Approved Courses in Natural Science

Goals & Outcomes

Students should understand the process of scientific investigation and the major features of scientific reasoning as they develop a selected, substantive knowledge of basic natural science content.

• Students should be able to understand distinctive ways in which information is acquired in the natural sciences. They will be able to appreciate differences between basic and applied research in natural science.
• Students will be able to understand the concept of "theory" and the use of models in natural science.  They will be able to gain familiarity with the process of hypothesis testing as applied to investigations conducted by natural scientists.
• Students will be able to explain how the basic natural sciences interface with one another.
• Students will be able to understand how modern societies are constructed on an infrastructure of technological and scientific advances and be familiar with landmark discoveries that shaped at least one natural science discipline.  They will understand how natural scientists evaluate social problems and formulate ethical solutions that incorporate scientific reasoning and the application of appropriate scientific principles.
• Students should acquire a substantive body of factual natural science knowledge, principles, and concepts, including proper use of scientific terminology and vocabulary.