PHYS102 Natural Systems

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation Lectures, workshops, practicals and field work.

Description of a natural or agricultural ecosystem; the terms producer, consumer, decomposer, food chain, food web, habitat, niche, population and community will be investigated. Interrelationship between organisms in the environment, for example, predator-prey, symbiotic, parasite-host, scavenger; Energy flow: convection, conduction, radiation, energy transfer; relationship of energy to matter in ecosystems, for example, water cycle; renewable or non–renewable resources, for example, biomass and fossil fuels, the limits to growth debate, effect on the environment; important physical and chemical principles such as: measurement, the laws of thermodynamics and structure of matter will be incorporated through this content. Important principles in physics and chemistry such as chemical bonding, acids, bases and buffers, and pressure will be incorporated throughout this content.

 

PHYS105 Environmental Physics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 5 hours of lectures, tutorials and practical work.

This unit will stimulate students’ interest in the fundamental concepts of physics and their application to the environment. This will enhance their mastery of a significant body of knowledge and skills and aid their ability to make informed judgements about technological and social issues to which the unit’s content is relevant.

 

PHYS200 Biomechanics

10 cp
Prerequisites BIOL111 Human Systems
Teaching Organisation Lectures, laboratories and workshops.

Kinematic description of the linear and angular motion of human movement and projectiles: distance and displacement, speed and velocity, acceleration, vectors and scalars, angular motion vectors, principal axes and moment of inertia. Kinetic description of the linear and angular motion of human movement and projectiles: inertia, mass, force, momentum, Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation, weight, friction, impulse, impact, pressure, work, power, energy, couple, moment, equilibrium and stability. Fluid mechanics: fluid drag and lift forces, flotation and buoyancy. Principles of flight (aerodynamics): Bernoulli’s principle, drag and lift forces, the Magnus effect (spin), turbulent and laminar flow (Reynold’s number). Improving technology (materials) and equipment design, for example, athletic shoes and playing surface interaction, racquet design and power characteristics.

 

PHYS201 Energy

10 cp
Prerequisites PHYS102 Natural Systems
Teaching Organisation Lecture, laboratory sessions, discussion and seminars, field excursions.

Patterns of energy use in society; comparison of different societies; past and present. Energy use in Australia compared with the world community. Energy use in the home, for example, designs for low energy use. Energy in agriculture. Energy use in transport. The potential for energy conservation. Australia’s non–renewable energy resources. Alternative energy sources: solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, biomass. Building a low energy city.

 

PHYS500 Motion and Interaction of Moving Objects

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation A combination of lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and laboratory-based experiences. Issues and strategies relating to the teaching of the topics at high school level will also be considered

This unit introduces students to the study of motion in one and two dimensions, with particular emphasis on the motion of vehicles and the forces that can change the motion of a vehicle. Newton’s law of motion and the laws of conservation of momentum and energy are considered in relation to moving vehicles of various types, including motor vehicles and space vehicles. It also examines the principles and problems in leaving earth and travelling within our solar system. The understanding of the principles involved is developed by integrating extensive problem solving and practical exercises. Integrated into this unit are relevant aspects of the historical development of principal concepts and technologies, the nature and practice of physics, its applications and uses and implications for society and the environment.

 

PHYS501 Electromagnetic Interactions and Electric Power

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation A combination of lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and laboratory-based experiences. Issues and strategies relating to the teaching of the topics at high school level will also be considered.

This unit develops an understanding of electric and magnetic fields and forces, and examines electricity as a source of useful energy. The generation and distribution of electrical power and its safe and efficient use in the home are considered. This involves study of the operating principles and characteristics of AC and DC motors, AC and DC generators and transformers, as well as characteristics of domestic electrical circuits, appliances and safety devices. The behaviour of electromagnetic fields and forces in devices such as cathode ray tubes are explored. In addition, modern applications of semiconductors and superconductors are examined. The understanding of the principles involved is developed by integrating extensive problem solving and practical exercises. Integrated into this unit are relevant aspects of the historical development of principal concepts and technologies, the nature and practice of physics, its applications and uses and implications for society and the environment and current issues, research and developments in Physics.

