Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

     Bi 221z is the first term of a yearlong sequence in biology for biology majors and pre-health science students (for students interested in Med school, physical therapy, pharmacy, etc.). This course helps build the strong foundation you will need to move on successfully into upper division biology courses and future biology endeavors. The ‘z’ indicates this series has gone through a process where all the public Oregon colleges and universities have worked to build a common list of topics that are covered in each term of the series.

     Students should expect a fast-paced course that touches on a lot of aspects of biology quickly and then moves on to something new. Working together to build an understanding of both the detail rich foundation of biology concepts that have been built up over decades of work and an understanding of the process of science that helps to build that understanding.

     This course uses a traditional lecture style coupled with in class activities, online work and both in class and take-home exams to help busy students master these complex ideas. You can wait for the first class meeting before purchasing the text or lab manual - if you would like to get the text ahead of time you might want to touch base with me. To do that, or If you have specific questions about how the class works feel free to email me at mjordan@pcc.edu (although during breaks I often go a week or more between checking my email so please be patient).