Program Overview

Course Syllabus for Applied Communication

Essential Data

• Course code: 5MT015
• Course name: Applied Communication
• Credits: 6
• Form of Education: Higher education, study regulation of 2007
• Main field of study: Molecular Life Science
• Level: AV - Second cycle
• Grading scale: Fail (U) or pass (G)
• Department: Department of Medicine, Huddinge
• Decided by: Finalized by: PN Biomedicin
• Decision date:
• Revised by: PN Biomedicin
• Course syllabus valid from: Autumn semester 2025

Specific Entry Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree worth at least 180 credits.
• At least 10 credits should be in mathematics and at least 20 credits in life sciences (such as cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, gene technology, or molecular biology).
• Proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Explain central principles regarding scientific communication (oral, written, and visual) and bioethics.
• Hold structured oral presentations using rhetorical tools, the most efficient arguments, and the vocabulary required to reach out to different audiences within and outside the research community.
• Use the structure and language appropriate for a scientific article.
• Summarize in writing, in the form of an abstract, a scientific article within the biomedical research field.
• Operate a presentation software and design a scientific poster.
• Analyze and present ethical dilemmas, including global justice, related to the biomedical or clinical research fields.
• Review and critically assess scientific presentations, including reflecting on concepts of gender equality, diversity, equal opportunities, and cultural aspects.
• Show a professional, scientific, and ethical attitude to presentations of experimental and clinical data or other life science-related information.

Content

The course is centered around basic applied communication topics within the biomedical field. Bioethics is also covered.

Teaching Methods

The teaching includes lectures (live and online), group tuition, and project work and exercises at group and individual levels.

Examination

The examination consists of a written and/or oral presentation of case studies related to biomedical ethics, a written task in scientific writing, an oral presentation, and the oral presentation of a group-produced poster. The grades for each assignment are Pass (G) / Fail (U). To obtain a grade of Pass for the course, the student must obtain the grade of Pass for all assignments.

Compulsory Participation

Group or individual assignments in biomedical ethics and in poster production, exercises in scientific writing, and oral presentations (rhetoric, poster production) are compulsory.

The examiner assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulsory components can be compensated. The student must participate in all compulsory parts or compensate for absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, in order to pass the course. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in the student not being able to compensate the absence until the next time the course is given.

Limited Number of Examinations or Practical Training Sessions

A student who does not pass an examination at their first attempt is entitled to participate in five additional examination sessions. If the student does not pass after four examinations, he/she is recommended to retake the course at the next regular course occasion, and may, after that, participate in two more examination sessions. If the student has failed six examinations, no additional examination sessions are provided.

Physically attending or otherwise commencing an examination is regarded as an examination session. Handing in a blank exam is considered taking part in an examination session. An examination, for which the student registered but did not participate, is not counted as an examination session.

Adaption of Examination

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory sections of the course, etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge, and abilities may not be changed, removed, or reduced.

Other Directives

The course language is English.

This course replaces the course Applied Communication, 6 credits (5MT011) and cannot be included in a degree together with the latter course.