This course will introduce students to a variety of challenging contemporary issues in neuroscience.

There are normally two 90-minutes sessions on Mondays. 

None.

The course will be assessed by a 90-minute examination (50%) and in-course assessment consisting of 2 components: a five-minute flash presentation based on a published paper (15%) and a written assignment based on critiquing a media article and investigating the science (35%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of this option are twofold:

■ To enable students to develop a critical approach to contemporary research in neuroscience.

■ To develop understanding of how the function of the nervous system relates to health and disease.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

■ Evaluate the quality of contemporary knowledge in neuroscience; 

■ Discuss a range of topical issues related to neuroscience; 

■ Appraise contemporary methods used in neuroscience research; 

■ Explain how knowledge in neuroscience is created by experimentation and observation; 

■ Judge the limitations of neuroscience knowledge.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.