L1 - SVSE PCAV

View the full page

The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to scientific ecology in all its diversity. Particular attention is given to defining scientific ecology, as distinct from the meaning of the term “ecology” (political ecology or environmentalism) as used in the media and by the general public. The role of the environment in the scientific study of ecology is also clarified. Through tutorials and lab sessions, three major themes in ecology are covered: paleoecology, functional ecology, and evolutionary ecology. It is important to note that these themes are supported by a particularly active scientific community in Montpellier.

View the full page

This course is designed to provide a general context for understanding Earth sciences and biology while taking into account the fields of the humanities and social sciences. The Earth of today is not disconnected from its past. To understand the impacts of environmental and climate changes on planet Earth, a diachronic approach (long-term, change over time) and a synchronic approach (spatial variations) are necessary.

Consequently, this course presents the history of the Earth through geological time. It discusses the Earth’s structure, composition, and processes. Issues, concerns, and problems related to natural hazards are also included. The course will also provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary to understand the societal challenges surrounding climate and environmental issues. The impact of this course unit is essential for the well-being of tomorrow’s society, as it helps train young citizens and future professionals to analyze, critique, and reflect on past, present, and future environmental and climate issues, and to participate in decision-making within societal debates addressing environmental risks. This course unit was therefore designed by faculty members from various scientific disciplines (Earth and Water Sciences, Ecology, Philosophy, Political Science), demonstrating that approaches ranging from the fundamental to the operational are necessary.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 36 hours

View the full page

This learning unit consists of two parts. 

The first aims to reinforce the high school skills that are essential for pursuing higher education in the sciences: understanding proportionality and linearity, performing calculations involving powers, working with fractions, and solving simple equations. 

The second part will be devoted to the study of real-valued functions: the focus will be on common functions, the graphical representation of functions, and the mathematical concept of the derivative (or instantaneous rate of change). 

Most of the concepts covered will be illustrated with concrete examples from biology. 

View the full page

This course is a specialized course in the preparation program for the Agro-Vet B entrance exams. It complements the HAV105C course on general chemistry, which covers the basic concepts. It is intended to serve as a foundation for the subsequent courses HAV310C and HAV412C, which round out the preparation for the Agro-Vet B entrance exams.

The following topics will therefore be taught in both lectures and tutorials:

In physical and general chemistry:

The basics of chemical thermodynamics, essentially:

• The Progress of Reactions
• The first law of thermodynamics as it applies to chemistry. A very basic introduction to the second law.
• Reaction variables.
• Chemical equilibrium as it applies to simple reactions (homogeneous gas equilibria). Law of Mass Action.

View the full page

Introductions to basic concepts in physics (optics, mechanics), as applied to problems of biological interest.

View the full page

This module, designed for students in the PCAV Concours B track, aims to introduce the fundamental concepts of general ecology, incorporating evolutionary and functional approaches as well as evolutionary processes. The goal is to enable students to understand the interactions between organisms and their environment across different spatial and temporal scales and hierarchical levels of organization.

The goal, therefore, is to help them better understand major current issues such as the loss of biodiversity, human impact, and global changes.

The lectures will lay the groundwork, while the seminars will expose students to scientific texts and articles, gradually familiarizing them with the scientific method.

View the full page

View the full page

View the full page

View the full page

The course “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell 1” is a continuation of the first-semester course “From Molecules to Cells,” which laid the structural foundations of living organisms. In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of biochemistry, replication, transcription, translation, intracellular movements, and bioenergetics.

This course unit will be supplemented by course unit HAV204V for L1 SVSE students.

It will be followed by the L1 TEE and L1 Chemistry programs.

View the full page

The course will examine various biological processes from a physical perspective.                  

Special attention will be given to comparing the different energy scales in biology, with an introduction to key concepts in thermodynamics as they relate to molecular biology. We will cover various passive and active processes using relevant examples from biology and health sciences. The proposed lab session involves observing Brownian motion and will tie in with the HAV102P course (specifically its concepts in optics).

