Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology

This unit introduces the fundamental building blocks of the human body from cellular and tissue organization to major organ systems, energy flow, and physiological integration. Students will develop a working vocabulary, analyze structure–function relationships across systems, and prepare to apply these foundations to clinical and systems-level problems in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze cellular and tissue structures (including eukaryotic cell components and major tissue types) and explain how microscopic features contribute to organ and system functions.
• Demonstrate understanding of integumentary, skeletal, and muscular system organization by relating structure to protection, support, movement, and maintenance of homeostasis.
• Apply principles of energy transfer, metabolism, and transport to predict how respiratory, circulatory, digestive, urinary, and lymphatic systems move substances and sustain cellular function.
• Evaluate how nervous and endocrine signaling, reproductive programming, and integrated physiological networks coordinate responses to maintain homeostasis and support development.