Courses offered in Semester II-Spring 2011

Ser Course Course Title Credits Name of Instructor/

No Code coordinator

1 BIO102 Introductory Biology II 03 Nagaraj

Balasubramanian

2 CHM102 Introductory Chemistry II- 03 V G Anand

Inorganic Chemistry

3 MTH102 Introductory Mathematics II-Single 03 S A Katre

Variable Calculus

4 PHY102 World of Physics II 03 Suneeta Vardarajan

5 IDC102 Scientific computing(with lab) 04 Prasenjit Ghosh

6 BIO122 Biology lab II 02 N Dahanukar

7 CHM122 Chemistry Lab II 02 Bhoomi

8 HSS102 Introduction to Scientific Inquiry 02 K P Mohanan

Details of courses

1 Course code BIO 102

2 Course Title (credits) Introduction to Biology II- Cell Biology

3 Credits: 3

4 Course Coordinator Nagaraj Balasubramanian (coordinator)

(include participating
faculty) Girish Ratnaparkhi

5 Pre requisites (also Compulsory course

mention if this is pre-
requisite for a later
course

6 Objectives (goals, type To introduce students to basics concepts in Biology

of students for whom
useful, outcome etc)

7 Course contents • Cell as the unit of life: 1/3 of lectures.

 Development of cell theory, cell types : prokaryotes vs.
eukaryotes, from single cell to multi-cellular organism.
Cell envelope of bacteria, plants and animals.
Membranes and their properties: structure of the cell
membrane, fluid mosaic model, function of plasma
membrane, diffusion, osmosis, membrane transport,
ion channels and electrical properties.

• Cell architecture: 1/3 lectures.

Cyto-skeletal components, microtubules and
microfilaments, motility and motor motions,
actomyosin complex, cell nucleus, chromatin structure,
nucleolus, nucleoplasm, Extra-cellular matrix,
Endomembrane system: endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi
complex, endosomes, lysosomes

• Reproductive biology: 1/3 lectures.

DNA replication, cell division in prokaryotes, meiosis

and mitosis in eukaryotes. Germ-soma division and
concept of aging.

Modes of reproduction, asexual and sexual

reproduction, concepts of life histories and life cycles,
development, metamorphosis

8 Evaluation /assessment a. Mid-sem examination ( if any) -50 %

(evaluation b. End-sem examination- 50%

components with
weightage)

9 Suggested readings 1. Campbell and Reece (2005) Biology, 7th edition.

2. Raven, Johnson, Losos and Singer (2005) Biology, 7th
edition.
3. Alberts, Bray, Hopkin, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts
and Walters (2003) Essential cell biology, 2nd edition.

1 Course code CHM 102

2 Course Title (credits) Inorganic Chemistry

3 Credits: 2
 Course Coordinator
4
(include participating
faculty)
5
Pre requisites
Objectives (goals, type of
6 students for whom
useful, outcome etc)
7 Course contents
Evaluation /assessment
8 (evaluation components
with weightage)
9 Suggested readings
1 Course code
2 Course Title (credits)
3 Credits:
4 Course Coordinator
(include participating
faculty)
5 Pre requisites
6 Objectives (goals, type of
students for whom
useful, outcome etc)
7 Course contents
V. G. Anand (Coordinator) and Bhoomishankar
Core Course
The student at the end of the course should be able to derive the structure of
various covalent compounds and apply to concept of acid-base chemistry to
various reactions
Section #1: Atomic Structure, Periodic Table and the concept of Periodicity: (3
lectures)
Section #2: Chemical Bonding: (8 lectures)
Section #3: Acids and Bases: (6 lectures)
Section #4: Oxidation and Reduction: (6 lectures)
Section #5: Representative Chemistry of Transition metals and main- group
elements (14 lectures)
• End-sem examination- … 40%
• Mid-sem examination -… 30%
• Quiz-…20%
• Home Assignment ….10%
Inorganic Chemistry: Shriver and Atkins, 4th Edn., Oxford University Press
Concepts and Models of Inorganic Chemistry: Douglous. McDaniel and Alexander,
3rd Edn., Wiley (student edition)
CHM 122
Chemistry Lab – II
2
Bhoomishankar (Coordinator), Sujit K. Ghosh, Seema Varma, and Jeganmohan
Masilamani,
Core course
For undergraduates, the effort they would put in the laboratory sessions can pay
off in many ways. They can gain better understanding of how the chemical world
works, manual dexterity in using apparatus, an ability to apply mathematics to
chemical systems and most importantly, a way of thinking that allows you to
better analyze many problems in and out of science. Many established principles
of chemistry have been illustrated through these interesting and challenging
experiments.
Section #1- Testing Acidic & Basic properties of commercially available consumer
products. (3 Hrs)
 Section #2- Determination of Acid Neutralizing Power of commercial Antacids. (3
Hrs)
Section #3- Synthesis of molybdenum blue. (3 Hrs)
Section #4- Estimation of phosphoric acid in cola drinks by molybdenum blue
method. (3 Hrs)
Section #5- Preparation of potash alum from scrap aluminum. (3 Hrs)
Section #6- Oxidation of Cu to Cu2+ followed by extraction of Cu from Cu2+ by Zn
reduction. (3 Hrs)
Section #7- Estimating Calcium in milk powder through EDTA complexometry. (3
Hrs)
Section #8- Photochemical reduction of ferric oxalate in cyanotype blue printing.
(3 Hrs)
Section #9- Synthesis and characterization of hexamminenickel (II) chloride. (3
Hrs)
Section #10- Estimation of Ni by spectrophotometry.
Section #11- Estimation of Ni by through EDTA titration. (3 Hrs)
Section #12- Saponification of esters and soap manufacturing. (3 Hrs)
Section #13- Estimation of iodine in iodized common salt using iodometry. (3 Hrs)
8 Evaluation /assessment Continuous evaluation
(evaluation components
with weightage)

