Students

COGX1010 – Delusions and Disorders of the Mind and Brain

2021 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Anne Castles
Bianca De Wit
Credit points Credit points
10
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.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • ULO1: Describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • ULO2: Explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • ULO3: Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • ULO4: Critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final exam 45% No Examination Period
Online quizzes 15% No Week 12
Online participation 10% No Weekly
Mid-semester exam 30% No Week 7

Final exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Examination Period
Weighting: 45%

2-hour exam, combination of multiple-choice and short essay questions


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Online quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 15%

Weekly short online multiple-choice quizzes that cover basic unit content


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.

Online participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%

Activity in lecture-embedded online activities


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Explain key concepts and theories about the underlying causes of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of competing explanations and theories of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.
  • Critique popular or prejudicial claims about delusions, disorders, and the mind from an informed and evidence-based perspective.

Mid-semester exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%

1-hour online multiple-choice exam covering content from the first half of the unit


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the characteristic features of a range of delusions and cognitive disorders.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

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.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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.


Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook