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Unit of study_
HPSC3002: Hist and Phil of the Biomedical Sciences
2025 unit information
This Unit of Study is dedicated to the science of life, and focuses on the history and philosophy of biology and medicine. Findings about phenomena such as the origins of life, evolution, and the relative contributions of DNA and various environmental factors to living processes have been debated not only by scientists but also the public. New accounts of the nature of disease and novel treatment strategies call for critical reflection on their implications. In this Unit of Study, we will take a closer look at a wide range of research concerned with life, disease, and death. We will focus in particular on the contributions historians and philosophers of science can make to discussions in the life sciences.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | History and Philosophy of Science Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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(HPSC2100 or HPSC2900) or (HPSC1001 or HPSC1901) or PHIL2XXX or (BIOL1006 or BIOL1906 or BIOL1996) |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. gain insight into contemporary biological/biomedical practice by examining basic topics such as life, evolution, ecology, genetics, and microbiology
- LO2. understand core conceptual and theoretical issues and debates in a range of fields in biology/biomedicine
- LO3. examine scientific texts and identify key philosophical and historical themes for further analysis
- LO4. develop original arguments for and about biological/biomedical topics
- LO5. develop the necessary reasoning and communication skills for analysing science in multiple contexts.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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