Use and Misuse of Data in Biology

Catalog description

Data is critical to the advancement of scientific ideas. BIO151 will introduce students to the basic principles of data analysis as applied in the biological sciences, with a particular focus on inequities within, and produced by, data analysis and the scientific process. Together, through the hands-on exploration of topics such as eugenics, disparate health outcomes among human populations, and social inequity within science, we will focus on how biological data is used and misused despite the ideal of biology as a data-driven, objective scientific field. Students will gain experience with software (Excel and the R programming language), data analysis methods, and will examine published papers and public data sets to explore how biological data are manipulated to draw legitimate and illegitimate meaning from them. Satisfies Biology major requirement. Satisfies Mathematical and Quantitative Thought requirement. Satisfies Justice, Equality and Community requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Permission from the instructor is required. With permission of the Biology chair, one course numbered BIO15# or BIO17# may be applied to satisfy an elective course within the Biology major.