Students

COGX101 – Delusions and Disorders of the Mind and Brain

2019 – S2 OUA

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co-convenor
Vince Polito
vince.polito@mq.edu.au
Co-convenor
Anne Castles
anne.castles@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Lauren Ehrenfeld
lauren.ehrenfeld@mq.edu.au
Bianca De Wit
bianca.dewit@mq.edu.au
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is designed to provide you with an understanding of the basic cognitive disorders and higher-level delusions that can arise either developmentally or as a result of brain injury. You will learn about the characteristic features of these disorders and delusions, and about how the patterns of symptoms displayed can be accounted for in terms of models of normal cognitive processing. Where relevant, you will be familiarised with theories about the underlying cases of the conditions, and with experimental investigations of the efficacy of particular treatments. Patterns of similarities and differences of conditions will be critically examined. Conditions covered include: dyslexia, specific language impairment (SLI), aphasia, amnesia, agnosia, synaesthesia, autism, auditory hallucination, delusion and schizophrenia. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.
  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

General Assessment Information

More Information about the Mid Semester Exam

  • The mid-semester exam will be an online exam, held in week 7. The exact date and timing will be announced on iLearn.
  • The exam will consist of 30 multiple choice questions on content from the first half of the course.

 

More Information about the Final Exam (End of the Semester)

  • The Final Exam will be an online exam, held during the Macquaire University Examination period. The exact date and timing details will be announced on iLearn.
  • The exam will cover all online lecture content and readings.
  • The exam will have two sections: Part one consists of 30 multiple choice questions. Part two will consist of 3 essay questions

 

More Information about the Weekly Exercises

The assessment grade for weekly exercises is based on completion of weekly online quizzes and participation in lecture based activities on iLearn. Specifically:

  • Each weekly module contains 1-3 short quizzes. These are low-risk questions that cover basic course content.
  • Quizzes are open until the end of week 12, but we encourage students to complete quizzes every week.
  • The two lowest quiz scores do not count toward calculation of the assessment grade.
  • Most weekly modules also contain an embedded activity within the online lecture content. In these activities you will be asked to make a post reflecting on a question or sharing relevant personal experiences.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid Semester Exam 30% No Week 7
Final Exam 45% No Examination period
Weekly excercises 25% No During semester

Mid Semester Exam

Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%

This will be an online exam consisting of multiple choice questions on content from the first half of the course.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.

Final Exam

Due: Examination period
Weighting: 45%

This will be an online exam consisting of multiple choice questions and three short essay questions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.
  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Weekly excercises

Due: During semester
Weighting: 25%

Completion of weekly online quizzes and engagement with online activities related to the lecture content on iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.
  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Delivery and Resources

The lectures will be fully online via iLearn, with interactive activities, and each topic in the course will be delivered by experts in the field of cognitive science. It is essential that students have adequate access to the internet as most of the course material and activities are accessed online in the form of:

  • Video interviews
  • Audio and video lectures
  • Unit readings (note that there is no prescribed textbook for this unit)
  • Online activities and quizzes
  • Online database research
  • Participation in online discussion forums

Access to a reasonably fast internet connection would be ideal, given the large amount of video content. Also, please note that in order to access Resources and Activities in your online unit, you will need a browser such as Firefox or Chrome. iLearn will operate on the following browsers, it is recommended that you upgrade your browser to the most recent version:

  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Internet Explorer 8 or later

Unit Schedule

  • Topic 1: Dyslexia
  • Topic 2: Aphasia
  • Topic 3: Specific Language Impairment
  • Topic 4: Agnosia
  • Topic 5: Amnesia
  • Topic 6: Autism
  • Topic 7: Disorders of the Self
  • Topic 8:Delusions
  • Topic 9: Modelling Delusions With Hypnosis
  • Topic 10: Schizophrenia
  • Topic 11: Synaesthesia

Note that the lectures for all topics are fully online and are accessible through the relevant section on the iLearn page.

Policies and Procedures

Late Submission - applies unless otherwise stated elsewhere in the unit guide

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Extension Request

Special Consideration Policy and Procedure (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration)

The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.

You need to show that the circumstances:

  1. were serious, unexpected and unavoidable
  2. were beyond your control
  3. caused substantial disruption to your academic work
  4. substantially interfered with your otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of the unit requirements
  5. lasted at least three consecutive days or a total of 5 days within the teaching period and prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date.

If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:

  1. Visit Ask MQ and use your OneID to log in
  2. Fill in your relevant details
  3. Attach supporting documents by clicking 'Add a reply', click 'Browse' and navigating to the files you want to attach, then click 'Submit Form' to send your notification and supporting documents
  4. Please keep copies of your original documents, as they may be requested in the future as part of the assessment process

Outcome

Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.

OUA Specific Policies and Procedures

Withdrawal from a unit after the census date

You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.

If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.

If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.
  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid Semester Exam
  • Final Exam
  • Weekly excercises

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • The ability to describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • The ability to explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of these condition.
  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid Semester Exam
  • Final Exam
  • Weekly excercises

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • The ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of psychological disorders and delusions.
  • The ability to critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid Semester Exam
  • Final Exam

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment task

  • Final Exam

Changes since First Published

Date Description
31/07/2019 The OUA office asked me to amend the unit guide to make it clear that the final exam is an online exam.