9 Suggested readings Text Book(s)

General Chemistry Experiments, by Anil J. Elias

1 Course code MTH 102

2 Course Title Introductory Mathematics II-Single Variable Calculus

3 Credits 3

4 Course Coordinator Prof. S A Katre, University of Pune

th
5 Pre requisites (also 12 standard knowledge
mention if this is pre-
requisite for a later
course)

6 Objectives (goals, type This is a basic calculus course meant for first year under grad
of students for whom students to provide foundation of real valued functions.
useful, outcome etc)

7 Course contents Set Theory, Real Numbers, Complex Numbers and

properties, Finite, Countable and Uncountable sets,
Euclidean Spaces. Sequences and Series, Convergence and
various Tests. Limit and Continuity of functions of one
 variable, Differentiation, Chain Rule, Mean Value Theorems,
Taylor Expansion, Applications. Integration, Fundamental
Theorem of Calculus, Change of variables and applications.

8 Evaluation /assessment c. End-sem examination- 50 %

d. Mid-sem examination - 40 %

e. Term paper/group work etc - 10%

9 Suggested readings Text Book(s):

nd
1) Calculus: T. M. Apostol, Vol.-I, 2 Edition, Wiley;
2) Calculus: Michael Spivak, 4th Edition, Cambridge
University Press.
 HSS102- 2 credits
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry
This course is designed to introduce students to the art and craft of theoretical inquiry in science, using
language structure — the grammar of individual languages (particularly Indian languages) and the
Universal Grammar of the Human Language Faculty — as the grounds for exploration and practice.

Theory Construction in Perspective

Scientific inquiry involves the activities of arriving at, evaluating, and establishing the following types of
conclusions:
A. Observational
1. Particular observations or descriptions (e.g., measurements of the velocity of a bullet; the results
of an fMRI scan; description of the relevant features of the fossil of a humanoid bone; …)
2. Observational generalizations based on systematic observation (e.g., Boyle’s Law; the
correlation between smoking and cancer; …).
B. Causal
1. Causes of particular observations (e.g., diagnosis of an illness, based on the symptoms;
establishing of the murder weapon in a given murder case; …)
2. Causal generalizations (e.g., the conclusion that smoking causes cancer; the discovery of a drug
that cures cancer; …)
C. Theoretical
1. Explanations for particular observations in terms of an already established theory (e.g.,
explanation, using van der Waals force, of how geckos are able to walk on a polished ceiling;
explanation, using surface tension, of how Jesus lizards walk on water; …)
2. Theories that explain the puzzling correlations that we observe (e.g., general theory of relativity;
evolutionary theory; Chomsky’s theory of Universal Grammar, etc.)
Most textbooks and courses on scientific research tend to focus their attention on methodological issues
at levels (A) and (B), dealing with such things as measurement, counting, instrumentation, statistics, lab
experiments, and field experiments. The training programs for scientists typically lack courses that pay
attention to apprenticeship in the generation, validation, and evaluation of theories (C). This course hopes
to remedy that gap, and to prepare students for research in theoretical science.

