University of Melbourne

This course introduces calculus techniques to the study of the range of principles and applications presented. Topics include: fluids such as water and air pressure, breathing, hydraulics, flight (pressure in fluids, buoyancy, fluid flow, viscosity, surface tension); electricity and magnetism such as electrical devices, lightning, household electricity and electrical safety, electric motors, power generation and transmission, Earth’s magnetic field, particle accelerators, communications (electric charge and field, conductors and insulators, electric potential, capacitance, resistance, electric circuits, magnetic field, Faraday’s law of induction, Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves); Quantum and atomic physics such as spectroscopy, lasers (photon, blackbody radiation, matter waves, quantization in atoms, interaction of light with matter, x-rays); and nuclear physics and radiation such as: nuclear energy, radiation safety, formation of atoms in stars, carbon dating (the atomic nucleus, radioactive decay, half-life, ionizing radiation, nuclear fission and fusion).

This lecture and laboratory-based course aims to give students a solid foundation in basic physiological processes in animals, with a focus on the different ways in which animals are adapted to their environments. Particular emphasis will be placed on marine and desert animals, and the integrative mechanisms involved in the regulation of important organ systems. Topics include endocrine feedback, neural integration, water, food and salt balance, cardiorespiratory systems, thermoregulation, metabolism and reproduction.

This course provides an overview of human anatomy. It covers human topographic and developmental anatomy; the principles relating to each type of anatomical structure (skin, fascia and skeletal muscle, bones and joints, vessels and nerves, visceral structures); the essential factual information regarding the specific anatomical structures forming the body's major organ systems (musculoskeletal, nervous, cardiorespiratory, digestive, genitourinary); the boundaries and contents of clinically important regions; and the appearance of normal anatomical structures via modern imaging techniques.

This course examines the applications of ecological concepts for the conservation and management of natural and human-altered ecosystems. In particular, it identifies the implications of global and local changes for ecosystems, communities and individual species, especially within the Australian environment. It examines approaches to management and conservation of terrestrial resources and ecosystems, the control of pest species, and restoration of modified habitats.

This course examines environmental issues with the aid of economic theory. Topics include sustainability of economies; pollution as an externality; approaches to dealing with pollution in different countries; methods of valuing the environment and environmental damage; effect on future generations; environmental amenity as a public good; and the environment and economic development.

Our central question in this  course will be the extent to which our everyday experiences are determined by the nature of the world itself versus the extent to which they're determined by the structure of our own minds. Our approach to this question will be multi-faceted, drawing on philosophical texts, films and literary works, as well as our personal experiences. In topic 1, the nature of the world, we'll discuss Realism, Idealism, and Skepticism. Is the world really as it seems intuitively to be to us (Realism) or is it just a projection of our minds (Idealism). In topic 2, the nature of the self, we'll examine (i) what changes you can undergo and still remain yourself, (ii) the extent to which your personality and mind are constructed by you vs. being given to you by nature or upbringing, and (iii) whether genuine relationships exist between you and others or whether it's mostly a projection on your part. In topic 3, the nature of time, we'll examine time. Does only the present moment exist or does reality consist of many moments of time - some past, some present, and some future? Is there really any such thing as time or is it, as Kant says, just a feature of our minds? Does contemporary physics show there's no such thing as time, or is there a way to reconcile the findings of physics with our intuitive view that time exists?

Is justice the guiding ideal of human action? Or a weapon the powerful use against the weak? Does democracy work, or should we leave government to experts? What is change: is the seed the same as the tree that grows from it? Is our world made up of objects and properties, or of processes and motions? These questions, and others, were subject to intense and profound investigation in the ancient Greek world. In this course, we join in this investigation alongside thinkers like Heraclitus and Parmenides, Plato and Aristotle. We will learn to interpret their works using philosophical analysis, and understand the context of their philosophy using historical and sociological analysis. 

This course focuses on the integral connection between play, creativity and the arts for children and adults, and the essential role they contribute to lifelong learning. Through practical workshops students will use a variety of art media including digital technologies. To understand and learn how to facilitate a focus on children’s engagement through play and the arts, involves students co-playing, co-making and co-imagining in mentored immersive interactions with children in our arts studios. The experiential nature of the course is supported by knowledge drawn from a range of disciplines incorporating theories of engagement, play and creativity, learning, artistic creation, and human development. 

This course examines the pressures of technological change on contemporary media institutions and communications practices. Students will be introduced to key debates about media convergence, the relationship between technological change and media practices, and the shift from mass communication to networked communication. A range of case studies drawn from different media sectors including photography, the music industry, television, cinema, and the Internet will be complemented by examination of emerging practices such as video games, digital art and surveillance.