View the full page

 The brain is at the center of human behavior. It serves as the body’s control center. It continuously receives a stream of information from both the external environment and the body. This information must be processed and analyzed quickly in order to generate an appropriate response. All of these mechanisms, which at first glance appear complex, are based on simple biological processes.

View the full page

This required course is intended for all students in the SV Bachelor’s program. It introduces the main tools of discrete probability that are useful to biologists for understanding random phenomena, particularly those involving counting variables. The course is designed at a level accessible to students whose only prerequisite is a basic understanding of probability theory covered in the 10th grade of high school. The course uses concrete examples as a starting point to move toward modeling. 

• An introductory section covers the concept of sets, operations on sets, and the simple formalization of propositions.
• Part Two introduces probability terminology and reviews basic probability calculations (tables, trees) and conditional probabilities. The examples focus on real-world situations: calculating probabilities in a population stratified by age and gender, and diagnostic tests (sensitivity/specificity).
• Part 3 is devoted to a presentation of the main discrete probability models—the binomial, geometric, and Poisson models—and their applications. The concept of independent variables is introduced in a heuristic manner, with the goal of providing tools for calculating the expected value and variance of the sum of random variables.
• A few numerical simulations may be presented to illustrate the concept of fluctuation in a random variable or the convergence of the binomial distribution to the normal or Poisson distribution.

View the full page

View the full page

In the lectures for this course unit, we describe each stage of the life cycle, beginning with embryonic development (including organ formation, cell differentiation, and growth processes), moving on to the acquisition of reproductive capacity (including the stages associated with meiosis and gametogenesis), and concluding with fertilization. This life cycle is discussed in detail in metazoans and angiosperms, and helps you consolidate your knowledge of the transmission of genetic information. This will enable us to solve problems in Mendelian genetics—including those involving sex-linked effects or epistasis—during the tutorials for this course unit.

View the full page

Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and synthesis of natural or synthetic organic compounds, which, by definition, contain carbon. This course unit serves as an introduction to organic chemistry and lays the foundation for the basic concepts needed by students pursuing studies in the sciences, particularly in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and health sciences.

View the full page

This course, which is required for all first-year students, will introduce the fundamentals of epistemology and the scientific method, as well as the tools needed to analyze controversies surrounding science and approaches presented as alternatives. The course will address the scientific investigation of phenomena considered paranormal, pseudosciences, pseudo-medicines, psychological abuses, cult-related alienation, and so on, in order to make students aware of our cognitive biases and the rhetorical manipulations that can exploit them to convince or deceive. The ultimate goal of this course is to ensure that everyone can make informed choices, knows how to research and evaluate information, and can protect themselves from techniques of influence and manipulation.

This course will be based on lectures and viewing various resources available online. Students will be required to complete the entire course on Moodle, which will then be assessed through a multiple-choice quiz.

View the full page

The course unit “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell 2” complements the course unit “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell 1,” which will be held concurrently. In this course unit, students will apply and expand upon the theoretical knowledge acquired in “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell 1.”

View the full page

Description*:

This course is a specialized course in the preparation program for the B-level agricultural and veterinary exams. It complements the organic chemistry course HAC202C, which covers the basic concepts.

The following topics will therefore be taught in both lectures and tutorials:

In-Depth Look: Electronic Effects (Inductive, Mesomeric) and Their Impact on Molecular Reactivity.

Application in Aromatic Chemistry:

• Aromaticity and Hückel's Rule
• Addition Reactions
• Aromatic Electrophilic Substitution Reactions (SEAr): Mechanisms and Holleman’s Orientation Rule
• Major SEArs
• Reactivity of the Hydrocarbon Chain in Aromatic Compounds: The Importance of the Benzylic Position

The Beginnings of Functional Organic Chemistry

• Halogenated alkanes and organometallic compounds.

View the full page