Module SOCM016 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
SOCM016: Cultures of the Life Sciences
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Topics will be drawn from the following:
Natural history and the role of classification in biology
Experimental practices
Modelling practices
Data sharing and intellectual property
Publishing practices
The role of concepts such as ‘gene’
Bioinformatics and the role of computers in biology
Sociopolitics of biology
Relations between biology and medicine
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 277 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| scheduled learning activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour lectures |
| scheduled learning activity | 1 | 1 hour writing tutorial (in preparation for essay writing) |
| Guided independent study | 110 | 11 x 10 hours of course readings |
| Guided independent study | 40 | Preparation of presentation |
| Guided independent study | 127 | Reading/research for and writing of essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Web based and electronic resources:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft plan of the essay | 1000 words | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Oral feedback |
| Presentation | 15 minutes | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 | Oral feedback |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 6000 words | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | Deadline is September 1st |
Re-assessment notes
Where you have been referred/ deferred for the essay, you will resubmit a 6000 words essay by September 1st. This will constitute 100% of the module (30 credits).
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic readings:
Atkinson, P, Glasner, P and Lock, M (2009) Handbook of Genetics and Society. Routledge.
Dupre, J (1993) The Disorder of Things. Cambridge University Press.
Grene, M. & Depew, D. (2004). The philosophy of biology. Cambridge: CUP.
Mueller-Wille, S and Rheinberger, H (2012) A Conceptual History of Heredity. Chicago University Press.
Sarkar, S., & Plutynski, A., Eds. (2008). A companion to the philosophy of biology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Wimsatt, W. (2007). Re-engineering philosophy for limited beings. Harvard: HUP.
