Introduction to Life, Earth and Universe
Subject MULT10011 (2010)
Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.
| Credit Points: | 12.50 | ||||||||||||
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| Level: | 1 (Undergraduate) | ||||||||||||
| Dates & Locations: | This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010: Semester 1, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here. | ||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: | Contact Hours: 3 x one hour lectures per week; 1 x three hour workshop/laboratory classes per week for ten weeks. Total Time Commitment: Estimated total time commitment of 120 hours | ||||||||||||
| Prerequisites: | None | ||||||||||||
| Corequisites: | None | ||||||||||||
| Recommended Background Knowledge: | None | ||||||||||||
| Non Allowed Subjects: | None | ||||||||||||
| Core Participation Requirements: | It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study and reasonable steps will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the University’s programs. This subject requires all students to actively and safely participate in laboratory activities. Students who feel their disability may impact upon their participation are encouraged to discuss this with the subject coordinator and the Disability Liaison Unit. |
Coordinator
Assoc Prof Malcolm Wallace, Prof Geoffrey Mcfadden, Prof Rachel WebsterContact
| Subject Overview: | A multi-disciplinary approach is required to understand the most profound questions about life on Earth, and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. This subject will explore the key ideas from the major scientific disciplines to understand the nature of life, the formation of the Earth and the structure of the universe. The development of life on the planet Earth is dependent on evolution of the surface of the planet, and in turn has affected the surface of the planet. Armed with an understanding of how life might have evolved on Earth, the subject will then explore the possibilities for life elsewhere in the solar system and beyond. Topics covered will include: cosmology, extrasolar planets, the search for extraterrestrial life, the formation of the Earth, the early Earth and the evolution of the atmosphere, climatic evolution, definition and origin of life, early cellular evolution, evolution of metazoan life and mass extinctions, prebiotic chemistry, the rise of RNA and DNA, metabolic processes and ecosystems and the evolution of photosynthesis. |
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| Objectives: |
The subject will teach both the fundamental concepts in each of the core scientific disciplines: astrophysics, biology, geology and earth sciences, as well as developing the ability to use the scientific method to critically approach the key questions about the existence and evolution of life on the planet. |
| Assessment: | Ongoing assessment of workshop/laboratory classes (2.5% per session, totalling 25%); two 20-minute tests during the semester (totalling 10%); a poster presentation during the semester (5%); a 3-hour written examination in the examination period (60%). |
| Prescribed Texts: | Bennett & Shostak, Life in the Universe 2nd Ed. Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2007. |
| Breadth Options: | This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses: You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects. |
| Fees Information: | Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date |
| Generic Skills: | On completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:
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| Notes: |
This subject is available for science credit to students enrolled in the BSc (both pre-2008 and new degrees), BASc or a combined BSc course. |
| Related Course(s): |
Bachelor of Science |
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