units

BNS4100

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 22 December 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 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.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitSchool of Psychological Sciences
OfferedClayton Full year 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)Associate Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia

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

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Be able to critically review the scientific literature in their domain of behavioural neuroscience research,
  2. Have acquired sound knowledge of the processes involved in research design, development and implementation through the completion of a research project,
  3. Be able to execute and analyse the outcomes of a laboratory-based and/or field-based study,
  4. Be proficient in the use of computer-based analysis, data-base, presentation, word processing and data-base/internet search engine software,
  5. Be able to prepare a report of a research project in a potentially publishable way,
  6. 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,
  7. Have acquired a range of technical skills appropriate to their research area,
  8. 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) (10%)
Honours research thesis (12,000 - 15,000 words) (80%)
Communication of results (Oral) (5%)
Graduate attribute assessment (5%)

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

Workload requirements

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

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia

Prerequisites

BNS4200.

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in course 3514.