Aims

The course aims at founding the bases of a concrete, accurate and critic knowledge of the mechanisms generating and sustaining life, particularly human life. The approach will show how these knowledges are built on experimental facts and not on an abstract thought.

Main themes

The first part of the course is devoted to the cell, which is described in its morphology and functioning. It is presented as a small factory, recovering the available energy, as well to express its genetic archives as to transmit them. These notions lead to the study of sexual reproduction and of mendelian genetic.

Content and teaching methods

The course aims at giving an introduction to the organisation and functions of a living organism. As the cell is the basic unit of every living being, its structure, its functions, its reproduction and its differenciations are examined in reference to the human being. Moreover, the managing and the transmission of these characters follow a logic which must be acquired to later understand some human behaviours. Beyond the content of the course, some emphasis will be put on the scientific approach and particularly on the methodology suited for the biological approach.

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

This course is a prerequisite for the courses of Physiology (psp 1400) and neurophysiology (psp 1401).
Written examination
Coursebook

Other credits in programs