Immunology
Syllabus, Bachelor's level, 3KB031
This course has been discontinued.
- Code
- 3KB031
- Education cycle
- First cycle
- Main field(s) of study and in-depth level
- Biomedicine G1F, Medical Science G1F
- Grading system
- Pass with distinction (VG), Pass (G), Fail (U)
- Finalised by
- The Board of the Biomedicine Programme, 7 May 2018
- Responsible department
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology
General provisions
Part of the Bachelor program in biomedicine.
Entry requirements
Completed courses in Biochemistry 7 credits (3 KB030), Anatomy 8 credits in (3AN300), Cell- and Molecular Biology 15 credits in (3MU123) or the equivalent.
Learning outcomes
The course should give basic knowledge of immunology with special consideration to the importance of the immune system in medicine.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to account for:
- The different hematopoietic cells that are included in the immune defence and the fundamental features of hematopoiesis.
- Innate immunity and how this differs from adaptive immunity.
- Structure and function of lymphoid organs (e.g. bone marrow, thymus, lymphnodes, spleen)
- Interaction between antigen and antibody, how antibodies are formed (specificity and classes/subclasses) and the structure and function of the different antibody classes.
- Structure and function of Fc-receptors and their role in the immune defence.
- Differentiation and function of B- and T-lymphocytes.
- Properties and functions of mast cells.
- Basic properties of cytokines and cytokine receptors as well as the biological functions of the most common cytokines.
- Structure and function of MHC molecules and their role in antigen presentation.
- The complement system and its role in the immune system.
- Basic immunological mechanisms behind allergy and autoimmunity
- Immunological techniques.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
The student is expected to have good ability to compile material and to present it orally, and to critically discuss the immune system and its functions.
JUDGEMENT AND APPROACH
Understand and adequately describe how to evaluate and draw conclusions from experiments forming the basis for our knowledge about the immune system. Be able to relate to this type of acquisition of knowledge. Understand that knowledge about the immune system is constantly increasing/changing and that this requires continuous updating of our own knowledge.
Content
The major content of the course is basic immunology and the understanding of the mechanisms behind how the immune system is continuously prepared to defend us against infections. In addition, the course contains an overview over how the immune system can sometimes damage our bodies, as in autoimmune disease and allergy.
A continuous evaluation of the course design is ongoing and may result in some changes in the structure and content of the courses.
Instruction
The teaching involves lectures and group assignments as well as a voluntary written exam (dugga).
Beside the teaching methods specified in the syllabus other ways of teaching may be used during the course.
Assessment
To pass the course, passed results of all compulsory components as well as written individual examination are required.
If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.