Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Michael Gillings
E8A271
12pm Mondays and 12 Thursdays
Kate Barry
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit deals with human biology and the interactions of humans with the rest of the living world. Topics include: human genetics, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, and evolution. Attention is paid to topics of current interest, such as emerging diseases, DNA technology, genetic engineering, cloning, and the impact of human activities on biodiversity and the biosphere. The unit is designed for students with no background in biology, however students whose area of study is biology are also encouraged to attend. Lectures and unit notes are available via iLecture for students who find it difficult to attend live lectures.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Assessment in this Unit
Assessment for this unit consists of a mixture of assignments, short tests and a final examination. Submission of all assignments and completion of all tests is strongly recommended, since failure to complete assessment tasks will make it difficult to pass the unit. Students must receive at least 50% overall to pass this subject.
Unit completion requirements
Students must receive a mark of at least 50% to pass this subject. Submission of all assignments and participation in all tests is highly recommended, since it will be difficult to pass the unit without obtaining marks from these activities.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Final Exam | 50% | No | TBA |
Writing Task | 2% | No | Week 2 |
Online Quizzes | 15% | No | Weekly |
Reference List | 8% | No | Week 5 |
Essay 1 | 25% | No | Week 8 |
Due: TBA
Weighting: 50%
A 2 hour test on the unit content, containing multiple choice and short answer questions
Due: Week 2
Weighting: 2%
A 200 word statement on human biology
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 15%
Multiple Choice Quizzes covering lectures from the previous week
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 8%
Summary of papers and correctly formatted reference list
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 25%
A 2000 word essay dealing with a contemporary issue in human biology
Unit Structure and Timetable
BIOL 108 is offered in both an internal mode and an external mode. Internal students attend three 1 hour lectures per week. Since some topics in this unit are not dealt with in the textbook, it is important to attend all lectures. Students who do not attend all lectures often find it difficult to pass the Unit.
The external mode is offered to anyone who has difficulty attending live lectures because of timetable clashes, work commitments, or living some distance from the campus. For those students, lectures are recorded and distributed through the iLearn website.
There are no practical sessions in this course. For those students who want some experience with experimental biology and laboratory work, the other first year Biology courses (BIOL114, Evolution and Biodiversity & BIOL115, The Thread of Life) are recommended.
BIOL108 has a large enrolment, so large that it is impossible to fit all students into a single lecture theater. Because of this, we run two lecture streams. Students should enroll in either stream 1, or stream 2, not a mixture of both.REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS
Lecture Notes and Textbook:
Lecture notes containing copies of material used in lectures will be available for download as pdf files from iLearn. I strongly recommend that you print out notes before attending lectures.
The textbook for the course is: Mader, Sylvia M. Inquiry into Life McGraw-Hill Publishers.
Any of the recent editions of this text are suitable (2004-2012). There is no textbook that is entirely appropriate for this unit, but Inquiry into Life has a number of useful features that are relevant to the general philosophy behind BIOL108. Almost any recent introductory biology textbook can also provide useful background to this unit. Popular scientific journals such as New Scientist and Scientific American contain articles written in a style that is easy to read and understand. Such journals are a good source for summaries of recent developments in human biology.
I suggest that anyone who wants a good and very readable overview of modern science, including Biology, should read Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ ISBN: 0552997048
The iLearn Website
All lectures in this unit will be recorded and available through the iLearn web site: (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/)
Your username is your Student ID number (8 digits on your student card). Your password is your Macquarie OneID student password (sent to you when you enrolled). There is a help page available: (http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/)
If you are having trouble logging on, you should contact Student IT Help on:
On the iLearn site you will find links to each week’s lecture notes as pdf files. You will also find a link to Echo360, where you can download recordings of every lecture. The page also contains important details about assessments and tests, an Announcement Page and a Bulletin Board. We expect you to log on to iLearn several times each week so you can:
BIOL108 Internal Lectures
Check Timetable for Lecture times and locations.
There are two lecture streams
Lecture Schedule
Week | Topic | Lecture |
1 | ATOMS TO CELLS |
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2 | CELLS IN ACTION |
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3 | BODY BITS: METABOLISM & HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS |
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4 | GETTING IT TOGETHER: THE HUMAN INDIVIDUAL |
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5 | HORMONES, IMMUNITY AND REPRODUCTION |
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6 | LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND |
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7 | THE BASIS OF INHERITANCE |
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8 | WHEN IT GOES WRONG |
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9 | DNA MANIPULATION, BIOTECHNOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY |
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10 | HUMANS AND MICROORGANISMS |
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11 | SHARING THE PLANET: BIODIVERSITY |
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12 | WHERE DID WE COME FROM AND WHERE ARE WE GOING? |
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13 | REVIEW |
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
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This graduate capability is supported by:
Date | Description |
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19/02/2017 | Just updated to remove reference to the COE |
13/02/2017 | Change preferred contact of teaching coordinator |
13/02/2017 | Put in first year coordinator details |