Module Code & Title: BS101A Introductory Biology
Availability: Semester 1
Academic Unit: 4
Pre-requisite: none
Module Description: Lectures: 12 x 2 hrs; Tutorial: 12 x 2 hrs
Content
The lectures will cover properties of water and simple organic molecules, the origin of life, the properties of macromolecules, molecular evolution, organization of a cell, bioenergetics, the origin of species, genes and heredity, diversity of lifeforms, bacteria vs eukaryotes, unicellular vs multicellular organisms, animals vs plants, the viruses, reproduction and the origin of sex, symbiosis, food chain, the origin of death, methods of investigation, biotechnology. (Content may have slight variations from year to year.)
Objectives
This subject gives an introduction to biology with emphasis on the relationship between the diverse life forms through the common properties of basic molecules.
Learning Outcomes
The students will be introduced to look at biology from a molecular viewpoint. They will be well prepared to tackle the more advanced courses in the biological sciences.
Module Assessment
Students will be assessed by:
a. Examination (70%)
b. Tutorial Exercises (30%)