Year 1

DRKS111 – Invertebrates

Module outcomes:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate a basic knowledge and informed understanding of the systematics and classification of animals, form and function of animals in general and of invertebrates in particular, as well as being able to identify and classify these animals and indicate phylogenetic relationships;
• Distinguish between examples of invertebrates and to sort them in taxonomic and phylogenetic frameworks;
• Differentiate between animals based on their hierarchical organization, complexity and body plan as well as apply this to demonstrate relationships between groups of invertebrates/taxa;
• Explain what a species is and give an overview of the different species concepts;
• Display an awareness of the economic importance of invertebrates as a source of food, as parasites of humans, animals and plants, or as biological or mechanical carriers of pathogens;
• Report on their skills in respect of the use of microscopes, dichotomous keys and the accessing of sources; with a respect for conventions around intellectual property, copyright and plagiarism;
• Account for the role of humans in conservation of the environment and in particular invertebrate biodiversity.

DRKS 121 – Chordata [prerequisite DRKS111 (40%)]

Module outcomes:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate an informed understanding of the different aspects of form and function of deuterostome animals, and Southern African chordate diversity;
• Select and apply basic processes of analysis, synthesis and evaluation to unlock existing and additional knowledge;
• Work with a microscope and obtain in-focus images at a required magnification;
• Interpret a microscope image and prepare annotated drawings;
• Report on their skills in respect of field identification guides and keys to identify chordates to the required taxonomic level;
• Account for the role of humans in conservation of the environment and in particular higher invertebrate and chordate biodiversity;
• Display an awareness of ethical issues related to the use and study of higher invertebrates and Chordata.

Year 2

DRKS211 – Ethology [Prerequisite DRKS111 & DRKS121]

Module outcomes:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate a focused knowledge of the fundamental theory of Animal Physiology;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the crucial relationships between environment, form and function and its influence on the physiology of animals;
• Use figures, tables and graphs to explain and supplement various aspects of Animal Physiology; Identify key differences in certain physiological processes among animals from different modes of life (aquatic vs. terrestrial);
• Display an awareness of the scope of ethical and value systems when studying physiological processes in animals;
• Follow instructions to perform experimentation on animals or animal systems to demonstrate a particular physiological process.

DRKS222 – Molecular Zoology [Prerequisite DRKS111 & DRKS121]

Module outcomes:

After completion of the module, the student will demonstrate:

• a thorough knowledge and clear understanding of the genomic structure of animal cells, how animal genes are expressed, which regulatory processes are involved and how mutations on molecular level contribute to evolution of new species;
• a clear understanding of how the knowledge on molecular zoology is applied in biotechnology;
• an ability to integrate and write about molecular biology literature using the scientific writing style in explaining biological effects in animals;
• the ability to effectively apply appropriate molecular methods for conducting investigations in animal physiology, animal systematics and/or animal ecology;
• the ability to process and present integrated literature to explain how environmental factors influence genetic expression in animals;
• data management skills that include the generation, presentation, and interpretation of data, as well as the formulation of theories about data;
• the importance of moral and ethical values in the application of biotechnology.

Year 3

DRKS311 – Ecology [Prerequisite DRKN211 & DRKS221]

Module outcomes:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate how knowledge and theories within the field of aquatic and terrestrial ecology relate to knowledge within other fields with a view to understand the interrelatedness thereof.
• Integrate knowledge of the principles of aquatic and terrestrial ecology and be able to evaluate knowledge and explanations provided in the field of ecology.
• Identify the basic research methodologies relevant to terrestrial and aquatic ecology, select appropriate methods and apply a range of methods used in ecological studies.
• Demonstrate an advanced ability to effectively apply practical skills in research projects to survey and critique aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem health and diversity with a view to suggest interventions and improvements in management systems.
• Analyse and evaluate academic literature to demarcate a researchable problem within the field of ecology and specify an appropriate scientific method that can be used to address the identified problem.
• Reflect on the values, ethical conduct and justifiability of decisions appropriate to ecological studies.
• Produce and communicate accurately and coherently both verbally and in written reports on academic principles in ecology and on ecological research projects. Students registered for DRKS311 must attend a compulsory field trip during March/April (that can include the recess time). The report generated from results obtained during the field trip will contribute to the participation mark. No excuses for absence from the field trip will be accepted, except in the event of illness in which case a medical certificate must be presented.

DRKS321 - Comparative animal physiology [Prerequisite DRKS211 & DRKN222]

Module outcomes:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

• examine and justify how different elements such as anatomy, evolutionary biology, ecology, chemistry, biochemistry and genetics are integrated to explain how animals interact with and survive in their natural environment;
• an ability to critically integrate knowledge of animal physiology to help us understand how and why animals evolved the way they did in response to extreme changes affecting their environments;
• the implementation of key concepts in animal physiology, and expansion on particular topics or themes, to grasp complex concepts in a progressive, layered way;
• perform experiments that can illustrate how different groups of animals have evolved different solutions to deal with the environmental problems they face;
• the capability to hypothesize on the way different animal species have evolved to survive extreme environmental conditions based on the current knowledge base;
• fluency in generating written and oral reports to demonstrate experimental proficiency in physiological procedures;
• the ability to judge the ethical conduct of others within different professional and academic environments involved with animal research, conservation, and welfare.