The Ingredients of a Scientific Theory

A scientific theory is composed of a set of logically connected propositions from which we can deduce a
set of logical consequences (predictions) that match what we observe. Through the matching of
predictions, the theory explains what we observe. The explanation in turn helps us understand the
phenomena we observe.
In the physical sciences, the propositions of a theory are expressed in mathematical formalisms such that
their logical consequences can be deduced through mathematical calculations. Such theories therefore
have a mathematical/formal component to them in addition to their conceptual component. In theories of
language structure, the formal component draws largely on discrete mathematics (i.e., without numbers),
and can be learnt relatively easily even by those who may not resonate to the quantitative aspects of
mathematics. From a student’s perspective, therefore, the theoretical study of language structure might
offer the best learning grounds for the art and craft of theoretical investigation.
The Scope of Linguistics
As a broad area of inquiry, linguistics includes diverse pursuits ranging from the mathematical to the
literary. Among these pursuits are mathematical linguistics, computational linguistics, acoustic phonetics
(the physics of speech), articulatory phonetics (the physiology of speech), neuro-linguistics, language
pathology (medical linguistics), forensic linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropological
linguistics, language and power (the politics of language), philosophy of language (language and
thought), and stylistics (literary linguistics).
The theory of language structure that constitutes our learning grounds for scientific inquiry lies at the
centre of all these activities, and is often called ‘Theoretical Linguistics’. It consists of three strands,
namely, structure along the dimension of speech sounds (phonology), structure along the dimension of
meaning (semantics), and the abstract structure that mediates sounds and meanings (syntax.) We will
pursue these structures at the levels of the ‘word’ and the ‘sentence’.

Theoretical Linguistics and Transferable Tools

A distinguishing feature of the scientific investigation of language structure is the following combination
of formal and semi-formal tools of scientific inquiry:
~ rigorously defined concepts in a theoretical framework;
~ theoretical laws in terms of those concepts;
~ representations of linguistic expressions on which these laws apply;
~ interaction between laws; and
~ theoretical models that provide the space for the application and interaction of laws.
These tools of theory building make theoretical linguistics closer to physics than to biology, though the
formalisms we use have been largely non-quantitative, as in macrobiology.
At each step in learning the investigative tools of definitions, laws, representations, interaction, and
models in the context of language structure, we would compare and contrast them with their
counterparts in other sciences. What students would learn, ultimately, are the modes of scientific
inquiry that they can transfer to any field, including those of natural sciences.

As a concrete example of such potential transfer from linguistics to other areas, consider the
phenomenon of antagonistic and synergistic epistasis in genetics. Mendel’s theory of genes as
parameters of phenotypical traits provided for only two antagonistic alleles of the same “gene”, the
conflict between them being resolved in terms of the concept of dominance (dominant and recessive
alleles). Mendel’s theory of allele interaction can be modeled formally in terms of default logic in which,
given a pair of logically contradictory conclusions — a default conclusion and a non-default conclusion
— from a set of premises, the non-default overrides the default. This formalism, however, fails to
capture the kinds of gene interactions discovered after Mendel, such as a white allele and a red allele
giving rise to a pink trait. Nor do they capture the far more complex interactions involving more than
two genes, and one-to-many mappings between genes and traits.

The formal machinery for modeling such complex interactions is that of defeasible logic. It allows for the
expression of both antagonistic and synergistic interactions in terms of degrees of strength.
Interestingly, most interactions between laws (constraints) of language structure are of this nature. By
exploring defeasible logic in language structure, perhaps in conjunction with fuzzy logic, students would
be able to explore formal models of interaction in biology, and, if they are interested, in ethics, law, and
other domains as well.

Pedagogy
The pedagogy of this course would be that of simulated research. By this, we mean that students would
individually and collectively propose and validate theoretical explanations (theoretical constructs, laws,
models, representations, and mechanisms of interaction), thereby engaging in the same kinds of activities
that professional theoretical linguists do. We call this ‘simulated’ because the knowledge resulting from
the activity may already be available in the field, and would not count as a research contribution to the
collective pool of knowledge. Nevertheless, for the student, it would provide hands-on experience of
research.
In the classroom and outside, we will be engaged with:
~ finding interesting phenomena that call for explanations;
~ constructing and evaluating explanations;
~ looking for alternative explanations;
~ choosing between competing explanations; and
~ unearthing and validating the theoretical concepts, laws, and models emerging from the above.
In the process, students would learn to think and inquire like theoretical linguists. They would also be
able to transfer the habits of thinking and inquiring that are prototypical of theoretical linguistics to
fields outside of linguistics, say to the study of homology in biology, the study of human societies, and
even to literary studies.

Though the primary goal of this course is the mastery of the investigative tools of scientific inquiry, an
outcome of the simulated research would be that students would also develop an understanding of the
architecture of human language, and be able to apply this undestanding in other areas of language
research, such as computational linguistics, neurolinguistics, language pathology, and sociolinguistics.