This module explores the interactions that take place both within and between cells and which allow them to perform their function in the whole organism. Students will consider five key topics within cell biology:

• The methods used to study cells and the dynamic nature of the cytoskeleton
• The mechanisms and physiological significance of transport across membranes
• The mechanisms involved in cells receiving and acting upon information from outside of the cell
• The mechanisms of development of whole organisms, examining how individual cells become committed to a particular function as development occurs
• The regulation of the cell cycle, growth, and development. We will illustrate these topics using examples drawn from a range of biological system.

This module concerns the study of basic mental processes, such as memory, attention, learning, and categorisation. You will explore the current issues, debates and approaches in many key areas of cognitive psychology. We will see how research has evolved in these fields, both in terms of the practical challenges, and the development of psychological theories. We will also investigate how basic findings in cognitive psychology can have a wider application to society, such as in treatments for psychological disorders, or in the influence of misinformation in belief formation.

By the end of the module, you will understand more about these core topics, and will be able to show a critical appreciation of research methods, approaches and outcomes in cognitive psychology. You will develop skills to write about a topic in cognitive psychology in an informed and reflective way.

The module covers human development from foetus to the end of adolescence, covering changes in cognitive, social, language and emotional abilities over this time span, as well as how these changes can be explained: it is important to ask not just what changes, but also why such changes occur and how the course of development is shaped by multiple interacting factors.

The course provides a foundation for understanding developmental psychology as a discipline from different theoretical and methodological perspectives. The lectures cover a variety of key topics in developmental science, from prenatal to later childhood development and adolescence, spanning motor, perceptual, cognitive, communicative, social, emotional and cultural aspects.

The fundamental questions of development: what capacities make infants able to learn so much about the world, by what mechanisms are capacities acquired, and how development can take an atypical trajectory, are addressed on the course together with the theoretical debates that have surrounded these questions.

This module introduces advanced techniques of eukaryotic recombinant DNA technology, DNA sequencing, genomics and functional genomics. Bioinformatics, the computer-based analysis of data that result from genome sequencing and the genomic approaches to understanding gene function and expression are introduced and developed in the workshops. The module practicals provide hands-on experience of quantitative gene expression analysis employing widely used state of the art PCR (polymerase chain reaction) based technology.

Students will gain knowledge and understanding of these techniques, which will provide the basis for the informed reading and comprehension of primary experimental biological research literature required for subsequent undergraduate research projects. These technologies underpin an increasing proportion of modern biological research, particularly in the Biomedical disciplines and form the basis for rapidly developing applications in the field of personalised medicine.

The aim of this module is to provide students with the skills they need to begin their future careers. The module will enhance career awareness, develop oral communications skills and develop CV and cover letter writing. Workshops include sessions on LinkedIn, information skills, assessment centres, interview techniques and entrepreneurship.

Evolution is the fundamental concept in biology and an understanding of its processes and effects are important for biologists in all disciplines. The module aims to show how the morphology and behaviour of animals and plants is adapted to their environment through interactions with their own and other species, including competitors, parasites, predators and prey, and relatives. Students will explore the concept of adaptation to natural and sexual selection pressures at the level of the individual and the effects on the wider population.

Students will gain the ability to describe the roles that variation, heritability and selection play in the evolutionary process, along with a developed understanding of how numerical changes in population occur, and enhanced knowledge of how to analyse such shifts in order to make predictions about future changes. This module will also reinforce students’ understanding of the application of theoretical models, the changing effects of costs and behaviours due to circumstance, and how conflicts of interest might influence the reproductive success of individuals.

Students taking this module will gain a range of transferable skills including: report writing, data analysis and presentation, team working, verbal presentation, summarising technical texts and design of scientific enquiries.

The module will introduce you to the fundamental neuronal principles underlying cognition and behaviour, with particular emphasis on perceptual, cognitive, emotional and language processes. You will be provided with basic knowledge about the anatomy, physiology, and functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

You will become acquainted with a range of theories and research methods in cognitive neuroscience and explore how knowledge of neural and physiological processes can aid our understanding of a wide range of human behaviour. The module provides you with the essential preparation for neuroscience-related advanced modules in your third year.

This module takes a molecular approach to understanding heredity and gene function in organisms ranging from bacteria to man. It begins by reviewing genome diversity and how genomes are replicated accurately, comparing and contrasting replication processes in bacteria and man. The module discusses in detail molecular mechanisms, particularly those that ensure information encoded in the genome is transcribed and translated appropriately to produce cellular proteins.

