units

BMS5004

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 17 April 2024

print version

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 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.

Monash University

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

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

Faculty

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Organisational Unit

School of Biomedical Sciences

Coordinator(s)

Associate Professor Joanne Fielding

Offered

Not offered in 2016

Synopsis

This unit will aim to develop students' knowledge and understanding of the fundamental organisation and functional principles of the brain. Current and emerging concepts relating to brain neural systems and complex behaviours will be highlighted to provide a contextual basis for discussion of the range of approaches and methods used by neuroscience researchers in studying normal and abnormal brain function and behaviour. Students will evaluate and review relevant research literature to further explore specific areas of neuroscience, from brain neural networks through to human and animal behaviour, and present this information in written forms, and via oral presentations and posters suitable for a conference presentation.

Outcomes

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

  1. Compile and recount advanced knowledge of relationships between brain processes and behaviour;
  2. Apply problem solving and decision-making methodologies to discuss and analyse contemporary research and theoretical issues in key defined areas of neuroscience;
  3. Explain the pathological mechanisms involved in specific neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders;
  4. Review, analyse and communicate on a range of research tools and paradigms used in different domains of neuroscientific research;
  5. Source, integrate and critically evaluate literature to synthesise the review necessary for a prototype application to study a particular problem;
  6. Present, analyse and interpret data from a range of experiment types and discuss this in the context of current scientific literature.

Assessment

2 x Structured oral presentations (20 minutes each) (3 members in a group) (10% each = 20%)
Grant application (1,500 words) (2 members in a group) (20%)
Data analysis exercise (Individual) (1,500 words) (20%)
Topic-based quizzes (Individual) (4 x 15 MCQs) (20%)
Essay (Individual) (1,500 words) (20%)

Workload requirements

12 hours study per week distributed as:
On-campus: 6-8 hours of contact per week, including lectures, practicals/simulations and tutorial time.
Off-campus: 4-6 hours of private study time.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Joanne Fielding

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Biomedical science

Prerequisites

Background of study in biomedical, biotechnology, medical or allied health sciences is required for admission into the unit.