Biology & Society Major

Each student's program incorporating the requirements of the major is planned in consultation with a faculty member and is designed to accommodate individual goals and interests. Biology & Society graduates have gone on to successful careers in the healthcare industry, legal profession, policymaking, scientific research and many other exciting professions. Students have found the Major is also excellent preparation for law, medicine, health services administration and other professional schools and for graduate programs in genetic counseling, nutrition, clinical psychology, public health, environmental studies, anthropology, sociology or other related fields.

CALS seeks students who maintain a rigorous high school curriculum and demonstrate an outstanding record of academic achievement.

This major requires students to take courses in biology, humanities and social sciences thus strong science and English preparation is essential.

• 4 Units of English

• 4 Units of Mathematics (including calculus)

• 3 Units of Science (including biology and chemistry, physics is strongly recommended)

• An additional unit of science is also strongly recommended

A full description and listings of courses that satisfy the requirements can be found on the Biology & Society website linked here.

BSOC 3011 – Life Sciences and Society

Biology and biotechnology are major sources of influence on personal and social life. Additionally, social and historical conditions have profound influence on biological research, and on the applications of such research in medicine, agriculture and other fields. Biological research itself is a social process involving personal and commercial competition, different styles of work and interpretation and complex human interactions. This course aims to introduce students to basic science and technology studies (S&TS) perspectives on biological knowledge and biotechnology.

BSOC 2061 – Ethics and the Environment

Politicians, scientists and citizens worldwide face many environmental issues today, but they are neither simple nor straightforward. Moreover, there are many ways to understand how humans have, do and could value the environment from animal rights and wise use to deep ecology and ecofeminism. This class acquaints students with some of the challenging moral issues that arise in the context of environmental management and policy-making, both in the past and the present.

NS 1150 – Nutrition, Health and Society

Discusses the facts and fallacies concerning the role that nutrition, exercise and other health behaviors play in preventing disease, maintaining good health and maximizing athletic performance. Emphasis is on understanding the biological mechanisms through which good nutrition and regular exercise affect psychological and physical health.

•     Develop significant competence in biology, being able to analyze and assess biological information and understand biological research approaches.

•     Develop ethical and social perspectives on biological science that reflect the reciprocity between biology and society and that can draw on analytic perspectives in other fields.

•     Develop useful quantitative skills.

•     Learn to develop an educational program based on interests at and beyond Cornell.