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:

1. Cells, receptors and molecules that are part of the innate immune defence. Innate immune cells development, characteristics and function.
2. B cell development and function, antibody formation, structure and effector function. Use of antibodies in immunological techniques and the principle for a few common immunological techniques.
3. T cell development and function, cytokines and their essential functions, and effects on the immune system.
4. Antigen presentation and structure and function of antigen-presenting molecules.

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.