Overview
In this unit, your study will focus on the role of the genome in adaptive change in living organisms, particularly animals. This will help you bring together recent advances in our understanding of the genome and the impact of these on the traditional areas of zoology, particularly those involving evolutionary processes. This unit will provide you with a link between molecular biology and other areas of biology including genetics, evolution, taxonomy, embryology and behaviour. In the latter part of the unit, you will focus on various aspects of human evolution.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites Any one of the following: BIOH11005 Introductory Anatomy and Physiology BIOL11102 Life Science Laboratory BMSC11002 Human Body Systems 2 BMSC11008 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 2 BMSC11011 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students would like to have the assessment videos and marking rubric available at the start of the term to clarify expectations.
I agree with the comment. Since this was the first year of oral presentations and exams, the rubric and video were not available at the very start of the semester. However, the process of booking the oral assessments, optimising time requirements, and teasing out the details of the marking process required several versions of the document and feedback from other lecturers and students. The entire process was described in detail in the Welcome video, and separate, more detailed videos and rubrics were posted promptly.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students commend the lecture videos but requested summaries for note-taking.
PowerPoint files are being reviewed; however, studying only PowerPoint slides is not enough for units at this level of complexity. Note-taking of the complex material may require watching the video multiple times or pausing to rethink the note structure.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students would like to explore the option of an on-campus written exam.
Unfortunately, that option is not available. It is understandable that students feel more comfortable taking a written assessment rather than an oral one. However, in a workplace as a scientist, written communication is limited to emails and reports, and the main means of communication remains in oral presentations, discussions, and on-the-spot troubleshooting. Oral assessments target the development of those highly neglected skills.