Instructor
Prof. Ashutosh Kumar
Motivation
This course covers two of the most important areas in biology, and covers the basics of topics that you will likely encounter in other minor courses. Also, metabolism and bioenergetics being directly connected to health and functioning of the human body, you will definitely learn a thing or two related to your day-to-day life.
Prerequisites
None
Course Content and Structure
The first half of the course focused on bioenergetics, while the second half covered metabolism. Bioenergetics deals with energy transductions at the cellular level, and involves a good amount of biochemistry. Metabolism consists of the study of pathways taken by individual molecules of dietary components, their interrelations, regulation mechanisms, etc. The full list of topics covered in the course can be found here – https://ibb.co/MfnLw7Z
Weightage
40% Assignments + 15% Surprise Quizzes + 20% Midsem + 25% Endsem
Feedback on lectures, tutorials and exams
Being a small class, the Prof had one-on-one interaction with most of the students. The Prof was genuinely interested in the students’ learning, and made ample use of relatable examples to explain seemingly boring concepts. The quizzes and exams did not require any memorization or intensive calculations and focused on logical thinking and class discussions. The assignments were also of similar nature.
Attendance
Attendance was not compulsory, but there were surprise quizzes.
Difficulty level
3
Grading Stats
AA – 6, AB – 4, BB – 7, BC – 4, CC – 2, CD – 1
References
1. Metabolic Regulation, R.S. Ochs, R.W. Hanson and J. Halls: Elsevier, 1985.
2. Physical Chemistry, P.W. Atkins; ELBS, 1981.
3. A Biologist’s Physical Chemistry, J.G. Morris; 1974.
4. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, D.L.Nelson and M.M.Cox. 4th ed. W.H.Freeman, 2004.
5. Bioenergetics. D.G.Nicholls and S.J.Ferguson, 2nd ed. Academic Press, 2002.
We thank Rohit Kaulgud for this review.
Department Academic Mentorship Program 