Course unit details:
Current Topics in Microbiology

Course unit fact file
Unit code BIOL31351
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 3
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Offered by School of Biological Sciences
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

You will study some of the most recent advances in Microbiology including in the areas of evolutionary microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial pathogenesis, synthetic/systems biology, microbiomes, CRISPR-Cas, and microbial genomics.

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
Fundamentals of Bacteriology BIOL21181 Pre-Requisite Recommended

Aims

To provide students with an insight into some of the most recent advances in Microbiology.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will have an appreciation of;

  • Evolutionary microbiology
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis
  • Genetic engineering of microbes for synthetic/systems biology applications
  • Microbiome ecology and its effects on health and disease
  • Horizontal gene transfer and genome evolution

Syllabus

The syllabus will be based around 5 main themes; evolutionary microbiology,  antimicrobial resistance, microbial pathogenesis, genetic engineering for synthetic/systems biology applications, microbiomes, and microbial genomics.

Employability skills

Innovation/creativity
Opportunity to deliver talks with a creative use of visual aids and verbal communication.
Oral communication
Students will record a 5 minute video on a suggested topic related to the course.
Research
Students will be taught from recent research articles and reviews and will have to research the topic and extract the most pertinent details for their 5 minute talk and for the written assessment.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written assignment (inc essay) 70%
Oral assessment/presentation 30%

Written assignments (70%):

To complete one ‘News & Views’ style written assignment (open book) on subjects covered in the lectures  

Oral assessment/video presentation (30%):

Record a 5 minute video on a Current Microbiology topic 

Feedback methods

Individual feedback will be given on the 5 min recoded talk.

Written individual feedback will be provided for the two ‘News & Views’ style assignments.

Recommended reading

Primary papers and review articles selected by lecturers teaching on the unit.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 18
Independent study hours
Independent study 82

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Rok Krasovec Unit coordinator

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Additional expenses

 

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Return to course details

Regulated by the Office for Students

The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.