This course is an advanced examination of cellular and organ processes that allow self-regulation, maintenance and reproduction in organisms, with an evolutionary perspective. Animals will be the main organisms studied, with an emphasis on mammals including humans, although other types will be considered.
Laboratories parallel the lectures, include students as test subjects, and a few animal experiments.
Both lecture and lab will include computer simulations, Internet sites and videos. Many people automatically think this is the study of discrete organ systems and how they work. However, this can be a misleading approach. For this reason, Physiology is often called the Integrative biological science. Today Biology is being revolutionized by rapid advances in molecular biology and genomics.