 

PHYS502 Waves, Light and Communications

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation A combination of lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and laboratory-based experiences. Issues and strategies relating to the teaching of the topics at high school level will also be considered.

This unit is designed to introduce the students to the study of vibrations and waves. It includes the wave properties of sound and electromagnetic radiation: for example, light. The application of these concepts to the analysis of practical problems and their utilisation in communications technology are emphasised. The understanding of the principles involved is developed by integrating extensive problem solving and practical exercises. Integrated into this unit are relevant aspects of the historical development of principal concepts and technologies, the nature and practice of physics, its applications and uses and implications for society and the environment and current issues, research and developments in Physics

 

PHYS504 The Earth in Space

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation A combination of lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and laboratory-based experiences. Issues and strategies relating to the teaching of the topics at high school level will also be considered

This unit considers the likely origin and evolution of the universe and its components. A focus is the technological advances that have led to this understanding. It also explores Einstein’s concept of space and time and the possibilities and problems of space exploration at relativistic speeds. The understanding of the principles involved is developed by integrating extensive problem solving and practical exercises. Integrated into this unit are relevant aspects of the historical development of principal concepts and technologies, the nature and practice of physics, its implications for society and the environment and current issues, research and

 

POLS100 The Nature of Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

In this unit students will explore the nature of the democratic state. This will be done in respect of its historical development, the various theories and differences that exist within varying democratic arrangements and the problems that each of these have in their attempt to be equitable in decision making.

 

POLS101 Introduction to Australian Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit provides a basic introduction to the Australian system of government and to its political behaviour. Areas of study will include the constitution, the various models that best define Australian democracy, culture, parliament, elections, parties, interest groups, the media, the public service, the high court and governor-general, and some current issues such as aboriginal rights, the role of the modern economy and the war on terrorism.

 

POLS200 Issues in Australian Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites POLS101 Introduction to Australian Politics
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

Because a more complete understanding of the Australian political system requires knowledge of the key debates and issues that have fashioned and shaped it in the past and those that currently do so, this unit will focus on particular historical and contemporary aspects that have had such an influence.

 

POLS201 Middle Eastern Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit introduces students to the politics of the Middle East region with emphasis on both Arab and non-Arab states since 1945 and with a great emphasis upon the period since the 1979 Camp David Accords.

 

POLS202 Southeast Asian Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit introduces students to the politics of the Southeast Asian region with emphasis on Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam and their economic and social development since 1945.

 

POLS203 Introduction to American Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit will introduce students to the political system of the United States, by highlighting its distinctiveness, its weaknesses and strengths, and current political debates. This will be essentially achieved by examining its basic institutional structures, such as the presidency, congress, voting procedures, the courts and bureaucracy. The unit will also compare and contrast the American approach to politics with the Australian.

 

POLS204 Chinese and Russian Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit explores the political developments that have occurred in both the Russian and Chinese political systems during the twentieth century especially after these nations adopted communist rule and then traces the evolution of these systems in more recent times.

 

POLS205 Political Psychology

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

In this unit, the student will understand the relationship between psychoanalysis and the personality, and its impact on political action and outcomes. The student will focus on three psychoanalytical models of personality, development, and learn how each model of development forms its own political perspective, and how these can be used to understand why there are different allegiances to political leadership and politics generally.

 

POLS206 Japanese Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

This unit explores the political developments that have occurred in Japanese society since 1945 with an emphasis on the economic status achieved in the 1980s; its relationship to the USA and the potential difficulties with contemporary developments in China.

 

POLS208 Issues in American Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites POLS203 The Political System of the United States
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

All political systems are characterised by significant events that have shaped them historically, which continues to reverberate in a contemporary setting that also produces its own set of controversies. The United States is no different in this regard except that more often than not such political upheavals set a benchmark for the rest of the world. Students in this unit will analyse a range of such incidents for their local and global impact.

 

POLS209 Contemporary Politics

10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation 36 hours of lectures and tutorials.

In the contemporary world where for example the consequence of communications and access and global pressures from the environment and international economy makes the impact of these impossible for governments to avoid and not affect their stability and maintenance, all political systems, irrespective of what form they take, are subject to many similar circumstances and events. In this unit students will specifically explore how politics generally is being determined and shaped in such a way.