GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW
comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within
this department and once across UW; department totals should not be
added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts
reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Spring 2027
Recorded this term
4646courses with offerings
141141instructors recorded
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain
in the overview above.
Seminars in Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology promote scientific development through research presentations delivered to a scientific audience, including professional development topics.
Evolutionary biology course emphasizing how modern scientists study evolution, covering microevolution, macroevolution, systematics, quantitative genetics, and phylogenetic analyses.
Assessment consisted of ten-point weekly quizzes based on lectures and readings, which one student found manageable enough to earn an A without reading the book.
The course was moderately difficult and memorization-heavy on exams, which some students found tricky. Labs required outside class hours, but TAs were helpful in guiding students through completing lab reports.
Past student reviews · Sharon Thoma, Lauren Riters
Exams were described as challenging, with one student noting Lauren Riters' test was the hardest of the semester. Sharon Thoma's exams required significant study time, and students were advised to use the Learning Center and office hours to prepare.
Examines how arthropods exploit plants, plant defense traits, environmental mediation, population dynamics, community ecology, co-evolution, and implications for natural resource management and sustainable development.
Conservation Biology explores the science of protecting nature and preserving biodiversity, examining biological and socioeconomic factors underlying conservation challenges and impacts from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Introductory ecology covering organism-environment relationships, population dynamics, community organization, human-environment interactions, and action programs.
Anthony Ives used quizzes worth 20 points each, with a 60-point final. A student warned that even a couple of wrong answers lowered scores, but extra credit could raise a grade.
Ecosystem Simulation Modeling introduces process-based mathematical models of ecosystems simulated on the computer, covering pools, fluxes, and regulatory factors.
General Ecology covers the ecology of organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere, focusing on interactions with the physical environment.
Ecosystem Concepts covers the scope and objectives of ecosystem ecology, including theory, long-term and comparative studies, large-scale experiments, scaling problems, ecosystem services, ecological economics, and adaptive management.
Molecular Ecology covers basic principles including population genetics, molecular phylogenetics, rates and patterns of evolution, genome evolution, and molecular ecology.
The course featured a hard exam with written answers that the student found very subjective. The reviewer noted that the exam was significantly more difficult than expected.
Introduction to Entomology covering principles of insect morphology and classification, with outcomes focusing on identifying anatomical structures and classifying insects.
The class was described as very time-consuming and required significant memorization of Latin names. While not extraordinarily hard, it demanded a lot of work, though the instructor helped students through the material.
Ecology of Fishes covers interactions of fishes with physical, chemical, and biotic environments, including physiological ecology, community ecology, and fisheries sciences, with field trips to Lake Mendota and Shedd Aquarium.
An introduction to ornithology covering bird biology, ecology, and behavior, including evolution, flight mechanics, migration, communication, and conservation.
Developmental Neuroscience covers neural development mechanisms including induction, patterning, axon guidance, and synapse formation through lectures and primary literature discussion.
Hands-on research course where students work with microbes to test original hypotheses on antibiotic discovery, contributing data to the Tiny Earth network to address antibiotic resistance.
Biology in Popular Media teaches introductory biology concepts and analyzes depictions of biology, biologists, and the scientific method in movies, TV, and documentaries.
Directed Studies in Zoology offers directed study or independent research where students experience hypothesis development and research through faculty mentorship.
Invertebrate Biology and Evolution introduces invertebrate diversity and biology, emphasizing anatomy, development, and systematic relationships of main animal phyla from a phylogenetic and developmental perspective.
Lab course introducing invertebrate diversity, focusing on anatomy, development, and systematic relationships of main animal phyla within evolutionary themes.
Explores how genetic differences reveal human evolutionary and demographic history, and how history shapes genetic diversity. Covers disease risks, ancestry kits, and limits of genomics for describing race.