Undergraduate - UnitSCI2010 - Scientific practice and communication

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Science
Offered	Clayton First semester 2013 (Day) Gippsland First semester 2013 (Day) Gippsland First semester 2013 (Off-campus) Sunway First semester 2013 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2013 (Day) Gippsland Second semester 2013 (Day) Sunway Second semester 2013 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Roslyn Gleadow (Clayton and Gippsland off campus); Mrs Jo-Ann Larkins (Gippsland on campus); Dr. Song Beng Kah (Sunway)

Synopsis

This unit analyses how science is carried out in practice, and how scientific findings are applied and communicated to other scientists and society in general. It includes development of an appreciation of how scientific knowledge is generated, the differences between good science, poor science and pseudoscience, and the importance of ethics and occupational health and safety in scientific endeavours. Effective skills for communicating science through written, oral and visual means will be promoted. Case studies will be used to explore examples of current controversial issues that have a scientific basis or that can be potentially explained and rationalised by pursuing good science practice.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should have further developed an understanding of what science is and how it is practised and applied; have further developed the generic skills necessary to acquire, critically analyse and communicate complex scientific ideas and information; appreciate the ways in which scientists interact with each other, policy makers, managers and the wider community and the importance of science communication; have further developed their appreciation of ethical issues in science and its application.

Assessment

Workshop participation and activities: 10%
Spoken presentation(s): 10%
Written assignment(s): 10%
Literature review: 20%
Examination: 50%

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Roslyn Gleadow

Contact hours

Two hours of lectures per week and two hours of workshops per week

Prerequisites

Two semesters of first year university

Prohibitions

SCI2020