By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws. These man must respect as he recognizes the methods proper to every science and technique. --Second Vatican Council

MNS 122: Introduction to Biology. This course is an introduction to the science of biology. Topics covered will include: the structure of experiments, both field and lab, hypothesis testing, basic statistics, DNA and Mendelian genetics. Special emphasis will be placed on hypothesis testing, and the role of adaptation in understanding biological systems. (3 Credits, Fall. Pre-requisite: none. Beresford)

MNS 123: Introduction to Field Biology. This course will introduce students to the methods of biological inquiry in field biology/ecology, with a focus on experimental design. The topics covered include: the scientific method, experimental treatments and controls, data collection, assessment, and writing a research paper. In the first part of the course, students will take part in ongoing research projects, as well as begin an insect collection and herbarium study of local wildflowers. During the second part of this course, students will be expected to design and undertake their own research project, present their results to the class, and prepare a report following research journal format (i.e., Canadian Entomologist or similar journal). (3 Credits, Summer. Pre-requisite: none. Beresford)

MNS 125: Principles of Natural Science. The nature of scientific knowledge, knowledge gained through reason and verified by experimentation and experience, is the subject of this course. Drawing upon the sciences of astronomy, biology, and physics for example, fundamental scientific principles, concepts, theories and hypotheses put forward by various thinkers to describe the natural world will be examined. The course will include an examination of the implications of these principles with regards to the harmony that should exist between science and revelation, and between faith and reason. (3 Credits, Full Year. Pre-requisite: none. Meenan)

MNS 140: Fundamentals of Mathematics.   Designed for students who need to fulfill the core requirement in mathematics, the course focuses on quantitative reasoning, mathematical literacy, and the role of mathematics in the Western intellectual tradition and in today’s society.  (Not open to students with Grade 12 U- or M-level mathematics or equivalent with a minimum grade of 60%, part-time students, first-year students, students taking another mathematics course at OLSWA, or students who have taken an OLSWA mathematics course with a passing grade.)  Students who have passed this course are not permitted to take another OLSWA mathematics course. (3 Credits, Full Year. Pre-requisite: none. Probert.)

MNS 145: Euclidean Geometry. This course studies selected books from Euclid’s Elements. Topics covered include plane geometry, the theory of proportions and classical arithmetic. Students will also examine how mathematics is related to philosophical issues. (3 Credits, Full Year. Pre-requisite: none. Next offered 2008-2009)

MNS 146: Statistics. An introduction to descriptive statistics and the logic of statistical inference.  Basic statistical techniques common to the behavioural sciences are covered.  (3 credits, Full Year. Probert)

MNS 148: Calculus: A Liberal Art. An introduction to the basic concepts and methods of calculus for students in a Liberal Arts Program at the University level. The intended student will have had no previous experience or training in calculus. Topics include: functions, limits, continuity, inequalities, graphs, optimization, derivatives, instantaneous change, differentiation rules, antiderivatives, integrals, integration methods, and the nature of mathematical thought and discovery. (3 Credits, Spring. Pre-requisite: none. Next offered 2008-2009)

MNS 221: Population Biology. This is an experimental course in population biology. Students will design and conduct two experiments which explore two distinct aspects of population biology, and write two review papers on two distinct current topics in population biology. (3 Credits,  Pre-requisites: any two of the following: MNS 122: Introduction to Biology, MNS 123: Introduction to Field Biology, MNS 222: Behaviour and Distribution. Next offered 2008-2009)

MNS 222: Behaviour and Distribution. This course builds on topics covered in either the summer field course or fall introductory course. Topics covered will include systematics, competition and facilitation, individuals and populations, spatial distributions, and biology of invasive species. (3 Credits, Spring. Pre-requisite: MNS 122: Introduction to Biology, or MNS 123: Introduction to Field Biology, or permission of the instructor. Beresford)