The School of Life · biology, medicine & health
Botany, Zoology & Ecology
Plants, animals, and the webs that bind them — life catalogued and life in relationship.
How plants build themselves from light, air, and water — structure, growth, and reproduction.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~26 hours
Unit I — The Plant Body
Roots, stems, and leaves · Plant tissues and cells · Primary and secondary growth · Wood and bark
Unit II — Making a Living
Photosynthesis in the leaf · Water and the transpiration stream · Sugar transport in the phloem · Mineral nutrition
Unit III — Reproduction
Alternation of generations · Flowers and pollination · Seeds and fruits · Dispersal
Unit IV — Diversity and Response
Mosses, ferns, and seed plants · Hormones and tropisms · Responses to the seasons · Plants and their environment
A survey of the animal kingdom — its major groups, body plans, and ways of making a living.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~26 hours
Unit I — What Is an Animal
Defining animals · Body symmetry and tissue layers · The invertebrate-vertebrate divide · Reading a phylogenetic tree
Unit II — The Invertebrates
Sponges and cnidarians · Worms and mollusks · Arthropods · Echinoderms
Unit III — The Vertebrates
Fishes and the move to land · Amphibians and reptiles · Birds · Mammals
Unit IV — Animal Function
Feeding and digestion · Movement and skeletons · Reproduction and development · Behavior in brief
How living things interact with each other and their surroundings, from a single population to the whole biosphere.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~24 hours
Unit I — Individuals and Populations
The scope of ecology · Population growth and limits · Life histories · Competition and predation
Unit II — Communities
Species interactions · Niches and coexistence · Succession · Biodiversity and stability
Unit III — Ecosystems
Energy flow and food webs · Trophic levels and productivity · Nutrient cycles · Decomposition
Unit IV — The Biosphere
Biomes of the world · Climate and distribution · Human impact · Ecosystem services
The science of protecting species and habitats in a changing, crowded world.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~22 hours
Unit I — The Biodiversity Crisis
Measuring biodiversity · Extinction past and present · Drivers of loss · The value and ethics of conservation
Unit II — Populations at Risk
Small population problems · Genetic diversity and inbreeding · Minimum viable populations · Assessing endangered species
Unit III — Habitat and Landscape
Habitat loss and fragmentation · Reserve design · Corridors and connectivity · Restoration ecology
Unit IV — Conservation in Practice
Protected areas · Managing invasive species · Climate change and conservation · Policy and community
How to observe, identify, and record the living world around you, notebook in hand.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~14 hours
Unit I — The Observer's Eye
Slowing down and looking · Keeping a field journal · Sketching what you see · Recording weather and place
Unit II — Naming What You Find
Using field guides and keys · Common plant families · Birds by sight and sound · Tracks and signs
Unit III — Reading the Landscape
Habitats and edges · Seasons and phenology · Citizen science and data · Ethics of the field