This course examines biology at a general, conceptual level.  Topics include the diversity of life on (and off) Earth, what biology can tell us about human nature, how to understand the role of adaptation and evolutionary theory more generally in the biological sciences and the role of biology in conservation efforts.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand current conceptual issues in evolutionary biology and genetics;
2. Appreciate of some of the methods of philosophy of science; and,
3. Critically question scientific orthodoxy.

Research-Led Teaching

Following some basic introduction to the discipline, this course focuses on topics which are at the forefront of discussion in Philosophy of Biology today. Contemporary research papers and discussions with contemporary researchers are a feature of this unit. Although a broad range of topics are covered, there is a particular focus on questions relating to human nature, cultural evolution and the evolution of cognition as these are the areas in which the convenor, Dr. Rachael L. Brown is currently completing work. Further to this

Required Resources

All resources will be available on Wattle.

Recommended Resources

All resources are available on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Unit: What is the Philosophy of Biology? Biology before Darwin
2	What is Natural Selection? I How Natural Selection tipped biological thinking on its head	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 3/8
3	What is Natural Selection? II What makes for a good evolutionary explanation? (or Why Evolutionary Psychology is bad science)	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 10/8
4	Philosophical Debates in Evolutionary Biology I: Does Natural Selection make us all ultimately selfish? The Selfish Gene	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 17/8 Mini-Essay 1 due by 5pm Monday 17/8
5	Philosophical Debates in Evolutionary Biology II: Does Natural Selection make us all ultimately selfish? Group Selection	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 24/8
6	Philosophical Debates in Evolutionary Biology III: Non-genetic inheritance - Does culture evolve by natural selection?	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 31/8 Mini-Essay 2 due by 5pm Monday 7/9
7	Carving Nature at its Joints I: Would the real biological individuals please stand up?	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 21/9
8	Carving Nature at its Joints II: What (if anything) is race?	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 28/9
9	Carving Nature at its Joints III: What is life?	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 5/10
10	Biology in Philosophical Debates I: Is there such a thing as Human Nature?	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 12/10 Mini-Essay 3 due by 5pm 12/10
11	Biology in Philosophical Debates II: Nature versus nurture and the idea of the Tabula Rasa	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 19/10
12	Biology in Philosophical Debates III: Morality after Darwin	Seminar question due by 12noon Monday 26/10 Mini-Essay 4 due by Monday 2/11 Final Essay due by Monday 9/11

Tutorial Registration

For S2 2020: Seminars for this unit will be held via zoom. The tutorial(s) for this course will be conducted online via Zoom at the time specified in the University Timetable. Sign up will be on Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Mini-Essays	40 %	1-3
Final Essay	50 %	1-3
Class Contribution	10 %	1-3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

See Assessment Task 3.

Examination(s)

There are no examinations for this class.

Assessment Task 1

Mini-Essays

• Each week some questions about the assigned material will be posted on Wattle. At the end of each section of the course you must submit a 500 word mini-essay responding to one of the questions from that section of the course as follows:
• Mini-Essay 1: What is Natural Selection? (Weeks 2 & 3) due 5pm Monday 17/8
• Mini-Essay 2: Philosophical Debates in Evolutionary Biology (Weeks 4-6) due 5pm Monday 7/9
• MIni-Essay 3: Carving Nature at its joints (Weeks 7-9) due 5pm Monday 12/10
• Mini-Essay 4: Biology in Philosophical Debates (Weeks 10-12) due 5pm Monday 2/11
• Each mini-essay will be given a mark out of 10 with your overall grade for this assessment being out of 40.
• Late policy:
• Late submission permitted however, late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.
• Late submission of mini-essays is not accepted more than one week after the due date (i.e. date of return of assessment).
• Returned one week after submission.
• The overall grade is worth 40% of the final grade for this course.
• Your work will be judged on: how well it answers the question asked, how well it displays mastery of relevant content of the course, and clarity in setting out views and arguments. Further details about these assignments (expectations and assessment) will be explained in the first weeks of class. 

Assessment Task 2

Final Essay

• Your final essay will comprise of a writing piece of 2500 words on a topic set out by the convenor.
• Details of this assessment will be available in week 7.
• To be submitted to Turnitin by 5pm, Friday 9/11
• Late policy:
• Late submission permitted however, late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.
• Late submission of final essays is not accepted more than 10 working days after the due date (i.e. 24/11)
• Will be returned with final grades.
• Worth 50% of your overall grade for the course.
• Your work will be judged on: how well it answers the question asked, how well it displays mastery of relevant content of the course, and clarity in setting out views and arguments.

Assessment Task 3

Class Contribution

Students are required to:

1. Prepare for classes (both seminars and tutorials) by completing the preparation activities for each topic in advance of the relevant seminar and tutorial.
2. Submit a question by midday Monday of each week for the seminar Q and A session on Tuesday morning.
3. Participate in discussion of required readings and other material. 

This is worth 10% of the overall grade for the class

Class participation marking criteria:

Outstanding contributor: Contributions in class reflect extensive preparation. Ideas offered are usually substantive; provide major insights and direction for class discussion. Challenges are substantiated and persuasive. Makes an important contribution to class discussion overall.

Good contributor: Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation. Ideas offered are often substantive; provide useful insights and some direction for class discussion. Challenges are substantiated and often persuasive. Makes a significant contribution to class discussion overall.

Adequate contributor: Contributions in class reflect adequate preparation. Ideas offered are sometimes substantive; provide some insight but rarely offer direction for class discussion. Challenges are sometimes presented, substantiated and persuasive. Makes a contribution to class discussion overall.

Unsatisfactory contributor: Contributions in class reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas offered are rarely substantive; rarely provide insight but do not offer useful direction for class discussion. Contributions may be distractions rather than constructive. Does not make a positive contribution to class discussion overall.

Non-participant: This person says little or nothing in class. There is not an adequate basis for evaluation. Makes no contribution to discussion.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

Not permitted.

Late Submission

Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.

• Late submission of mini-essays is not accepted more than one week after the due date (i.e. date of return of assessment).
• Late submission of final essays is not accepted more than 10 working days after the due date (i.e. 24/11)

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Return of assessments will be via Turnitin.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students