6 EC
Semester 1, period 1
5224CTIB6Y
Current Topics in Biology is the introductory course to the track General Biology. The course also features elements from the introductory courses of the other Biological Sciences MSc tracks. The main aim of the course is to introduce the students to and train the students in integrative, systems biological research on emergent phenomena across levels of biological organization. Advances in biological research are increasingly dependent on collaboration among different (sub)disciplines. These advances thus require training biologists with expertise in some subdisciplines and ‘scientific literacy’ in many of these subdisciplines.
In this course, students will be introduced to integrative, systems approaches to biological problems through lectures organized by teachers from within The Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences and The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics. In addition to the lectures, there will be paper discussions to develop the students skills to both argue from their own perspective and listen and learn form the perspectives of their peers and tutorials to introduce students actively in specialized topics. In an essay assignment, the students learn to reflect on state-of-the-art research and to formulate and defend opinions about the interpretation of new scientific results. The course also features a presentation assignment to train students in collaborative research design. Excursions will give a first-hand experience with the complexity of research and biodiversity management at the ecosystem level.
See papers uploaded to Canvas
Lecturers from researchers at SILS and IBED will provide an overview of the research done within these institutions and cover a wide-range of topics that contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of the biological world. Paper discussions and and essay assignment train students to formulate and defend opinions about the interpretation of new scientific results across sub-disciplines. Excursions will give a first-hand experience of the complexity of research and biodiversity management at the ecosystem level. Student-presentations will hone critical skills to design collaborative and integrative research and to disseminate a research proposal the broader scientific community. Students of this course will also attend several lectures from introductory courses in the Green Life Sciences track, The Evolution of Behavior and Mind track and in the Freshwater and Marine Biology track.
|
Activity |
Hours |
|
|
Excursie |
14 |
|
|
Hoorcollege |
36 |
|
|
Presentatie |
8 |
|
|
Werkcollege |
16 |
|
|
Self study |
94 |
|
|
Total |
168 |
(6 EC x 28 uur) |
Requirements of the programme concerning attendance (OER-B):
Additional requirements for this course:
Mandatory practical components exercises include paper discussions (denoted by "werkcollege") and excursions. A mandatory, short, written assignment should be completed following every lecture.
| Item and weight | Details |
|
Final grade | |
|
0.5 (50%) Essay: Perspective on emergent properties of biological interactions | |
|
0.5 (50%) Presentation: develop a collaborative research proposal and present it to peers |
For the essay: 0.5 point is deducted from the final grade for every day (excluding weekends and Dutch national holidays) the essay is uploaded passed the deadline. If the rounded final grade (minus delay deduction) for the essay is < 5.0, a retake is possible. This will be discussed with the course coordintator.
For the presentation: Slides have to be uploaded at the end of the day before the day of the presentations by the latest. 0.5 point is deducted from the final grade for every day (excluding weekends and Dutch national holidays) the slides are uploaded passed the deadline. A retake for this partial assignment is only possible in the following academic year.
Passing the course is contingent on completing the pass/fail assignments (lecture assignments, paper discussions and tutorials, and excursion assignments). Exceptions can only be made if these are discussed before the assignment takes place.
Graded essay assignment, individual assignment, due in the last week of the course. Feedback will given at two intermediate timepoints in a tutorial/feedback lecture. The final feedback and the grade will be communicated through Canvas.
Graded presentation assignment. Presentations are on the last course day. This is a group assignment that will be done in pairs. Feedback is given on two intermediate timepoints in a tutorial/feedback lecture. The final feedback and the grade will be communicated through Canvas.
Additional assignments with fail/pass grading: paper discussions/writing assignments for the lectures, paper discussions for the excursion to Otterlo.
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
| Weeknummer | Onderwerpen | Studiestof |
| 1 |
Intro Plant Breeding and Biotechnology or Intro Advances in Aquatic Sciences or Intro Evolution of Behavior and Mind
|
See Canvas |
| 2 | Emergent phenomena through biological interactions: man-made ecosystems, plant-herbivore interactions, marine microbial ecology, decision making, primate behavior, human gut microbiome | See Canvas |
| 3 | Emergent phenomena through biological interactions: Archaeal evolution, plant-soil interactions, protein interactions | See Canvas |
| 4 | Finalize Essay and deliver presentation | See Canvas |
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 |