Undergraduate - UnitBNS4100 - Behavioural neuroscience honours: research project

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 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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42 points, SCA Band 2, 0.875 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	School of Psychological Sciences
Offered	Clayton Full year 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Clare Anderson

Synopsis

The aims of the Honours year in behavioural neuroscience are to increase students understanding of theoretical and methodological aspects of research, develop their analytic, research and communication skills, as well as provide students with advanced knowledge in specific areas of the discipline including laboratory techniques and other research-related skills. The unit is also designed to prepare students for higher degree studies. The relatively high weighting of this unit reflects the intensity of taking on a major research project in this field. In this unit students may undertake one major project or two separate, though typically closely-related, research projects in an area within behavioural neuroscience. The project(s) will provide training in both discipline specific and generic research skills and form the basis of a literature review, research paper(s) and oral poster presentation.

Outcomes

On completion of BNS4100 Behavioural Neuroscience Honours Research Project students will:

be able to critically review the scientific literature in their domain of behavioural neuroscience research,

have acquired sound knowledge of the processes involved in research design, development and implementation through the completion of a research project,

be able to execute and analyse the outcomes of a laboratory-based and/or field-based study,

be proficient in the use of computer-based analysis, data-base, presentation, word processing and data-base/internet search engine software,

be able to prepare a report of a research project in a potentially publishable way,

show communication skills in both oral and written presentations to both audiences who are specialists in the student's field of study of research and non-specialist scientific audience,

have acquired a range of technical skills appropriate to their research area,

have the capability to perform a variety of scientific procedures and techniques that are essential to the satisfactory completion and reporting of a research project.

Assessment

Research proposal (1,500 words) (5%)
Literature review (4,000 - 5,000 words) (20%)
Oral poster presentation (10%)
Honours research thesis (8,000-10,000 words) (65%)

Hurdle: Students must pass the thesis to achieve a pass for this unit

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Clare Anderson

Workload requirements

42 hours/week on their research project. Six 2-3 hour seminars/workshops.

Prerequisites

BNS4200. Must be enrolled in course 3514.

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/BNS4100.html