Students will focus on the importance of maintaining genome stability and damaging effects of mutations in the genome on human health. Examples are drawn from a range of inherited genetic diseases such as phenylketonuria and sickle cell anaemia, paying particular focus to how mutations in key genes are driving cancer development.

Teaching is delivered by a series of lectures supported by varied practical work, workshops, guided reading and online resources. Laboratory practicals include investigating how exposure of bacteria to ultraviolet light induces mutations – providing a model for understanding how skin cancer may develop as a consequence of excessive sun exposure.

The aim of this module is to build on knowledge gained in earlier first year modules: Anatomy and Tissue Structure and Human Physiology. Students will focus on four weekly themes: heart and circulation; muscle and fatigue; nervous system and the urinary system. Students independently learn theoretical background information using online and text-based resources, supported by weekly case study discussions during seminars. Muscle electrical activity and fatigue, ECG and nerve conduction velocity will be explored through experimentation on student volunteers and online simulations.

This module explores how and why animals behave in the way that they do, building on many of the major themes of the Evolution module to highlight the links between behaviour, ecology and evolution. The central aim will be to understand the fitness consequences of behaviour - by focusing on three of the most important topics in behavioural research (reproduction, sociality and communication), we will investigate how the behaviour of an individual has evolved to maximise its survival and reproductive success.

Students will gain an understanding of how and why we study animal behaviour, at the same time developing their appreciation of scientific best practice. Students will be encouraged to relate specific knowledge to broader issues in ecology and evolution, and to critically reflect on what animal behaviour can tell us about behaviour in our own species. Additionally, students will be able to describe what behaviour actually is and understand the major factors that influence how animals (including humans) behave. Students will also develop the level of knowledge necessary to discuss a wide diversity of animal behaviours in a broad range of species, and describe the major approaches to understanding behaviour and apply Tinbergen's four questions to behavioural processes. Students will gain an enhanced understanding in a range of areas, including the importance of both nature and nurture in the evolution of behaviour, the ecological pressures that shape behaviour, the importance of the fitness consequences of behaviour at the individual level and the concepts of kin selection and inclusive fitness

The research project gives students first-hand experience of research and also the opportunity to be immersed in, and learn about, an area of work which is of current interest. Students plan, conduct and report on an open-ended investigation, often related to research interests of a member of staff. Projects cover a very wide variety of topics and may be carried out in a variety of ways. They involve a significant amount of original work and analysis to be carried out by students so that they gain experience in a range of skills, including experimental design and the testing of hypotheses. The results of the research are reported in an 8,000 word dissertation and an oral presentation.

In this module, you will explore current trends in cognitive neuroscience research, including topics such as speech perception, emotion and language, decision-making, brain plasticity, cognition in multilinguals, and the neural representation of concepts. You will also develop skills for critically evaluating different neuroscientific methods and designing your own experiment in cognitive neuroscience.

Nervous system function, from formation in the embryo to sensory systems and the neural control of complex behaviours, is the focus of this module. The emphasis is on model systems and the use of genetic tools to elucidate developmental pathways and neural circuits. Practical exercises are used to illustrate some of the functions of nervous systems and how these can be manipulated by genetic intervention.

Students are encouraged to access and evaluate information from a variety of sources and to communicate the principles in a way that is well-organised, topical, and recognises the limits of current hypotheses. On completion of the module, students will be equipped with practical techniques including data collection, analysis and interpretation.

This module will introduce the concepts of human psychopharmacology, as will the theoretical background of drug-induced modification of nervous system function and behaviour. The module provides insight into psychoactive drugs and how they act upon the brain to influence behaviour.

You will be taught about the biological bases of drug actions and how these might contribute to our knowledge of psychological function in general, the acute and long term consequences of psychoactive drug use, and current pharmacological treatment strategies for Alzheimer's, depression and schizophrenia.

The module will explore why individuals differ in responsiveness to psychoactive drugs and discuss current controversies in the area of psychopharmacology.

This module will examine a wide variety of human behaviours, and attempt to show how psychological models and principles can make apparently bizarre or bewildering actions and judgement more understandable and interpretable.

More specifically, the module discusses various theoretical models of attention, as the springboard for learning how attentional concepts have been used in areas as diverse as preschool cognitive development, children with autism & ADHD, anxiety disorders and the perception of flavours and tastes. The module combines psychological research into attentional topics with applications for a variety of more applied phenomena, drawing on research papers, videos, online blogs and other sources. Accordingly, at the time of writing coursework involves students combining published research findings with their own applied element (forming an analysis of a contemporary media piece) where students choose, under staff guidance and support, what real-world phenomena to analyse.

