Biology subjects are offered by the Biology Division in the School of Science and Mathematics Education.
Biology subjects are designed to be taken by students in any stream or course.The subjects are so organised that intending teachers of biology, science and environmental science experience both a breadth and a depth of study in the biological sciences.
Year 1 Biology (Biology Al) has no prerequisite requirement: however, a background of senior secondary school biology or other senior school science subjects is an advantage. Biology Al is a prerequisite for virtually all Year2 (B-level) Biology subjects. Students who intend to train as biology teachers and undertake biology method studies in Year 4 will require satisfactory completion of Biology Al, with a minimum of 44.4 points of Year 2 Biology subjects and a minimum of 22.2 points of Year 3 (C- level) Biology subjects before undertaking Method of Teaching: Biology. Information on appropriate subject choices may be obtained from the Biology Division.
Biology subjects may be taken in conjunction with a variety of science and other subjects within the Institute program, depending on course and timetabling constraints.
To be eligible for assessment in a Biology subject, students must have carried out at least 80 per cent of the requirements of that subject.
486-102 BIOLOGY Al: GENERAL BIOLOGY Credit points: 25.0
Staff: John Baird.
Special requirements: Safety regulations and equipment requirements for laboratory work will be made known at the beginning of the year. The use of animals for laboratory purposes is considered an integral part of the biology program, and exemptions from such activities are not possible.
Contact: Three 1-hour lectures and four hours of small group work each week. Small group work
includes laboratory activities, student presentations, and general discussion, and tests of up to three hours duration at the end of each semester. All students are required to attend a 1-day ecology excursion held on a weekend during first semester. Student participation in discussion groups is considered an important part of this subject. (Two semesters.)
Content: Concepts and themes relating to the nature of life (its unity and diversity) and the interactions of humans with the natural world (including the effects of human activities on the biosphere and the harnessing of biological resources and processes for the purposes of society). Australian examples and themes are included where appropriate.
Assessment: Contributions to group activities, satisfactory completion of laboratory exercises, demonstrations of skills acquisition, written answers to problems, assignments totalling up to 4000 words, practical and excursion reports (50 per cent);
performance in practical and/or theory examinations totalling up to three hours at the end of each semester (50 per cent). A pass in both areas of assessment is required. Results will be graded.
Prescribed text: Starr C and Taggart R Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life 5th edition Wadsworth Belmont California 1989.
486-204 BIOLOGY B3: ECOLOGY Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Graeme Coulson.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Two 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions each week, 6 x 3-hour practical sessions during the semester, and a 5-day extended excursion.
(Second semester.)
Content: An introduction to ecosystems. Topics include: the nature and characteristics of plant and animal populations, sampling techniques, the concept of community and ecosystem, and the structure of communities with particular reference to Australia, and the processes and factors which influence the pattern and abundance of species.
Assessment: A 3-hour examination (60 per cent); an assignment of approximately 1500 words (20 per cent); practical and excursion reports (20 per cent).
Attendance at field excursions, including a 5-day excursion, is required. A pass in the reports component is required. Results will he graded.
486-216 BIOLOGY B9: NUTRITION Credit points: 5.6
Staff: Jan Pritchard.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or Personal Development A, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop
120 The University of Melbourne Prospectus and Handbook 1992 —Volume Four sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for
four weeks. (First semester.)
Content: A study of the nutrients and their relationship to growth, development and maintenance. Topics include: the function of nutrients, nutritional requirements for health, nutritional disorders - their causes and effects, assessment of the nutritional status of individuals and community groups, the chemistry of food, and the effects of food processing on its nutrient retention.
Assessment: Laboratory reports (20 per cent); a written assignment of up to 2000 words (30 per cent);
a 1-hour written examination (50 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-220 BIOLOGY B12:
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR Credit points: 5.6
Staff: Kelvin Jackson.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and the equivalent of a 3-hour laboratory/
investigatory field work session each week for four weeks. (Second semester.)
Content: An analysis of animal function which examines the evolutionary origins and adaptive significance of behaviour; how behaviour is studied, instinctive and learned behaviour, the role of signs and signals, social organisation including reference to primates, and origins of human behaviour.
Assessment: Laboratory work and field work assignments (50 per cent); a 1 1/2-hour written examination (50 percent). Results will be cumulative and graded.
486-223 BIOLOGY B15: HUMAN BIOLOGY Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Jan Pritchard.
