Biological Rhythms
About the course
This course focuses on biological timekeeping (chronobiology) in animals, covering time-scales from hours to years. It covers the eco-evolutionary and biomedical importance of innate timing processes, the formalisms necessary for their study and the physiological mechanisms through which biological timekeeping is achieved.
Admission requirements
Local admission, application code 9371 - - Master`s level singular course.
Admission requires a Bachelor`s degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in biology of minimum 80 ECTS.
Objectives of the course
Knowledge and skills:
- The key principles and intellectual formalisms of chronobiology
- The evolutionary origins and ecological importance of biological timekeeping, and its relevance in biomedical contexts
- The mechanistic basis to biological timekeeping at levels from the genetics to the whole organism
General skills:
- Understanding the process of generating scientific knowledge
- Science communication, orally and in writing
- Review and extraction of relevant information from scientific research papers
- Critical analysis of scientific literature
- Presentation of scientific content clearly and in logical order while using language appropriate for the audience and occasion
- Proposing, discussing and evaluating hypotheses
Teaching methods
Language of instruction and examination
EnglishApplication deadline
Assessment
3 h final written exam. A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.
Coursework requirements:
One oral presentation on a prepared topic and participation in two practical activities including written reports- all must be approved in order to be able to sit the exam.
Re-sit exam:
There will be a re-sit examination for students that did not pass the previous ordinary examination.
