Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Rachael Dudaniec
E8C244
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MBiotech or MBioBus or GradDipBiotech or MConsBiol or GradDipConsBiol or GradCertConsBiol or MEnv or MEnvPlan or GradDipEnv or MMarScMgt or MSusDev or GradDipSusDev or MPlan or MSc
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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 provides a current perspective of the values, threats to existence and conservation of Australian wildlife. The special characteristics of the Australian biota (plants, animals and other organisms) and the key threatening processes are discussed as well as its global and historical context. The role of biological research in informing conservation management is explored, and how conservation-based research is communicated and interpreted. An emphasis is placed on case studies in conservation biology with critical analysis of conservation successes and failures.
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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:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Weekly Online Quizzes | 30% | No | weekly |
Challenges in Conservation | 15% | No | 24 March 2017 |
Conservation Research Update | 20% | No | 5 May 2017 |
Conservation in the Media | 35% | No | 9 June 2017 |
Due: weekly
Weighting: 30%
On the Wednesday following each lecture (i.e. excluding final lecture), a quiz will become available on iLearn (worth 2.5%) that you will have up to two weeks to complete (see timetable). The 12 online exercises will consist of short answers and multiple choice questions that revise the content of each lecture (including tutorial discussions), encourage thinking and research skills, in alignment with the Austral Ark textbook chapters. The exercises may involve consulting the peer-reviewed literature, external websites, and chapters within the required textbook Austral Ark. See full unit guide for individual quiz due dates.
Due: 24 March 2017
Weighting: 15%
Choose ONE conservation issue in Australia, and discuss at least one of the above challenges associated with the issue in a short written essay in 1500 words. Consult and cite the primary scientific literature, and any supporting information from government documents, the media etc. You must cite the peer-reviewed scientific literature to support your claims and provide a formatted reference section. The aim of your essay is to provide a brief, objective, and scientifically informative evaluation of the main challenge(s) to effective conservation with respect to your chosen issue.
Due: 5 May 2017
Weighting: 20%
Many conservation strategies lack up-to-date insights from recent research findings, which is often because of poor communication of science outside of academia. It is just as important that scientific research be published as it is that can be understood by those who need to use the information. This leads to a long time between publication of scientific findings and their recognition and integration within conservation planning. For this assessment, you are required to choose a specific topic of recent conservation interest in Australia (or New Zealand/ Oceania) (e.g. in the past five years). The topic you choose may be in relation to a threatened/invasive species, habitat or other threatening process such as fire, disease spread or human disturbance. Your task is to give a 12-minute pre-recorded presentation (using powerpoint slides with audio only) to pitch an update on a conservation issue of interest, integrating the scientific literature published in the last FIVE years (since 2011).
Due: 9 June 2017
Weighting: 35%
The media often reports scientific results and discoveries in mis-informed or mis-leading ways, in the interests of capturing reader attention or other motive. This occurs across many fields inscience, but is also frequently the case in conservation biology. As scientists, it is important that we recognise when the media may be mis-representing other’s work, or omitting certain aspects of results to tell a ‘clear’ story. As conservation biologists we can be confronted with this, and therefore must learn to highlight discrepancies and learn to better communicate our work to the public, the media, managers and policy makers. This task is designed to raise your awareness of these issues and ability to recognise and evaluate them by directly verifying media articles that report on conservation research through consultation of both scientific and non-scientific literature.
In a 3000-word report in your own words, you will assess how effectively the media is communicating the scientific literature. To do this, you will choose two recent (< 5 years old) media articles that each focus on a particular published scientific paper from a journal within conservation biology. Each media article must be on a separate conservation topic, with a different scientific paper associated with it. The chosen media articles should focus on conservation topics within or relevant to Australasia (defined as: Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the South Pacific Islands). Each media article assessment is worth 17.5 % and should be 1500 words (± 150 words) for each (x 2 media articles = 3000 words and 35%).
Weekly lectures and tutorials will be held Mondays 4.00-6.00pm in room EMCG240. Attendance at lectures is highly encouraged to enable face-to-face discussions with the invited speakers, interact with other students and enhance your learning experience. The lectures in this unit are almost entirely comprised of invited guest researchers who are active and renown in their fields, offering an excellent opportunity to connect with a diversity of researchers and expand knowledge.
Students will need access to a computer and basic office software (eg. Microsoft Office or OpenOffice) to complete assessment tasks. An Internet browser will also be required to search for background information, for assignments and to complete online exercises and enable online course participation. Some tutorials may require a computer, which may be provided if needed. Course content and discussion boards etc. will be available through iLearn.
The set, compulsory text required for this unit is:
Austral Ark: The State of Wildlife in Australia and New Zealand (2015) Eds. A Stow, N Maclean, G. Holwell. Cambridge University Press.
The text book is available for purchase on campus at the Co-op bookstore.
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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