Prerequisite: Biology Al or Personal Development A, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for six weeks. (First semester.)
Content: Emphasis on comparative animal biology from a human perspective, including human reproduction, growth and development throughout the life cycle; nutrition; genetics; the biological basis.
of human behaviour; health issues and the impact of human beings on the environment.
Assessment: Seminar presentation and reports totalling up to 3000 words (20 per cent); laboratory reports (40 per cent); a 2-hour examination (40 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-224 BIOLOGY 1121: PLANTS AND FUNGI Credit points: 16.7
Staff: Eric Willis.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for 12 weeks. (Second semester.)
Content: Diversity, structure and function of the fungi, algae, bryophytes, ferns and fern allies, gymnosperms and angiosperms; their origins and the biological importance of the physiological and structural adaptations of these groups to the.
Australian environment; plant symbiosis; the biology of crop, medicinal and narcotic plants.
Assessment: Practical work (36 per cent); written assignments totalling up to 2000 words (14 per cent);
a 3-hour examination (50 per cent). A pass in each area of assessment is required. Results will be graded.
486-225 BIOLOGY B22: ANIMAL DIVERSITY Credit points: 16.7
Staff: Kelvin Jackson.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for 12 weeks. (First semester.)
Content: Important animal phyla, with emphasis on comparative structure, function and embryological development to elucidate evolutionary relationships;
evolutionary history of the vertebrates; classification and classification schemes (including introduction to cladistics); the identification of marine coastal invertebrates.
Assessment: Laboratory work (36 per cent);
aquarium exercise of approximately 15 hours of laboratory time (14 per cent); a 3-hour examination (50 per cent). Results will be cumulative and graded.
486-226 BIOLOGY B23: PHYSIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Credit points: 16.7 Staff: Bryan Dumsday.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for 12 weeks. (Second semester.)
Content: Structures and processes by which organisms are maintained, including transport of substances across epithelia and cell membranes, circulation of body fluids, locomotory and other movements, chemical and neuronal signalling;
aspects of biochemical pathways common to plants and animals, and the role of enzymes as regulators of metabolism.
121 Assessment: Laboratory session participation and
laboratory reports (36 percent); a3-hour examination (64 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-227 BIOLOGY B24: GENETICS Credit points: 16.7
Staff: Dawn Gleeson.
Prerequisite: Biology Al, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/seminar/workshop sessions and a 3-hour practical session each week for 12 weeks. (First semester.)
Content: Topics include: chromosome morphology, Mendelian inheritance and genetic variation in human populations, genetic counselling, sex determination, sex related inheritance, autosomal linkage, the effects of inheritance and environment;
genetic engineering and its current applications in medicine and agriculture; introduction to the control of gene expression and development.
Assessment: Course work, including two assignments totalling up to 1500 words, practical exercises and activities (50 per cent): a 3-hour examination (50 per cent). A pass in each area of assessment is required.
Results will be graded.
486-306 BIOLOGY C4:
MAMMALIAN PHYSIOLOGY Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Bryan Dumsday.
Prerequisite: Biology B23, or approved equivalent.
ContactThree 1-hour lectures and a 3-hour practical session each week for eight weeks, except during secondary courses block periods of School Experience. (First semester.)
Content: An examination of the complex and detailed knowledge that has been accumulated on physiological control mechanisms in mammals.
Topics include: the brain and nervous systems, circulation of body fluids, excretion and the gastrointestinal tract. Frequent reference to the human species to illustrate the principles.
Assessment: Laboratory session participation and practical reports (32 per cent); a 2-hour examination (68 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-309 BIOLOGY C6: EVOLUTION Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Eric Willis.
Prerequisites: Biology Al and credit of at least 33.3 points of Biology at Group 2 level.
Contact: Three 1-hour lectures and a 1-hour film/
lecture/video/computer session each week for eight weeks during one semester, except during Year 4
secondary courses block periods of School Experience. (First semester.)
Content: The historical background of Darwinism, the Synthetic Theory of Evolution, and the theory of Speciation. Topics include: molecular evolution, genetics, selection, isolating mechanisms, patterns of speciation, rates of evolution and phylogenetic trees, human evolution.
Assessment: A 3-hour examination (60 per cent);
two essays of approximately 1500 words each (40 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-311 BIOLOGY C7: AUSTRALIAN FLORA Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Eric Willis.
