Undergraduate International Foundation Programme - Science 2014-2015

SF1001 introduces you to major concepts and theories in psychology to provide you with a strong understanding of human mind and behaviour. You will attend lectures on evolution & emotion, perception, and developmental psychology and participate in workshops where you work in a team and debate topics related to the material covered in your lectures such as “should teenagers be held responsible for the crimes they commit?”. Studying psychology is beneficial to a range of careers such as management, finance and counselling, to name but a few. Psychology regularly tops employers’ lists of producing the most employable graduates.

SF1002 is a perfect combination of subject-specific knowledge and transferable skills. In weekly lectures and hands-on practicals, you will learn how various research methods are applied across a range of Psychology sub-fields. In addition, you will learn how to read scientific articles and begin to critique them. You will also be encouraged to develop skills such as giving presentations and writing literature reviews. Apart from acquiring these skills, the course will give you insight into the ‘human factor’ that all sciences necessarily have in common, and as such it will be a valuable addition to any degree.

• topics covered in this course span medical science through the ages; from ancient civilizations to the modern day science of genomics and synthetic biology;
• alongside lecture material, in depth practical classes will cover biomedical measurement techniques, forensic science and a research-based mini project;
• also included in the course is a trip to the Institute of Medical Sciences where you will gain access to cutting-edge laboratories and equipment;
• overall, this course is a journey through some of the key milestones that underpin the discipline of medical science we see today

Eleven themes are explored in engaging lectures, exploring the mechanisms of life processes and introducing you to the science that underpins current understanding of biology.

Structured practical sessions and class activities help you to develop your study and laboratory skills, and provide you with a strong foundation for a successful transition into university study.

Regular assignments, a mix of online tests, practical reports and reading assignments, structure your activities and help you progress through the course material.

Weekly guest lectures about current research helps you to see how basic biological concepts are being applied

Regular tutorial meetings with other students in your degree programme and an academic make you part of the school community and allow you to develop enduring friendships with peers.

 Structured activities undertaken during tutorials focus on your chosen discipline and support the development of a range of research and transferrable skills.

 Weekly lectures during the first half-session consolidate your thinking about core content. 

Coursework is assigned specifically to tutorial groups and provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your learning in relation to presentation (written and oral) and data analysis and interpretation.

This course covers the foundations of chemistry that underpin the life sciences at a molecular level. The course aims to consolidate a general background in chemistry by putting chemical concepts into a life sciences context.  The basic concepts of chemistry will be covered, along with organic molecules, acids and bases, and the basic principles behind the driving forces of reactions.

Laboratory classes introduce important practical techniques, with experiments that reinforce and compliment the taught material.

The course will allow students to continue with other chemistry courses as part of their enhanced study by providing discipline breadth.

Students will be exposed to the basic principles of computer programming, e.g. fundamental programming concepts, algorithms, and maths (e.g. logic, set theory, graphs).  The course consists of lectures where the principles are systematically developed; as the course does not presuppose knowledge of these principles, we start from basic intuitions.  In addition to the lectures, there will be weekly practicals to work with the concepts.  Understanding the principles behind computer programming gives one the framework to learn new programming concepts, adapt to changing circumstances, and engage in theoretical research in Computing Science.

This course is aimed at people who want to learn the basics about the major problems that need to be solved to enable computers to be more useful companions in our daily lives, e.g. to get them to be able to understand our normal speech when we talk to them, or to be able to see and recognise the important objects in the world, or to be able to act as a helper in the home, like a robotic maid that could cook and clean.

Calculus is the mathematical study of change, and is used in many areas of mathematics, science, and the commercial world. This course covers differentiation, limits, finding maximum and minimum values, and continuity.  There may well be some overlap with school mathematics, but the course is brisk and will go a long way quickly.

This is a basic maths course which is suitable for students who hold the equivalent of Standard Grade maths. The aim is to help students to develop their confidence and accuracy in a range of topics, starting with basic skills and progressing to more advanced topics. There are weekly tests with good performance leading to the possibility of gaining an exemption from the final exam. Learning is mainly done in the students’ own time. This course is not suitable for students who have recently achieved an A or a B in Higher Maths or equivalent.

This course covers the foundations of chemistry that underpin the life sciences at a molecular level. The course aims to consolidate a general background in chemistry by putting chemical concepts into a life sciences context.  The basic concepts of chemistry will be covered, along with organic molecules, acids and bases, and the basic principles behind the driving forces of reactions.

