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Study health & medical science online with Macquarie University through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

Human Biology

Delusions and Disorders of the Mind and Brain

Bioethics, Genes and Biotechnology

This subject is designed to provide you with an understanding of the basic cognitive disorders and higher-level delusions that can arise either developmentally or as a result of brain injury. You will learn about the characteristic features of these disorders and delusions, and about how the patterns of symptoms displayed can be accounted for in terms of models of normal cognitive processing. Where relevant, you will be familiarised with theories about the underlying cases of the conditions, and with experimental investigations of the efficacy of particular treatments. Patterns of similarities and differences of conditions will be critically examined. Conditions covered include: dyslexia, specific language impairment (SLI), aphasia, amnesia, agnosia, synaesthesia, autism, auditory hallucination, delusion and schizophrenia.

Think about brain disorders that can affect memory, reading or higher level cognition. Notice similarities and differences in conditions across cultures. Break down dyslexia and schizophrenia. Process theories about the causes of these conditions.

This subject was previously known as GEOX802 Social Impact Assessment and Cross-Cultural Negotiation.Social impact assessment (SIA) is an important assessment tool which applies social science methodologies to the evaluation of a wide range of public policy proposals, including those relating to land use planning, social policies and public health. This unit addresses the theory and methods of SIA, discusses the public policy processes which use this assessment, and applies a critical perspective to the ethical dilemmas facing the SIA practitioner. There is a practical focus to the course work through the use of current case studies, and this provides students with an insight into pressures and political difficulties frequently encountered. Students will learn how to recognise and respond to these problems, and present issues to non-specialist audiences.

Understand how social impact assessment can help stakeholders with different world-views find common ground.Explore the difficulties that can arise during cross-cultural negotiations. Pick apart case studies that deal with issues like native title.

Social Impact Assessment

This subject provides an introduction to the complex role that psychology plays in our overall health and wellbeing. We will explore the way in which physiological, psychological and social factors interact to determine our health. Drawing on examples from common illness types including &quot;lifestyle diseases&quot; such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, we will examine the role of psychology in terms of illness and disease prevention, stress and coping, and health communications. The overall approach is to examine these factors within the context of broad populations: healthy individuals, at-risk individuals, patients, and survivors. In addition, we will explore health-related issues specific to indigenous Australians and individuals from a non-English speaking background. Through tutorial exercises and discussions, the unit ensures that students gain an appreciation of the applications of psychological principles in physical health and illness.

Psychology, Health and Wellbeing

This subject introduces students to a selection of the most pressing ethical questions and concerns raised by current and recent developments in the so-called &#39;biotech revolution&#39;, especially in the sphere of genetic technology. The first section of the unit provides an introduction to ethical reasoning, to issues of social justice and to the relationship between social values, scientific enquiry and research ethics in the context of biotechnology. The second section focuses on the ethics of gene technology in the spheres of human medicine and reproduction, including: genetic screening/testing; gene editig and therapies; genetic enhancement; and human reproductive cloning. In the third section we explore the impact of biotechnologies on other aspects of human, non-human animal and environmental welfare including: genetic engineering of plants and animals (GMOs); biofortification of food; bio-prospecting; and commercial exploitation of human genetic material. The unit is an ethics unit, not a science unit, and prior scientific knowledge is not required.

This subject was previously known as ECHX601 Health and Well-being in Early Childhood.
This subject aims to cover many of the health issues that face children and families in both early childhood settings and at home. Early childhood professionals have an added duty of care that necessitates a comprehensive knowledge of likely and unlikely medical events in children&#39;s lives. It is also essential that these professionals are familiar with Australian regulations designed to protect children and ensure their optimal wellbeing. With technology and medical knowledge increasing at an exponential rate, it is important to develop a critical awareness of controversies and differences of opinion concerning practices. An awareness of others&#39; beliefs and levels of understanding is necessary. Debate is encouraged regarding health and medical choices and practices.

Familiarise yourself with Australian regulations designed to protect children and ensure their optimal wellbeing. Study human syndromes and atypical development, then learn how to promote positive health practices for children and families.

Health and Well-being in Early Childhood

This unit will cover the fundamentals of emergence of disease in the context of global change. Beginning with an overview of the biology and ecology of different pathogens and progressing to their epidemiology, rapid evolution, and application of modern diagnostics for their detection, diagnosis and source tracking. Past and present epidemics and case studies will be used to investigate host-switching, evolution, adaptation, virulence and transmission theory. Approaches to investigating and managing emerging Infectious disease such as One Health and Planetary Health will also be explored in this unit.

Ecology and Evolution of Emerging Infectious Diseases

This unit is for anyone interested in humans, and how humans interact with the rest of the living world. The subjects covered include basic anatomy, genetics, physiology, disease, reproduction, and human evolution. BIOX1210 will give you the ability to think critically about the major problems of our times, which are often biological in nature. To understand issues such as genetic engineering, global climate change, bioterrorism, cloning, assisted reproductive technologies, antibiotic resistance or the emergence of new human diseases requires a familiarity with modern biological knowledge. In particular, it is increasingly important for anyone involved in human health or medicine to understand ecological and evolutionary processes. We aim to equip you with this knowledge, and at the same time give you an appreciation for the mystery and diversity of life on this planet. The unit content is dealt with in such a way that students without prior studies in biology will not be at a disadvantage, however biology students are also encouraged to take this unit. All queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia.

Develop your knowledge of human biology, and gain understanding of current scientific and social issues including DNA technology, genetic engineering and cloning. Designed for students who are new to biology, but applicable for all biology students.

This unit introduces a perspective on illness and healing that opens up when we give central importance to human experiences of what it is to be ill or to be healed. This means that we do not necessarily have to choose between biology and sociology, between individual and culture. These elements get integrated – and this insight comes through in the more holistic understandings of “alternative” therapies as well as in the accounts we have of healing traditions from around the world. But how and where does this integration occur? To answer this, we need to refer to experience, both individual and collective. The unit will give priority to richly experiential accounts made available in ethnographies, as well as in other kinds of writing such as literature and introduce a perspective called phenomenology. As we seek to understand the wide variety of ways in which different cultural histories have understood what it means to be ill or to be healed, we will necessarily go deeper into some of anthropology’s most fundamental challenge – it tells us that what it means to be ‘human’ is fundamentally a relationship to the world around us, and that world has been understood in very different ways across time and place.

Examine healing practices and attitudes to illness from across the globe. Step into the world of biomedicine and shamanism. Think about attitudes to mental health and madness. Scan the role of imaging technologies in modern medicine.

Illness and Healing

Macquarie University Health & medical science Short courses | Open Universities Australia

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