Prerequisite: Biology B21 or Biology B3, or approved.
equivalent.
Contact:Three 1-hour lectures and a 3-hour practical session each week for eight weeks, except during secondary courses block periods of School Experience. Project work and excursions may be substituted for some of these sessions. (Second semester.)
Content: Biology and ecology of Australian plants, with special reference to indigenous groups. Topics include: originsand phytogeography of the Australian flora, biology of Eucalyptus and other important genera, adaptations to environmental stresses, plant- herbivore interactions and native poisonous plants, the structure, adaptations and recognition of Australian plants.
Assessment: A 3-hour examination (50 per cent);
laboratory reports, and two assignments totalling up to 3000 words (50 per cent). A pass in each area of assessment is required. Results will he graded.
486-312 BIOLOGY C8: AUSTRALIAN FAUNA Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Graeme Coulson.
Prerequisite: Biology B22, or approved equivalent.
Contact:Three 1-hour lectures and a 3-hour practical session each week for eight weeks, except during secondary courses block periods of School Experience. Project work or excursions may be substituted for some of these sessions. (First semester.)
Content: A study of Australian vertebrate fauna with a major emphasis on the mammals and birds.
Topics include: origins and relationships with particular emphasis on the marsupials and monotremes; environmental factors and adaptation, and the conservation of Australian wildlife.
Assessment: Laboratory reports, written assignments of up to 1500 words (50 per cent); a 3-hour examination (50 per cent). Results will he graded.
122 The University of Melbourne Prospectus and Handbook 1992 — Volume Four 486-314 BIOLOGY C9:
POPULATION BIOLOGY Credit points: 11.1
Staff: David Morgan.
Prerequisite: Biology B3 or Biology B24, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lectures and a 3-hour practical session each week for eight weeks, except during secondary courses block periods of School Experience. (First semester.)
Content: A detailed examination of the parameters and properties which characterise plant, animal and human populations. Topics will include: population analysis, intra- and interspecific competition, predation, life `strategies', estimation of population size and factors affecting gene frequency in populations.
Assessment: A 3-hour examination (60 per cent);
practical reports (40 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-319 BIOLOGY C12: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN BIOLOGY FOR THE TEACHER Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Rick Willis.
Prerequisites: A pass or concurrent enrolment in 22.2 points of Group 3 Biology subjects.
Contact: Two 1-hour lectures and a 2-hour seminar each week for eight weeks. (First semester.) Content: Topics may include: the biodiversity crisis;
human manipulation of biological resources, gene pools and reproduction; new directions in nutrition;
genetically engineered products; ethical implications of biotechnology.
Assessment: Weekly seminar assignments (25 per cent); a 1250-word assignment (30 per cent); a 2000- word assignment, also to be presented orally (45 per cent).
486-317 BIOLOGY C21: CYTOGENETICS Credit points: 5.6
Staff: Ann Stocker.
Prerequisite: Biology B24, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/discussions and a 3- hour practical session each week for four weeks during one semester. Projects will also be assigned.
(First semester.)
Content: Topics selected from: chromosome anatomy, including functional aspects; crossing over, gene conversion and mapping; unusual chromosomes and genetic systems; numerical and structural chromosome changes in clinical cytogenetics and evolution; counselling in clinical cytogenetics, techniques of chromosome preparation and analysis.
Assessment: Internal assessment through participation in course work, including discussions, laboratory sessions, practical reports and problems (60 per cent); projects and assignments totalling up to 3000 words (40 per cent). Results will be graded.
486-318 BIOLOGY C22:
ADVANCED GENETICS Credit points: 11.1
Staff: Ann Stocker.
Prerequisite: Biology B24, or approved equivalent.
Contact: Three 1-hour lecture/discussions and a 3- hour practical session each week for eight weeks during the second part of the semester, except during Year 3 block periods of School Experience. Projects will also be assigned. (Second semester.)
Content: Uses and limitations of pedigrees in analysing modes of inheritance, human gene mapping and the diagnosis of genetic disorders; mutation and gene function; genetics and cancer; genetics of the immune system; congential malformations; analysis of multifactoral inheritance; genetic counselling;
genome manipulation in plants and animals.
Assessment: Preparation and participation in course work, quality of practical reports and seminar presentation with a written report of up to 1500 words (50 per cent); a 2-hour examination (50 per cent). A pass in each area of assessment is required.
Results will be graded