UCL - General and genetic Biology

[PSP1131]

[37.5h] 3 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): André Moens

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

The course is designed to lay the foundations for concrete, rigorous and critical knowledge of the mechanisms which create and underlie life, especially human life, in a way that demonstrates this knowledge is built on experimental facts and not abstract thought.

Main themes

The first part of the course is devoted to the study of the cell, the way it is built and how it works. It is compared to a small factory which makes use of the available energy both to express its genetic make up as well as transmitting it. These ideas lead on to the study of sexual reproduction and Mendelian genetics.

Content and teaching methods

This general biology course is designed to provide an introduction to the organization and workings of a living organism. Since the cell is the basic unit for all living beings, its structure, the way in which it undertakes its functions, its reproduction and its differentiations are examined with reference to human beings. Moreover it is necessary to understand the management and transmission of these characteristics to explain certain human behaviours at a later stage : these issues and their outcomes are considered in the second part of the course.
Throughout the course, scientific procedures and methodology appropriate for a biological approach are emphasized.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

This course is a prerequisite for the physiology course (PSP 1400) and the neurophysiology course (PSP 1401) held in the second semester.