ATS1264: Bioethics, justice and the law

Short Critical Analysis- 15%- when they say short they really do mean it- only 650 words, nothing too tricky, you get to choose a topic so that makes it easier. Treat this as a practice run for the bigger argumentative essay. The gist is- present an author's view, present counter arguments, make your opinion based on the strength of the objection.
Argumentative Essay- 45% (was 35% for me)- this is the big one! 45% is a lot but this essay is not that intimidating in the end. The rubric provided is extensive so use it. Again, you get a choice of 5 Qs to pick one. I felt that the lecturer and tutors made their expectations clear in the assignment description and it's not particularly taxing. I think the main thing you should do for high marks on this is to defend your own original points well and show understanding of the unit in general. Doing some research on your topic will help too. Try to start early, it can take some time to come up with your own arguments if it's not something you've done in advance or aren't used to. Discussion with family and friends can help here.
Tutorial Performance- 5%- don't know what my mark for this was, but my tutor did say he was pretty chill about giving people marks for trying. I think that the unit guide has a detailed schema in place for it- so ask your tutor what their expectations are maybe?
Examination- 35%- highly recommend taking notes on your readings throughout the semester to make this easier. You also get to choose the topic etc for some Qs, which was great. Details are provided Week 11-12. You need to have done your readings, memorised the notes you've made on these readings to an extent and have an opinion formed on the issues. You can get away with no reading for your assignments but the exam is designed to catch you out for skimping in your reading- if you have done your reading though, nothing unexpected will pop out and you'll be fine. The exam is pressed for time though, so get ready for the epic hand cramp!! Definitely the hardest part of the unit, but reading, even if last minute, will pay off
Bioethics Beyond the Classroom- no longer in this year's (2019) unit guide but it was a really small assignment where you could make art or discuss a movie or news segment which covers a chosen bioethics issue, really simple stuff, I didn't do anything too creative unfortunately, I just wrote. Other people did brilliant things like sculptures/drawings etc. Sad they got rid of it!

General advice for all your assessments in this unit- DO YOUR READINGS AND THINK CRITICALLY- so form opinions and argue those opinions out. Your tutes (and lecture for that matter) give you the opportunity to discuss these opinions and see what people say to counter them- these conversations tend to give you ideas for your essays, so pay attention. As for the readings, you don't have to read the entire thing but have an idea of what each author is arguing for and some points that they use to support their argument. The lectures aren't particularly helpful if you're relying on watching lectures to smash the unit- they only give you a gist of the different opinions on an issue but I found you had to do the readings to get the exam marks

I highly recommend this unit if you enjoy writing. For those of you who have a background in debating or just like to discuss, you'll really enjoy the tutes because they're very interactive. I think this element also depends on who you have as a tutor but mine was very encouraging and he pushed me to contribute as I tend to be the person who sits at the back quietly and listens the whole time. This is important too because tute participation counts for marks, so they really try to incentivise communication! If someone makes a point in a tute that you like (or if you think of one yourself), I reckon write it down- it'll probably come in handy in some assessment at some point, arguments form a big part of this unit (see assessment description)

I think the assessments were spread out well and were easy to score in, they weren't too demanding in terms of workload. Many people do this unit as a "bludge" and I think it is sort of bludgy because of the fewer assessments but don't take that exam for granted if you are the student who has been taking other assignments for granted because it can pile up- especially if you haven't been keeping up with your readings.

This subject has a lot of relevance in real life too and you are encouraged to discuss the topics you encounter in your tutes with people, so discuss with family for example. I personally enjoyed the unit, it had application for me as a biomed* student looking to do med in the future, because it discussed public health issues that are highly relevant and you got to hear the opinions of those who had backgrounds in other fields like arts or commerce because the cohort for the unit is very diverse. My only regret is not having done ATS1263 too! *word of warning: some biomed students in my cohort did not like this unit, it was more because they realised they don't like arts units because they said they didn't like all the reading and writing and subjectivity etc or that they didn't like having to talk in tutes- so I guess do this unit if you're like me and loves this kind of essay writing and wants a break from all the sciencey biomed stuff?

Ryan Tonkens- at least that's who I had, I believe this has since changed

No. But they give you some idea about the exam structure and style of Qs beforehand so that makes it much easier to prepare for

5 out of 5

Yes, with screen capture

In my year, nothing to buy, any texts you had to read (and you DEFINITELY do have to read them!) were available online through library- they were all articles written by bioethicists and I believe there was a website. If you want to have a read of these you can do that through "Reading Lists" under the library tab under my.monash, just gotta search the unit code

1 x 1-hour lecture & 1 x 1-hour tutorial

S2 2017- unit may have changed since!

HD