Information and Policies

The aim of this course is to teach advanced undergraduate and graduate students in life sciences the fundamental principles of mammalian physiology. The emphasis is in providing a comprehensive understanding of the concepts of how body works. Highlighted are the mechanisms of function and dysfunction of living systems, and the regulatory processes responsible for maintaining body function. The course will begin with lectures that focus on how does cell membrane work. These will be followed by lectures that describe the mechanisms of how the nervous system integrates sensory information and regulates motor output, and how the respiratory, the cardiovascular, the renal, the gastrointestinal, and the endocrine systems operate to bring about homeostasis. The homeostatic mechanisms will be described at various levels of the organization, from molecules and proteins, to cells and tissues, and to the behavior of the intact organism (where appropriate).

  • Required Textbook
         Medical Physiology (Second Edition) by Boron and Boulpaep

  • Optional Textbooks
         Principles of Physiology (4th Edition) by Levy, Koeppen, and Stanton
         Physiology (5th Edition) by Berne, Levy, Koeppen, and Stanton

  • See the HOMEPAGE (http://www.life.uiuc.edu/mcb/402/) to obtain a copy of the lecture notes/outlines (under "Course Calendar & Lecture Presentations" link). The username is "mcb402" and the password is "physiology".

  • Your FINAL GRADE will be in letter grade (with plus/minus) — this will be determined by the total number of points you receive on the three examinations plus credit, compared to the class average. The class median will be the border between B- and C+ (thus half the class will have grades of B- or above). Grades of "A" or "D" are usually conferred to students having scored about one standard deviation above or below the class median, respectively. Each exam question is worth 2 points, and thus from a total of 123 questions one can earn a maximum of 246 points. Students can earn a maximum of 60 points from regular class attendance and pop quizzes (see below for details), and when added to the above gives a possible total of 306 points.

  • ATTENDANCE of lectures is required. Announcements made in class are considered official.

  • CREDIT: Students can earn 60 points (towards the total) from regular class attendance and pop quizzes. You can earn up to 40 points from participation in pop quizzes (Rule: 1 point per lecture), and a maximum of 20 points from performance in pop quizzes (Rule: 0.5 point per lecture).

  • To request DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS, please speak to Dr. Feng after class or make an appointment to see him at the beginning of the semester.

  • MAKEUP EXAMS will be given in case of illness or other emergency. A letter from the McKinley Health Center or the Emergency Dean is MANDATORY. The student must contact the course coordinator (Dr. Feng) within 48 hours of the scheduled exam. No exceptions would be made if the student fails to notify him within this period.

  • If there is a CONFLICT with the scheduled exam hour, the student must inform Dr. Feng at least 10 days prior to the exam date.

  • iClicker: Each student remote has a unique serial number printed on the back. This number is referred to as the clicker ID. You must register your clicker ID in order to receive credit for voting in class (i.e., participation and performance in pop quizzes). To register, go to www.iclicker.com, click on REGISTER and enter your personal information (use your UIN in the Student ID field) and iClicker ID.