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LSC-20015 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2021/22 Last Updated: 16 February 2022

LSC-20015 - Molecular, Cellular and Structural Immunology
Coordinator: Annette K Shrive Room: HUX212A Tel: +44 1782 7 33419
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

In this module you will explore how the mammalian body copes with infection by various pathogens. This includes addressing the cellular basis of the immune system and the generation and selection of the immune repertoire. You will also explore functional insights into immune protein structure and pathogen structure, including viruses and bacteria. You will also address the use of antibodies, accessing and using protein databases, and explore the structure/function relationship of proteins.
You will be assessed by both a lab report and an online, open book examination. The lab report will allow you evidence your skills in comminating scientific findings to a scientific audience, including data analysis and presentation, drawing appropriate conclusion and situating your work within the wider literature. The online, open book examination will allow you to evidence your ability to solve problems within a time-limited context.

Aims
The aims of the course are to consider how the mammalian body copes with infection by various pathogens, to understand the cellular basis of the immune system and the generation and selection of the immune repertoire including the role of cell death, to consider the structure and function of immune proteins, viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, and to develop subject-based IT skills.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/lsc-20015/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

discuss and explain the key concepts of the mammalian immune system repertoire and its role in combating infection: 2
describe and critically evaluate the generation and selection of the immune repertoire: 2
explain the cell and molecular biology of cell death: 2
explain key concepts of the structure and function relationship with reference to proteins of the immune system: 2
explain in detail the key concepts of the structure, function and immune system recognition of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens: 2
explain and critically evaluate analytical methods used based on antibodies: 1
locate and use scientific information, protein sequences and protein structures from protein databases: 2
describe in detail the cells mediating the immune response: 2

Study hours

10x 1 hour tutorials
4x 1 hour workshops
11x 3 hours engagement with asynchronous content
2 hours completion of examination (9-5 format)
101 hours private study to include completion of practical report

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Laboratory Report weighted 40%
Practical report based on experimental laboratory work
Length 2500 words. The raw data for the lab report may involve some team work. The write-up, analysis and presentation (e.g. tables, graphs etc) of the data is carried out individually.

2: Open Book Examination weighted 60%
Online open book exam
The paper will be released on KLE as a word document at 9am on the morning of the exam. Section A of the paper (60%) will contain compulsory, short answer questions and Section B (40%) will contain a choice of 1 out of 3 essay-based questions. Students should answer each question using Word, clearly labelling each question as they provide their answers. Work will be submitted to Turnitin no later than 5pm on the day of release. International students will be asked to notify the School if they need an extension due to different time zones. Although students have been given significant time to complete this exam script, we expect most students to spend no more than 2 hours. Answers should be as accurate and concise as possible. Additional time has been given simply to provide a more flexible and inclusive approach, for example, required for students with disability, specific learning requirements, caring responsibilities and so on. For short-answer questions, students should pay careful attention to the number of points that each question is worth. In general, we would expect only one or two sentences for each point. For essay-based questions, typical answers would be in the range of 500-750 words per question. We recommend that students do not exceed 750 words per essay-based question as we will be assessing the quality of the answer, not the quantity.

Please note that for the 2021/22 Academic Year all programmes will be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there will be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 16 February 2022