Course Catalogue

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The course will provide students with an understanding of the immune system and practical experience in laboratory techniques that can be used to investigate it. The focus is on aspects of innate and acquired immunology; the two principal wings of the immune system.

The course will consist of lectures, laboratories, tutorials and seminars as arranged. The timetable will vary from week to week to accommodate staff and resource availability, and to meet the educational needs of the course.

Normally, this course is only open to students admitted to Level-3 of a programme for which this is a compulsory course. The course may also be available to visiting students, at the discretion of the Life Sciences Study Abroad Coordinators.

None

The course will be assessed by a 90-minute problem style examination (20%) in the December diet, a 3-hour examination (40%) in the April / May diet and in-course assessment (40%).

In course assessment comprises four components. These are designed to test verbal/presentation skills (10%), essay writing (10%), laboratory skills (10%) and data comprehension and analysis in journal clubs using small groups with set exercises (10%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

The course aims to provide an understanding of the cardinal systems of immuno-biology, drawing on experimental approaches at the molecular/genetic, cellular and tissue levels. The focus is on aspects of innate and acquired immunology; the two principal wings of the immune system. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

■ explain the principal mechanisms that permit immune recognition of infection and injury;

■ identify and describe the key cell types, their development and function within the immune system;

■ appraise and contrast innate versus adaptive immune function;

■ describe innate sensor activities appropriate to different pathogens;

■ apply statistical methods to analyse experimental data;

■ review and evaluate concepts/data from the field of immunology;

■ solve problems of a numerical or logical nature as part of data analysis/comprehension tasks;

■ demonstrate practical skills in the application of fundamental immunological techniques.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.