Biological Sciences

Through the study of this course, students can improve their ability to deal with emergencies when they face accidents during travel, master and understand the coping strategies and skills of common medical problems, and learn how to prevent various accidents. The knowledge fields involved in this course include epidemiology, preventive medicine, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, internal medicine, tropical medicine, gastroenterology, dermatology and other disciplines.

Advocate the learning-centered teaching concept and carry out the curriculum objective design in six dimensions: Design a variety of learning activities and evaluation methods, adopt clinical medicine vivid case teaching, arouse students' learning enthusiasm, make students have and maintain curiosity about medical problems and actively participate in scientific thinking, organize students to actively participate in discussions in class, clearly put forward personal opinions and attach importance to others' opinions; Clinical cases were simulated to test the effective cooperation of students in the team learning atmosphere, showing their teamwork ability when completing difficult tasks; Paying attention to medical common sense and hot issues will lay a foundation of medical common sense for students' future life journey. At the same time, when they encounter various medical problems in real life and study, they can calmly cope with them, take early protective measures, seek medical treatment scientifically, maintain good communication with medical professionals rationally, and actively cooperate with medical diagnosis and treatment. To minimize the body damage caused by diseases and promote recovery. Cultivate the idea that students are the first responsible person for health, and take positive and effective actions to prevent diseases and do a good job in personal health management.

The main content of this course is the understanding, treatment and prevention of common diseases and accidents during travel, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation rescue ideas, simple treatment of various trauma sites, prevention and treatment of common infectious diseases, and treatment of common skin diseases; The course also covers the safety of women and pregnant tourists. Students will be trained through theoretical lectures and videos, emergency ability and handling ability.

This course is intended to introduce the overall aspects of genetics including formal genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics and genomics largely to undergraduate students who is majoring in basic and applied life sciences. Topics include Mendelian inheritance overview, Extensions of Mendelian inheritance, Linkage and genetic mapping in eukaryotes, Genetics of bacteria and bacteriophages, Nonmendelian inheritance, Chromatin structure and function, Recombination and transposition, Gene mutation and DNA repair, Variation in chromosome structure and number, Population genetics, Quantitative genetics, and Evolutionary genetics.

Prerequisites: General Biology I & II

This course covers a range of areas within human biological sciences. The molecular, cellular, organ, and systems-based processes that link form and function are studied to provide an integrated overview. The course helps students consolidate and develop the skills required in human biology including in vitro and in vivo techniques, results analysis and presentation, interpretation of data, and statistics. 

This course addresses how modern techniques of structural and chemical biology are being used to solve biological problems. It draws on multiple aspects of macromolecular biochemistry including nucleic acid structure and interactions, signaling proteins, and membrane proteins.  The course demonstrates how this knowledge can be used in drug discovery and protein design in biotechnology. Topics include mechanisms of reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibitors, ligand binding, protein folding, the molecular basis for protein function, regulation of protein activity, cell signaling, and proteomics. Assessment: Tests count 40%; practicals, tutorials essays, and assignments count 10%; one 3-hour examination written in June counts 50%. A subminimum of 40% in the examination is required.

The course provides an in-depth approach for exploring current concepts, ideas, and problems in selected topics in mammalian (including human) reproductive physiology. It develops the student's interest in, and critical appraisal of, current research in reproductive biology.

This course introduces students to the key principles of genetics including Mendelian genetics, inheritance of genes, gene interaction, sex determination, polyploidy, casus and effects of mutations, gene cloning, prokaryote and eukaryote gene expression, recombination and its use in gene mapping, bacterial genetics, population and evolutionary genetics, basic molecular biology techniques including plasmid construction, PCR and DNA sequencing, and research applications of genetics. Students develop skills through data handling and problem solving, and through laboratory-based practical work.

This course promotes an understanding of core concepts in microbial growth and form, with an emphasis on diversity of function. It explores microbes, their major properties, and how they influence processes, such as global warming, acid rain, and nutrient cycling in the world. It examines how microbes interact with plants to influence crop production and spoilage, or affect the safety of the food we eat. The course also explores how microbes are exploited in the biotechnology industry, as well as how we might make new products in the future, using cutting edge technology, such as synthetic biology.

The course covers many of the core topics in animal biology. The emphasis is on animal diversity, evolution, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, and the impact of human activities on terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

The behavioral differences between individual cells from normal tissues and those from tumors, and how cancer cells learn to invade other tissues and create the metastases responsible for cancer mortality. To introduce the major concepts and principles of cancer biology including tumor viruses, oncogenes, signal transduction, tumor suppressors, the cell cycle, angiogenesis, metastasis, and cancer treatment. Students are able to comprehend and explain the molecular and cellular nature of cancer. Students are able to comprehend and explain tumorigenesis, maintenance of genomic integrity, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Students are able to comprehend and explain tumor immunology, immunotherapy, and cancer treatment.

Prerequisites: Organic Chemistry 1, Biochemistry 1, Cancer Biology (recommended)