Biological Sciences

This course examines the concept of the interaction between the host (or the animal), the agent of disease (genetics, physical, chemical and infectious agents) and environmental factors. It includes inflammation and repair; degeneration and necrosis; circulatory disturbances; tissue deposits and pigments; and disorders of growth.

This course enables students to understand the basic physiologic principles that underlie visual and auditory perception. The course introduces the sensory systems that are responsible for vision and hearing in humans. Central topics include the nature of the stimulus (physical attributes such as amplitude and frequency, and perceptual attributes such as intensity and color), the transduction process (the transformation of a physical stimulus into a neural signal leading to a subjective experience), the functional neuroanatomy of the human sensory system (the organization of sensory neurons into functional maps, columns, and pathways), and mechanisms for object perception (the organization of sensory features into meaningful percepts, for example, a face in a crowd or speaker at a loud party). Finally, the course introduces psychophysical and neuroscientific methods designed for measuring perception.

This course provides an introduction to human structure and function, comprising gross anatomy integrated with microscopic anatomy. The course covers histological organization of the primary tissues including epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissues. It also discusses clinical relevance of the anatomical structures. 

This course discusses the historical and scientific context that created the concept of bioethics. It examines issues and current debates generated by new advances in the field of life sciences and biomedicine. This course also explores the plurality of ideas and values encompassing these issues in today's democratic societies. Topics include: bioethics and law; gender, moral pluralism, and cultural diversity; the rights of the patient in health care; sexual and reproductive rights; assisted reproduction; human genetics; end of life; justice and health.

This course focuses on the organization and function of eukaryotic cells. We will discuss in detail topics such as the major organelle systems, the cytoskeleton, the cell cycle, signaling events within cells and between cells, and cell growth and differentiation. Experimental approaches will also be introduced in the context of primary research articles.

This course examines the roles of RNA, coding and in particular non-coding (ncRNA), in regulation of gene expression, host-pathogen interaction, and catalysis as well as their applications in research, diagnosis, and therapy of human diseases. The topics cover the 'RNA world hypothesis', the relation between structure and function of RNA, the mechanisms of regulation and dysregulation of gene expression by ncRNAs, selection and design of functional RNAs, features and usage of ncRNAs, the role of RNA in early stage pharmaceutical developments, and RNA-based drug development. 

This course covers the molecules that constitute living organisms and their control mechanisms, as well as biotechnologies and the principles of aging and disease. Students are expected to acquire the abilities to understand and explore biological systems at the molecular and cellular level.

Course topics include:

• Cells: The Fundamental Units of Life and Chemical Components of Cells
• Protein structure and function
• DNA and Chromosomes
• DNA Replications and Repair
• From DNA to Protein: How Cells Read the Genome
• Analyzing the Structure and Function of Genes 
• How Cells Obtain Energy from Food and Energy Generation in Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
• Cell Signaling
• Cytoskeleton
• The Cell-Division Cycle
• Cell Communities: Tissues, Stem Cells, and Cancer

This course examines the ubiquity of biological evolution in both natural and human modified environments. It will describe and explain the agents of change— drift, migration and selection, and show their effects on both single and multiple gene traits, and on the phylogenetic relationships of species. The course  will introduce co-evolutionary processes, which are critical for understanding traits that evolve through interactions between species, including humans. Particular topics will include (but not limited to): heritable variation; agents of evolution; artificial, natural and sexual selection; phenotypes and quantitative genetics; phylogeny, speciation and the tree of life; and antagonistic and mutualistic co-evolution. The subject will emphasize both the outcome and process of scientific research leading to our understanding of evolutionary processes, drawing on examples from across the diversity of life.