Laboratory classes introduce important practical techniques, with experiments that reinforce and compliment the taught material.

The course will allow students to continue with other chemistry courses as part of their enhanced study by providing discipline breadth.

SF1501 introduces you to major concepts and theories in psychology to provide you with a strong understanding of human mind and behaviour. You will attend lectures on evolution & emotion, perception, and developmental psychology and participate in workshops where you work in a team and debate topics related to the material covered in your lectures such as “should teenagers be held responsible for the crimes they commit?”. Studying psychology is beneficial to a range of careers such as management, finance and counselling, to name but a few. Psychology regularly tops employers’ lists of producing the most employable graduates.

SF1502 builds on PS1011. You will learn more about research methods in Psychology through lectures, practicals, and taking part in experiment-demonstrations.  You will also learn how to set up and conduct a Psychology experiment yourself. Part of the lectures will focus on statistics, to equip you with the skills to analyze and interpret your own data, culminating in a written research report, in which your critical thinking skills will be encouraged. You will also learn about the role of ethics in research. This course will enable you to spot the difference between ‘pop-science’ and genuine science.

• cells are the fundamental unit of life – without them life could not exist, and as such understanding how they function is crucial to our understanding of biology and medical science;
• this course provides theoretical knowledge in a diverse range of topics covering the fascinating world of cells, from molecules like DNA, to how different cell types function within our bodies;
• all practical classes are research based and will provide theoretical knowledge and skills training in many areas of molecular and cell biology;
• employability skills will also be explored through a highly interactive session run by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise

This course will take you on a journey through the physical workings of the Earth, the interactions between species and their environments and then on to the effects humans are having on the planet and thoughts on the future.

Teaching by staff with different subject specialisms who give both variety and immediacy to course material.

Exposure to the problems we are facing both now and in the future which means that students can make informed choices in their everyday lives.

A range of ‘wet’ and computer-based practicals enhance the classroom teaching and develop generic scientific skills.

Chemistry plays a central role in modern science, not only because of the insights it gives on the composition, properties, and reactivity of matter but also because of its wide-ranging applications. This course seeks to consolidate some of the important fundamentals of chemistry that underlie many topics and principles across the physical sciences and engineering, bringing together molecular structure, reaction mechanisms, the driving forces behind chemical reactions, and methods of chemical analysis and structure determination.

Workshops and laboratory classes complement lectures by consolidating learning and developing problem-solving and hands-on practical skills.

Beginning with digital logic gates and progressing to the design of combinational and sequential circuits, this course use these fundamental building blocks as the basis for what follows: the design of an actual MIPS microprocessor. In addition, students will get hands on experience on programming Intel 8086 assembly language which is the inner language spoken by the processor. By the end of the course, students will have a top-to-down understanding of how a micropressor works. The course is taught without prerequisites; students are taught with plenty of exercises from lectures, tutorials, practical and tests every week.

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to Integral Calculus and the theory of sequences and series, to discuss their applications to the theory of functions, and to give an introduction to the theory of functions of several variables. 

This provides the necessary mathematical background for further study in mathematics, physics, computing science, chemistry and engineering.

This course is a continuation of the material covered in MA1007 Introductory Mathematics 1. It is suitable for students who have taken MA1007 and is a good course for students who use some maths in their degree but do not have a strong background in the subject. Topics covered include differentiation, integration, complex numbers, vectors and matrices among others. Students are continually assessed through weekly tests, with the possibility of gaining an exemption from the final exam if the results from the weekly tests are good enough. Learning is mainly done in the students’ own time.

Chemistry plays an important role in the life sciences, explaining the shapes and properties of biomolecules, and helping to provide an understanding of how biological processes work at a molecular level.

The shapes and function of important biomolecules will be covered. Organic molecule reaction mechanisms will give insight into how different types of molecules can be synthesised. The energetics and importance of equilibrium in driving reactions will be covered.

Methods of chemical analysis and measurement introduce other important topics linking the chemical and life sciences.

Workshops and labs complement lectures by consolidating learning and developing problem-solving and hands-on practical skills.

This course will be of interest to anyone who wishes to develop a Web presence. It will touch on several of the fundamental technologies associated with the Web and will give you the opportunity to build an interactive Website with the knowledge gleaned. In addition to developing a broad knowledge of the principles associated with good Web design and Website management and accessibility, you will enhance your understanding of a limited range of core technologies including XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, DOM and PHP.