| Unit name | Cell and Developmental Biology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOL20011 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2D (weeks 19 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sparkes |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None. |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
All living things are composed of cells and all biological phenomena are ultimately the result of cellular activity. Developmental mechanisms govern how cells multiply, arrange themselves, and specialise, and cellular mechanisms are responsible for the responses of organisms to their environment. Cell and developmental biology are two of the most rapidly advancing areas of biology, whose medical, agronomic and biotechnological significance have been recognised by recent Nobel Prizes.
This unit will use examples of cell signalling, developmental patterning, and cell differentiation in animals, plants, and microbes to illustrate how genetic and environmental information is processed, and how single cells can develop into complex, multicellular organisms.
Aims:
On successful completion of this unit students will be familiar with a range of examples of cellular and developmental mechanisms in animals, plants, and microbes. The most successful students will develop an appreciation of how these mechanisms might arise and adapt during evolution, and how similar mechanisms might apply to other biological processes that they are studying in other parts of the course.
Lectures, directed reading, research and/or problem-solving activities; practical exercises and independent study.
Coursework (40%) plus summative written assessment (60%) with one essay question to be selected from a choice of two.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOL20011).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