For 50 years, thanks to evolutionary theory, we’ve known why we are fated to age and die, but our understanding of the mechanisms has been a lengthy evolution in itself. Only relatively recently, with the use of modern molecular biology tools, do we begin to understand the mechanistic basis of the ageing process, from early notions about rates of living to current ideas about modular yet interacting mechanisms including autophagy, protein synthesis, nutrient sensing, insulin-like signalling and disease resistance. Even now we do not clearly know what makes us age. Ageing is perhaps the most multidisciplinary area of study and is certainly one of the last great mysteries in biology.

This module introduces the area and the methodologies with which ageing is studied. Teaching is through lectures, workshops, practical work, individual and group-based coursework and private study.

In this module students are given an overview of the cellular and molecular processes that underpin the development of cancer. This will enable students to discuss the various factors that can affect cancer susceptibility. Students will look at the approaches taken to treat cancer, including some of the new generation of molecularly-targeted cancer therapies.

This module explores some of the key roles played by ion channels and calcium ions in the communication that takes place within and between cells. The module is split into two linked themes. Firstly, an introduction to the diversity of ion channel families and their biological functions including the many different cellular processes throughout the life history of cells that are regulated by calcium ions as signals. Secondly, an investigation of the importance of ion channels and calcium signalling in animals, and human physiology in particular, using examples of diseases that are caused when ion channels malfunction (e.g. myotonia, malignant hyperthermia, sudden heart arrest caused by long QT syndrome.) or calcium signalling is disrupted (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, polycystic kidney disease, pancreatitis). Students also gain hands-on experience of the techniques used to study ion channels and calcium signalling in cells.

Research and practice in biomedicine continues to evolve more rapidly than at any other time in history, raising fascinating but complex moral and ethical challenges for those studying and working in the field. Understanding ethics in biomedicine and the relationship between science and society has become an essential element in biomedical degree training.

This module builds on the Biomedicine and Society module, aiming to help students develop a deeper understanding of key ethical principles used in biomedicine and some major cultural, social and political influences that define research agendas and fuel ethical debates in the public perception of biomedicine.

The module takes on a seminar format structured around three core themes:

• The development of ethical principles in biomedicine
• Ethical practice and current debates in animal and human research including clinical trials
• Ethical challenges such as those emerging in genetics and regenerative medicine and how these are debated in the media.

In this module students will work together as a team to propose a solution to a problem of biological relevance, for example antibiotic resistance, invasive species or healthy ageing. The solution may be a patentable, commercial product or a policy proposal. Weekly workshop sessions will be held for the whole class which will include presentations from external speakers on topics such as intellectual property, project management and negotiating skills. Each team will choose a leader who will be responsible for organising regular meetings in which ideas are developed, tasks assigned and information gathered. The team will produce a report in the form of a patent application or policy document which will form part of the module assessment. The remainder of the assessment will be based on an oral presentation. Peer-assessment will be used to adjust tutors' marks according to individual contribution to the project.

This course considers the aetiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of some of the major chronic diseases (excluding cancer) that affect human health, including: neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; cerebrovascular disease; and the two major types of diabetes. Some of the lectures are delivered by experts who treat patients with these diseases in local hospitals. Teaching is through lectures, practical work, and group-based student discussions and presentations.

Talks given by the students themselves expand understanding to cover the pathobiology of many different chronic human diseases that are not covered formally in the lectures. There is also a practical class on diabetes that complements the lectures and teaches how some simple biochemical tests can be used for diagnosis and management of this condition.

This module will enhance your knowledge of developmental psychology building on knowledge gained during Year Two. Specifically, you will gain a better knowledge of current developmental theoretical debates in developmental psychology, such as Nativist versus Empiricist accounts of development, and how the study of diverse settings can inform such arguments. The module samples specialisations in a diverse range of topics spanning the development of perceptual, cognitive, and social abilities, from before birth through to childhood.

In this module you will discover what clinical psychology is - learning about key theoretical frameworks and treatment approaches, and developing an understanding of how research is related to practice. Covering various populations (including children, adults and older adults), this module will discuss various psychological disorders in terms of their assessment, aetiology, research background and interventions. A small series of guest lectures delivered by experienced practitioners will introduce issues in professional practice and confer a realistic appreciation of the work of clinical psychologists.

By the end of the module, you will recognise and be able to discuss several specific and overarching aspects of clinical psychological practice, as well as a range of prominent psychopathologies.