phi2bts biosciences technology and society
BIOSCIENCES TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
PHI2BTS
2019
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
The biosciences and biotechnology have come to play important roles in human lives, especially as they reach into both the psychological and social sciences. The focus of this subject is on philosophical issues that arise in the biological sciences, including the medical and health sciences, and the technologies they employ. The subject may cover 4-6 of the following topics: (1) race, science, and human nature; (2) eugenics as a project aimed at intergenerational human improvement; (2) ideas of normalcy in the biological and social sciences; (4) the Human Genome Project and its successors; (5) historical and contemporary debates over the measurement of intelligence; (6) sociobiology and evolutionary psychology; (7) health,disability, and human variation; (8) contemporary technologies that facilitate reproductive choice; (9) bioenhancement and transhumanism; (10) biological conceptions of psychiatry and psychiatric illness.
SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points15
Subject Co-ordinatorRichard Heersmink
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 2 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
PrerequisitesN/A
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjectsN/A
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditionsN/A
Learning resources
Readings
| Resource Type | Title | Resource Requirement | Author and Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readings | Various | Prescribed | Various | Various |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Acquire substantial knowledge about ways in which biological sciences embody social values and inform individual and societal decisions.
- Activities:
- In class and online discussion, reading logs, group work.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
02. Develop critical thinking skills that allow you to probe beneath the surface of what you read and grapple with issues concerning biology, society, and values.
- Activities:
- Essay writing, in class and online discussion, reading logs, group work.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Recognize and identify social dimensions to biological theories, practices and technologies.
- Activities:
- Essay writing.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
04. Become more reflective about how science both reflects and impacts the societies we live in.
- Activities:
- In class and online discussion, reading logs.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
05. Integrate active learning strategies into your course experience such that you become a more capable self-directed learner with respect to the general themes of the course.
- Activities:
- Independent research for essays, engaged in class and online interactions.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
Subject options
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Melbourne, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorRob Wilson
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.5 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via blended.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.5 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short essay (1200 words) | At least three topics will be assigned by the instructor; each student will choose one of these to write on. | 25 | 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 |
| Long essay (2000 words) | At least three topics will be assigned by the instructor; each student will choose one of these to write on. | 50 | 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 |
| Reading logs, class quizzes, and weekly exercises (800 words equivalent) | Full grade here will be a function of the grades for each individual component. | 25 | 01, 02, 04, 05 |