Colleen Belk and Virginia Borden Maier collaborated on teaching biology to nonmajors for over a decade together at the University of Minnesota—Duluth. This collaboration has continued through Virginia’s move to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and has been enhanced by their differing but complementary areas of expertise. In addition to the non-majors course, Colleen Belk teaches general biology for majors, genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology courses. Virginia Borden Maier teaches general biology for majors, evolutionary biology, zoology, plant biology, ecology, and conservation biology courses.

After several somewhat painful attempts at teaching the breadth of biology to non-majors in a single semester, the two authors came to the conclusion that they needed to find a better way. They realized that their students were more engaged when they understood how biology directly affected their lives. Colleen and Virginia began to structure their lectures around stories they knew would interest students. When they began letting the story drive the science, they immediately noticed a difference in student interest, energy, and willingness to work harder at learning biology. Not only has this approach increased student understanding, but it has also increased the authors’ enjoyment in teaching the course–presenting students with fascinating stories infused with biological concepts is simply a lot more fun. This approach served to invigorate their teaching. Knowing that their students are learning the biology that they will need now and in the future gives the authors a deep and abiding satisfaction.

Unit One: Chemistry and Cells

Chapter 2: Science Fiction, Bad Science, and Pseudoscience: Water, Biochemistry, and Cells

Chapter 3: Is it Possible to Supplement Your Way to Better Health? Nutrients and Membrane Transport

Chapter 4:  Body Weight and Health: Enzymes, Metabolism, and Cellular Respiration

Chapter 5: Life in the Greenhouse: Photosynthesis and Climate Change

Unit Two: Genetics

Chapter 6: Cancer: DNA Synthesis, Mitosis, and Meiosis

Chapter 7: Are You Only as Smart as Your Genes? Mendelian and Quantitative Genetics

Chapter 8: DNA Detective: Complex Patterns of Inheritance and DNA Profiling

Chapter 9: Genetically Modified Organisms: Gene Expression, Mutation, Stem Cells, and Cloning

Unit Three: Evolution

Chapter 10: Where Did We Come From? The Evidence for Evolution

Chapter 11:  An Evolving Enemy: Natural Selection

Chapter 12: Who Am I? Species and Races

Chapter 13: The Greatest Species on Earth? Biodiversity and Classification

Unit Four: Ecology

Chapter 14: Is the Human Population Too Large? Population Ecology

Chapter 15: Conserving Biodiversity: Community and Ecosystem Ecology

Chapter 16: Where Do You Live? Climate and Biomes

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