Listed below are the courses offered by the Department of Biology.
Please check the York Courses Website for further information and updates, including course locations, schedules and instructors.
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Biology Courses
Students who wish to gain practical research experience, in a lab or in the field, can make arrangements with a faculty member to participate in his/her research. During this course, the student will learn current research techniques and will use these techniques to make a meaningful contribution to the supervisor’s research program. Students are expected to commit to approximately 5-10 hours per week (on average) for one term. The student and faculty member must sign a form in which they agree on the type and amount of work to be done, and the form must be approved by the Course Director before the student will be allowed to enrol. Students may enrol in this course during any term, and there is no limit to the number of terms in which they are allowed to enrol. Students will not be allowed to enrol in a Research Practicum with their Honours Thesis supervisor (BIOL/BCHM 4000) during the same terms that they are enrolled in BIOL/BCHM 4000 8.0. The course evaluation will be pass/fail only. Students will be required to obtain safety training, such as WHMIS, if appropriate to the type of research undertaken. The course is intended only for majors in Biology (all streams), Biochemistry, Biophysics, Environmental Biology or Environmental Science - Life Science Stream.
Please see the Research Practicum Package for more information on this course.
ENROLLMENT: To enroll in the course, first fill out the Research Practicum enrolment form (found in Research Practicum package) & submit completed form to the Machform Registration.
SC/BIOL 4000 3.0 & 8.0
Honours Thesis--3 Credit
The 3.0 credit course is an in-depth critical literature review and/or research proposal that demonstrates the student’s knowledge and understanding of a topic. The thesis reviews the literature in a particular field or area of interest, identifies gaps or inconsistencies, and develops a specific hypothesis, argument or model. Students are encouraged to propose an experimental strategy to test the hypothesis (with clearly articulated possible outcomes and limitations). The thesis involves considerable self-directed work and must reflect critical thinking and analytical skills and an understanding of the scientific method. A strong thesis is built on carefully reviewing and analyzing the literature, and communicating clearly and professionally. The course concludes with an oral defense of the thesis. Typically students spend 4-6 hours/week preparing the thesis. (Some weeks you will need to put in more hours.) The 3.0 credit course is completed in a single term (Fall, Winter or Summer) under the supervision of a faculty member in Biology. There are no formal lectures.
Please read the BIOL 4000 Honours Information Package for more information on this course and to access the Registration Form.
ENROLLMENT: To enroll in the course, first fill out the BIOL 4000 Registration form (see Information Package above). Older Registration forms will not be accepted. Submit the completed form to the Machform Registration Page. Carefully read the information and ensure you meet all course requirements.
Honours Thesis--8 Credit
The 8.0 credit course is a hands-on original research project (laboratory- or field-based) that includes a practical and written component as well as an oral thesis defense. This course provides 4th year undergraduate students with research experience in the Biological Sciences and provides an opportunity to enhance critical thinking, analytical and communication skills. The written component should describe the background relevant to the research project, the question(s) being addressed, specific aims, the methodology used, the results obtained, conclusions and a critical discussion and interpretation of the findings and their significance. Students are required to write clearly and concisely (with correct and appropriate grammar, spelling and referencing of materials), and to prepare accurate and clear figures/tables. The research project involves a significant investment of time and effort in the laboratory or field. Typically students spend 10-12 hours/week (although this is likely to depend on the nature and stage of the work). The 8.0 credit course is completed over two consecutive terms (i.e., Fall-Winter, Winter- Summer, or Summer-Fall) under the supervision of a faculty member in Biology. There are no formal lectures in this course.
Please read the BIOL 4000 Honours Information Package for more information on this course and to access the Registration Form.
ENROLLMENT: To enroll in the course, first fill out the BIOL 4000 Registration form (see Information Package above). Older Registration forms will not be accepted. Submit the completed form to the Machform Registration Page. Carefully read the information and ensure you meet all course requirements.
SC/BIOL 4200 3.0
The course is designed for a student who has a genuine interest in a particular area of Biology for which no course exists in the department. In such a case, the student must identify a faculty member with expertise in that area, and speak to the faculty member about acting as a supervisor for this course. A list of faculty members and their research interests may be found on the Faculty and Research page.
Please see the Selected Readings Enrolment Package (pdf) for more information.
ENROLLMENT: To enroll in the course, first fill out the BIOL 4200 Registration form (found in the Enrolment Package) & submit completed form to the Machform Registration Page.
Many students tell us that they truly understand what Biology is about after they take a field course. There are many different kinds of field courses for all budgets and student situations.
Find out more about our field courses here.