Course Structure: 

 

Assessments + Weighting

• Quizzes: 5% 

• Labs: 25% 

• Mid-semester test: 30% 

• Exam: 40%

TOTAL: 100%

 

Passing requirements: 

The theory component (quizzes, test and exam) and the practical component (labs) must be passed separately to pass the course overall.

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Content: 

 

Module A: The Dynamic Cell 

• Signal hypothesis and protein targeting

• Early and late Secretory Pathway 

• Trans-golgi network

• Transcellular transport 

• Neural connections and drug interactions 

 

(Module A and B are examined in the mid-semester test ONLY) 

 

Module B: Molecular Biology of the Cell 

• The Central Dogma and DNA

• DNA repair and Gene editing 

• RNA and transcription 

• RNA processing

• Protein translation 

• Regulation of Gene expression 

 

Module C: Developmental Biology 

• Cytoplasmic determinants of patterning multicellular organisms 

• Positional information and patterning 

• Gastrulation 

• Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions 

• Stem cells and induced pluripotency 

 

Module D: Immunology 

• Link between innate and adaptive immunity (antigen presentation 

• Immunological techniques

• Adaptive immunity: Generation of T cell responses

• Adaptive immunity: B cell activation and vaccination 

• Vaccination and vaccines 

 

Module E: Cancer biology and Cell proliferation 

• Cell fate and biology of tumors 

• Oncogens and the cell cycle 

• Tumor suppressor genes 

• Immunotherapy for cancer 

 

Personal Review: Sophie

Overall, I found BIOSCI 201 very engaging, especially the laboratory component. The labs are set up in a way it feels like you are conducting a real research project. By the end of the six labs, you will have a final poster presenting your findings for the given research question. 

 

I found the majority of the lecture content and modules to be quite interesting. Some modules are definitely more difficult than the others. Personally, I found developmental biology the hardest to wrap my head around as we had to know the stages of embryo development for drosophilas, frogs and sea urchins which were quite complex. On the other hand, I found immunology the simplest as it crosses over with many other stage 2 MEDSCI’s such as 202 and 203, making this module the easiest to grasp. 

 

Modules 1 and 2 were also very interesting, learning about the secretory pathway and protein synthesis. These modules were quite detail oriented and were the longer modules in the course which is covered in the mid-semester test. So I recommend staying on top of the lectures and being up to date. 

 

I found the best way to study for this course was to draw diagrams to help with memorising the pathways and processes. I also hand wrote summary notes closer to the test and exams dates which helped a lot with retention of the content. 

 

The content taught in the lectures are coordinated well with the labs which really help with solidifying your understanding. 

 

Personal Review 2: Alan

BIOSCI 201 is a well-structured course, organized by Kathryn Jones. The best part was the labs; They all linked together in a way, and the final task was a poster, which was quite easy because we simply had to transfer all our existing lab work over. However, this was also because I had already been doing well in the labs, so I didn’t need to change much to be able to still do well in the poster.

 

The test contained material from the first two modules, which were cell dynamics (8 lectures) and genetics (6 lectures). I found both modules quite content heavy. Kathryn (who taught module 1) constantly encouraged us to stay on top of the work with flashcards and summary tables. This advice is really critical for the test, because cramming it is simply not practical or enjoyable. The same thing applies to the genetics module, taught by Emma Scooter. Both modules are interesting, but I personally found them somewhat dry, compared to the second half.

 

The exam tested developmental biology (5 lectures), immunology (6 lectures), and cancer biology (4 lectures). Billy Shepherd’s content on developmental/embryological biology was neatly organized with 3 specific species. I found it difficult to grasp the content for this module, because it required more 3D visualization and was also not an area that I was super interested in. The immunology and cancer lectures (taught by Julie McIntosh and Rod Dunbar) were very interesting. Julie’s section overlapped with the content taught in Medsci 202, and was pretty straightforward to study. Rod’s section had more unfamiliar concepts, but the content was very engaging, and the summary notes provided for this module was super useful for exam preparation (and cramming). Summary diagrams are helpful for Rod’s section.

 

In general, stay on top of your revision for this course. It’s not the worst if you fall behind, but it does get quite unpleasant if you have to stay up late to cram. Flashcards and summary notes will work really well if they are done consistently, and doing the past papers early will also be useful for being successful in this course.