St. Joseph’s University currently offers three lab-based natural science courses for non-science majors. Listed below are the current course offerings and affiliated faculty. Each faculty member’s name is linked to their University website and lists their teaching and research interests along with their contact information.
Each course has three fifty-minute lecture periods and a two-hour and 45 minute laboratory per week.
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Exploring the Earth (Environmental Science 106/106L)
Students in this course will learn about the scientific world view and experience the methods of science in the context of environmental science. Ecology, basic biology, chemistry, environmental science, and current events are used to examine the Earth. Topics include agriculture, alternative energy, biodiversity, natural resources, populations, pollution, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and global climate change.
Affiliated faculty for Env 106/106L:
Dr. Brian Forster
Dr. Scott McRobert
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Exploring the Living World (Biology 165/165L)
Students in this course will learn about the scientific world view and experience the methods of science in the context of the life sciences. The course includes a survey of plant and animal life, an overview of bioenergetics, and selected topics in genetics and evolution.
Affiliated faculty for Bio165/165L:
Dr. Brian Forster
Dr. Eileen Grogan
Dr. Clint Springer
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Exploring the Physical World (Physics 113 / 113L)
Students in this course will learn about the scientific world view and experience the methods of science in the context of the physical sciences and how they drive the behavior of weather. It begins with an introduction to weather maps and the basic factors that drive the weather – solar radiation, temperature, air pressure, humidity, and Earth’s rotation. Students see how these lead to winds, clouds, fronts, and various sorts of storms. The course ends with a brief study of global climate and climate change.
Affiliated faculty for Phy113/113L:
Dr. Paul Angiolillo
Dr. Brian Forster
Dr. Piotr Habdas
Dr. Douglas Kurtze
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Investigations in Astronomy (Physics 115/115L)
Students in this course will learn about the scientific world view and experience the methods of science in the context of the science of astronomy. Topics include the roles of observation, theory, philosophy, and technology in the development of the modern conception of the Universe. The Copernican Revolution, the birth and death of stars, our Milky Way galaxy, time, and our ancestral heritage in the cosmos will be discussed and explored.
Affiliated faculty for Phy115/115L:
Kathleen Hennessy, M.S.
Dr. Piotr Habdas
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Chemistry in Daily Life (Chemistry 115/115L)
This course explains the basic theories and need-to-know facts of scientific events one encounters in daily life from a chemistry perspective. In addition to explaining the fundamental concepts of chemistry, the course will cover topics such as acids and bases, oxidation and reduction, household chemicals, nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, biochemistry, and drugs.
Affiliated faculty for Chm115/115L:
Dr. Peter Zurbach
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