Learning objectives
The aim of this course is to give the student the ability to:
- acquire the basic principles of biological sciences and methods.
- learn and apply an evolutionary logic and perspective to interpreting the biological phenomena at different levels of organization (molecular, cellular, organismic)
- understand the correlation between structure and function at the different organizational levels.
- Appraise the implication of human evolution for the bio-medical research, specifically regarding reproductive and parental behaviour.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The purpose of this course is to give a general overview of biological concepts and mechanisms in an evolutionary perspective and to gain an appreciation of the importance that biology plays in understanding human health.
Full programme
1. The Nature of science and biology: methods and organizing concepts. The unifying principle of biology: The Theory of Evolution. Origins and evolution of Procaryotic and Eucaryotic cell.
2. The cell cycle and reproduction: mitosis and meiosis. Male and female gametogenesis. Evolutionary implications of anisogamy: parental investment and sexual selection.
3. The modern evolutionary synthesis. Microevolution and its causes. Evolution of Vertebrates and the rise of Hominids. The evolution and consequences of bipedal locomotion in Hominids and the “obstetrical dilemma”. Evolutionary Psychology.
4. Biology of Behavior: gene and environment interaction. Imprinting and the attachment theory; Biology of maternal behavior; oxytocin and social bond.
Bibliography
E. P. Solomon et al. Fondamenti di Biologia
Reading
S. Hrdy. Mother Nature.
Teaching methods
During classroom lectures I will illustrate and discuss the state of the art, concepts and experiments in the specific issue of biology. The lectures will be in an interactive format and students are strongly encouraged to ask questions and insert comments
Assessment methods and criteria
Written examination (quiz) structured in the form of a list of questions and to be taken together with the other topics of the integrated course. The exam comprises 30 multiple choice or short answer, T-F questions and three free–answer questions.
The final mark, reported directly on Esse3, will correspond to the arithmetic average of the assessments obtained in the written test.
In case of the persistence of the health emergency, the exams will be conducted remotely, as follows:
structured written test conducted remotely (by Teams and Elly).
Students with SLD / BSE must first contact Le Eli-che: support for students with disabilities, D.S.A., B.E.S. (https://sea.unipr.it/it/servizi/le-eli-che-supporto-studenti-con-disabilita-dsa-bes
Other information
All information on:
https://elly2022.medicina.unipr.it
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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