Course Description

This course is an introduction to the organelles of a human cell, including their structure, function, and methods to study them. The course includes applications to non-communicable and communicable diseases such as cancer, metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases. Students will deepen their understanding of cellular organelles by visualizing their structure to understand how the structure contributes to the function and the impact of malfunction on human health. Each topic will also briefly introduce techniques in molecular biology that help study these organelles based on their unique properties, that help identify and distinguish between cellular organelles. There is emphasis on visualizing cellular interactions through a short introduction to microscopy and a web-based tool that helps create graphical descriptions of these interactions.

Learner Outcomes

When you complete the course successfully, you will be able to:

• Explain the different roles of cellular organelles
• Compare and contrast between the different cellular organelles on the basis of their structure and function
• Make connections between human diseases and malfunction of a single organelle
• Design experiments for studying organelles specific techniques

Microcredential(s)

This course may apply toward the Biomedical Sciences Endeavor badge.

Textbook Information

A textbook is required or recommended for this course.

Click here to view a textbook list for FAES courses and purchasing information. Please note that tuition does not include textbooks.