2020 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Basic science and technology courses
Fundamental Life Science 2-1 K
- Academic unit or major
- Basic science and technology courses
- Instructor(s)
- Masayuki Takahashi
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Fri (W371)
- Class
- K
- Course Code
- LAS.B103
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course gives fundamentals of diverse fields of life science and introduction of current topics. On the basis of the knowledge given in "Fundamental Life Science 1-1", the classes cover more details of the central dogma and protein functions, and fundamentals of enzymes, lipids and membranes, signal transduction and membrane transport, as well as current topics such as biofuel and developmental engineering.
This course aims to provide fundamental knowledge on life sciences as the basis not only for advanced life sciences but also for broad fields in science and technology.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will understand the fundamentals of life sciences, which shall be the basis for broad fields in advanced science and technology. In addition, the students will more deeply understand current topics related to life sciences.
Keywords
biology, genome, enzyme, body plan, bioinformatics
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Students will learn about the topics with a textbook, PowerPoint slides, and handouts, via ZOOM. Students are divided into eight classes (in Japanese) and one (in English), taking a class session once per week.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | DNA replication and repair | Understand the basic mechanisms of DNA replication and repair |
| Class 2 | Enzyme: proteins as catalysts | Understand the basis of enzymatic reactions |
| Class 3 | Signal transduction and membrane transport | Understand the basic mechanisms of signal transduction and membrane transport |
| Class 4 | Regulation of gene expression | Understand the basic mechanisms for gene expression |
| Class 5 | Signal transduction and membrane transport | Understand the basic mechanisms of signal transduction and membrane transport |
| Class 6 | Bioinformatics: genome analysis, systems biology, and genome-based drug discovery | Understand the basis and importance of bioinformatics |
| Class 7 | Body plan of animals | Understand the basic body plan of animals |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
"Biology", C. Starr, C.A. Evers, L. Starr
Reference books, course materials, etc.
"Introduction to Biology", MIT OpenCourseWare
Evaluation methods and criteria
Learning achievement is evaluated by short tests in every classes and a final exam.
Related courses
- Fundamental Life Science 1-1
- Fundamental Life Science1-2
- Fundamental Life Science 2-2
- Fundamental Life Science Laboratory
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have completed Fundamental Life Science 1-1 and Fundamental Life Science1-2 (not conditioned).
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
Students of class K (English) can ask questions to Prof. Takahashi
Office hours
Contact by e-mail only.