2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

MEDS1002 Introduction to Human Disease

10 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Dr Mike Routledge
Email: medmnr@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

None

This module is mutually exclusive with

ODFL1801

Causes of Human Disease

Module replaces

MEDS1001

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Discover the causes of common, and some not so common, diseases. Learn about how scientists gather evidence about the risk factors that contribute to our chances of getting diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and the contribution that socioeconomic factors play in this risk. Understand the difference between classes of microorganisms that cause various infectious diseases and how these are spread. If you are interested in health and disease, and want to understand more of the science behind health related stories in the media, such as those about antibiotic resistance, the role of diet in cancer risk, or the use of drugs such as statins to reduce heart attacks this module will give you a broad understanding of the science underpinning such issues. You will learn about these topics through a variety of on-line learning approaches, which will include input from clinicians working in Leeds to give a medical perspective on some of the topics.

Objectives

The objectives of this module are to provide a basic understanding of the causes of different types of human disease, together with information about how evidence for this is gathered, for students with limited science background.

Learning outcomes
At the end of this module students should be able to:

Explain how evidence is gathered through epidemiology to understand causes of human disease at the population level

Summarise key features and differences of global patterns of disease with a focus on social aspects of health and health inequalities

Differentiate between bacteria, viruses and parasites as causes of infectious disease and describe different modes of transmission of infectious agents

Explain the basic components of how the immune system fights invading pathogens and what antibiotics

Explain what genes are and the role they can play in human disease

Outline the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer

Explain aspects of the role of nutrition in health and disease

Describe, using named examples, how environmental exposures can damage health

Reflect on the content of disease related stories in the media and discuss the validity of how these are presented to the public

Syllabus

The course will consist of 10 weeks of on-line learning, broken down into 5 x 2-week long courses:

Topic 1: Population Health
A description of how we understand causes of disease through epidemiology with an appreciation of how social determinants influence health and how global health inequalities exist.

Topic 2: Infectious Disease
An overview of how pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) cause disease, how infectious disease is transmitted and how the immune system fights such infections.

Topic 3: Genetic disease and cancer
An introduction to how some diseases are inherited through our genes. An introduction to what cancer is and an overview of anticancer drug therapy.

Topic 4: Cardiovascular disease
An introduction to different types of cardiovascular disease, including risk factors for heart attacks and stroke, and the common link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Topic 5: Lifestyle & Environment
Here we will look at how lifestyle choices and environmental exposures impact on risk of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. There will be consideration of how nutrition influences disease risk and how environmental exposures such as air pollution are associated with various diseases.
There will be additional reading and tutorials to support the 5 courses.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
On-line Learning	45	1.00	45.00
Independent Learning	50	1.00	50.00
Tutorial	5	1.00	5.00
Private study hours			0.00
Total Contact hours			100.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Independent online learning will be the delivery of all learning material on the VLE. The on-line material will guide students through the five topics using a series of different styles of material, including recorded short talks, animations, video interviews with clinicians, on-line exercises, etc. In independent learning, students will use recent media articles to explore aspects of disease through independent reading, providing views on their understanding of the issue and how it has been presented in the media through a personal reflective log. On-line tests will be used as assessment for learning throughout the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored in tutorials and through on-line tests.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2000 words	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		40.00

Each 2 week course will end with an in-course on-line MCQ test. This will be used as assessment for learning. The 2,000 word essay will be used to present information on a recent health related story from the media, in which the student will research the science behind the story and reflect on how the story is presented in the media.

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) (S1)	2 hr 00 mins	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		60.00

Resit for student who fail the module will be by a 2 hour exam in August

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/05/2018

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