Unit information: Fundamentals of Body Function in 2022/23

Unit name	Fundamentals of Body Function
Unit code	PHPH10014
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Helyer
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None (A-level biology recommended)
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Faculty	Faculty of Life Sciences

Unit Information

An introduction to physiology, with an emphasis on mammalian physiology. The following topics are covered: homeostasis, cell biology and physiology, nervous system and muscle, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, endocrinology and reproduction. Practical classes are supported by an online dynamic laboratory manual, eBioLabs, and complement the lecture topics. Practicals include investigating the physiology of cells and tissues, and the function of the human nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems.

Aims:

• To promote understanding of the basic physiological mechanisms governing the function of mammalian body systems.
• To expose students to a range of activities thereby developing the attitudes and skills desirable for scientific study.
• To develop the attributes necessary for lifelong learning.

Your learning on this unit

By the end of the unit you should be able to:

1. explain the concept of 'internal environment' and how homeostatic mechanisms maintain this within narrow limits;
2. explain how the various systems of the body work together to maintain the constancy of the internal environment;
3. describe cell biology, resting potentials, action potentials and transmission across synapses;
4. describe the general organisation of the nervous system including the autonomic nervous system, the spinal cord and the brain;
5. describe muscle activity (skeletal, cardiac and smooth)
6. give an account of the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal and renal systems;
7. explain how endocrine systems work within the body;
8. explain the physiology of the reproductive system;
9. analyse and test physiological data with due regard to scientific method and appropriate statistical techniques.

How you will learn

Lectures

Practicals

eBiolabs (supporting practicals)

Large group tutorials

Attendance and engagement

If you fail to attend and/or engage with components of a unit, the matter may be referred to the Faculty Board of Examiners. If the Faculty Board decides that your attendance or engagement has not been sufficient to satisfy the unit’s Intended Learning Outcomes, they may decide that you are unable to progress to the next year of study. If this is the case, you will be required to complete reassessment work to a satisfactory standard. This may include additional written work (to be completed during the summer) or a requirement to repeat part or all of the unit in a supplementary year.

How you will be assessed

• Coursework 30%
• Exam (end of unit) 70%

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHPH10014).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.