awareness,
- Humanistic Inquiry
- Scientific Literacy
Offered
Summer 2 Short Term
Faculty
Kristen R. R. Savell Ph.D.
Christine Susienka Ph.D.
description
In this course, we’ll explore rituals of death, mortality, and the creation of meaning in Ireland. You will learn introductory archaeological methodology and mortuary analysis of human burials, then apply that knowledge by performing hands-on excavation and interpretation of a simulated burial site in Dingle. You will engage with texts exploring the philosophical and cultural ramifications of how we shape who we are in the face of death/mortality, the ethics of working with human burials, and ways in which our rituals surrounding death and burial reflect the values of the living.
The unique landscape of Dingle will also allow us to think about how we shape and are shaped by our natural environments. We will consider these questions through both landscape archaeology of the Dingle Peninsula and philosophical reflection. As part of the course, we will take trips to archeological sites in the area, and hike the Cosan na Naomh pilgrimage trail.
BI 199/299 – Tombs, Rituals, & Traditions
3 Credits
Liberal arts exploration
- Humanistic Inquiry
- Scientific Literacy
Offered
Winter Short Term
Faculty
description
The Dingle Peninsula has a rich assemblage of human history, from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to early Christians, to modern-day. These time periods are abundantly represented by changing funeral rites throughout the Peninsula.
In this course, we’ll explore the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval people of the Dingle peninsula by examining the migration patterns and changing funeral and religious rites in the region. We’ll study and visit Neolithic stone megaliths and cairns as the humans of Dingle transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming, the wedge tombs and circle rock art of Dingle’s Bronze age inhabitants, and the changing funerary rites that accompanied the transition to Christianity in Dingle. We’ll use this information to explore and discuss how and why these monuments were made, both from a practical and a ritual standpoint.
BI 199/BI 299 – Feast, Famine, Fever, and Fermentation
3 Credits
Liberal arts exploration
None
Offered
Summer 1 Short Term
Faculty
Description
The organisms typically studied by microbiologists; bacteria, fungi, slime and water molds, algae, etcetera; have had a profound influence on the history and culture of essentially every human society, most notably in the areas of disease (both plant and animal) and more enjoyably–fermented foods, and drinks.
From the devastating plant disease that initiated the famine and disease epidemics known as the The Great Hunger, to the banbidh, or “white foods” that formed the basis of the Irish diet before the potato arrived in the 16th century, to the enjoyable beer and whiskey unique to Ireland, the lens of Irish Culture and History provides an ideal focus to illustrate and teach basic principles of microbial disease, physiology, and diversity.
This course will utilize the resources of the Dingle Peninsula and SHU’s campus in Ireland for an engaging series of site visits and case studies coupled with classroom and limited laboratory work that will provide a foundational knowledge of the breadth and diversity of microbial science.
BI 206/208 – Anatomy and Physiology I, Lecture & Lab
4 Credits
Liberal Arts Exploration
Offered
Fall Semester
Faculty
description
Lecture on the investigation of the tissues, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. This section is for students interested in athletic training, exercise science, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or physician assistant programs.
Laboratory involves the investigation of the tissues, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems.
This course does not count as a Biology elective in the major or minor.
BI 299/HS 305/EX 255 – Nutritional Aspects of Human Health & Performance
3 Credits
Liberal Arts Exploration
Offered
Spring Semester
Faculty
John O’Connor M.Sc
Description
This course provides an examination of the six classes of nutrients with strong emphasis on chronic disease prevention and improving athletic performance. Issues concerning dietary supplements, functional foods, and the ethics of food choices are also explored.
BI 303 – GIS for Environmental Applications
4 Credits
Liberal Arts Exploration
Offered
Spring Semester – Online
Faculty
Description
This course focuses on the development of GIS principles, methods, and techniques that are particularly relevant to and useful for problem solving in environmental analysis and management. Specifically this course has four major components: an overview of selected GIS principles including data models, scale and spatial sampling, and spatial autocorrelation; a review of the major techniques for environmental data acquisition and integration; an introduction to environmental analysis and modeling techniques; and a discussion of several applied areas of environmental modeling techniques as related to coastal ecology, hydrology, natural hazards, natural resources management, and environmental planning.
Prerequisites: BI 202/204 Ecology Lecture and Lab; CH 152/154 General Chemistry II Lecture and Lab, MA 140 Precalculus.
