The Biology of Disease

The nature and origin of disease. Bacteria and viruses: structure, identification and classification. Mechanisms of infection, pathogenesis, virulence, host susceptibility, immunity, epidemiology.Control strategies, new technologies. New organisms. Invertebrate and fungal parasites. Ecological and cultural aspects of disease.

Course overview

Points

15

Fees

$1033.2 NZD

International fees

$4771.8 NZD

Course offered in

  • Trimester 2

Duration

1 trimester

Prerequisites

Co-requisites

Restrictions

Taught by

The School of Biological Sciences

Wellington Faculty of Science

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Course content

The first half of the course will focus on infectious diseases and the pathogens that cause them (viruses, bacteria, parasites) and then the latter half of the coursse will focus on non-infectious diseases (cardiovascular, neurological, reprodcutive, and environmental diseases). There are 8 labs as part of the course that are designed to explemify these diseases and allow students to gain a more intuitive knowledge of how diseases are caused and how they manifest. Each section will describe general pronciples about categories of disease as well as give specific examples using well-known diseases. This course will focus on human diseases, but some non-human diseases may be discussed.

Blended (These courses have some in person requirements - eg., lab/field trip, in person assessment/test)
 
This course is delivered using a mix of face-to-face classes and on-line resources. Assessment may be a mix of on-line or face to face.
 
Lectures for this course will be delivered in person and recordings of these will be available for students who need to attend remotely. Recordings of lectures will be available for preparation for assessment.

If you are unable to attend an in-person component due to exceptional circumstances, you should contact the course coordinator at the first opportunity, explaining your circumstances. Alternative scheduling or alternative assignments may be possible.
 
In person attendance at scheduled times is required for Laboratories and specific individual assessments (such as terms tests or final test during the assessment period)
 
This course typically has three hours of lectures per week. In addition to lectures,1-hour lab sessions throughout the semester on Fridays. Several time slots are available.

Course learning objectives

Students who pass this course will be able to:

  1. Describe the basic disease processes in humans for select diseases of national and international importance.

  2. Understand how disease is measured and how it may be prevented.

  3. Integrate knowledge of the immune system and how its functions can prevent or cause disease.

  4. Creatively link and resynthesise information presented in the laboratories, lectures, and guest lectures with your existing knowledge about human disease.

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Offering CRN

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Required materials and equipment

Class representative

The class representative provides a useful way to communicate feedback to the teaching staff during the course. They also work with the VUWSA Education Office on any academic issues that arise in their course. Reps are elected by students by the third week of classes every trimester. Being a rep requires a weekly commitment.

The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington values te reo Māori. Students who wish to submit any of their assessments in te reo Māori must refer to The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy - PDF 134kb

He mea nui te reo Māori ki Te Herenga Waka. Ki te pīrangi koe ki te tuhituhi i ō aro matawai i roto i te reo Māori, tēnā me mātua whakapā atu ki te kaupapa here, The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy - PDF 134kb

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