This course is part of a partnership with the Semester in Biological Discovery (SBD) Program of Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL). The SBD program is designed for students interested in biology or biology-adjacent fields and have completed introductory level courses in biology and chemistry. Students accepted to this program will spend the spring semester at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA. Please see this link for more information on the SBD program: https://www.mbl.edu/education/undergraduate-programs/semester-biological-discovery. Prior to submitting your application to MBL’s Semester in Biological Discovery program, you must meet with the Chair of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics department to discuss your interest and get permission to apply to this program. Since applications to the MBL SBD program are due in the fall semester, you must meet with the Chair in the preceding spring semester or by the first week in the fall semester. Once you have received approval from the Chair you must submit an application to MBL’s Semester in Biological Discovery program. This required course will trace the parallel histories of cell and molecular biology, focusing particularly on the 20th century. Through discussion, we will explore continuities and discontinuities between these fields and their precursors. In addition, we will strive to not only develop definitions of cell and molecular biology that are based upon their practices and explanatory strategies, but also to determine to what extent these practices and strategies overlap. Finally, we will examine the relevance of these definitions to current developments in biology. This seminar is not designed to be comprehensive, but rather to provide an overall framework for thinking about the historical development of and conceptual tensions between cell and molecular biology. This 2-credit course does not satisfy requirements for the Interdisciplinary Science major. Permission required to register for this course.