GENE10001: Genetics in the Media

1 online test worth 10% (10 MC questions); 1 Short Answer Response to the film GATTACA (1 hour, 2 questions) worth 10%; 1 Brochure about an assigned rare genetic condition, worth 10%; one written piece comparing coverage of a genetic story in the media, approx 500-600 words, worth 10%; oral presentation on the same topic^ approx 5 minutes, worth 10%; a 2-hour written examination during the examination period (50%)

This is a brilliant subject for anyone who likes an amalgamation of science and arts. It's available as a breadth for any department, though taking some Bio subjects precludes you from taking this subject.

First of all it's a very small cohort (~30 people tops), and since it's all lectures there were a lot of people who wouldn't rock up all semester apart from assessment, partly because most lectures were at 9am. For anyone who's done VCE Biology, you'll probably be a bit bored with the science elements, as they spend about 4 weeks covering meiosis, patterns of inheritance, genetic testing etc. I dropped science after year 10 but even I knew most of it. In a way, this was helpful later in the course though, when your task was to explain a complex genetic disorder in terms the general public could understand.

From then on it becomes really interdisciplinary, looking at legal disputes, psychological/emotional repercussions, media studies, ethical duty, and even the history of genetics. Dawn and Phil were lovely and very approachable; the guest lecturers were almost always brilliant and engaging. Sometimes we'd have people dealing more with the science angle (other members of the genetic dept. people from the Royal Melbourne research team, etc.) there were others heavily involved in media science reporting (researchers from channel 10 and radio) and others that straddled both areas (genetic counselors, liasons, people in charge of genetic press releases.) Unfortunately it was quite easy to get distracted and just be listening to all their interesting stories when in fact, any content brought up by the guest lecturers was examinable, so it was worth listening to recordings sometimes and ensuring you understood the details.

The workload is incredibly light, and most pieces of assessment don't require more than a couple of hours work. The multi-choice questions are a breeze, the GATTACA assignment was quite straightforward, and we had a lot of freedom with the brochure. The oral presentation seemed to spook everyone a bit, but it was pretty chill and informal. Lectures alone cover all the exam content, so there's very little you have to do aside from take notes.
Overall, does what it says on the tin. If you like media studies and find genetics interesting, you'll love this class. I can understand why pure arts or pure science people might be put off, but it's a pretty relaxing and fun subject.

Yes, with screen capture, though occasionally guest speakers wouldn't have slides.

Dawn Gleeson, Phil Batterham, various guest lecturers about once a week

No, a couple of practice questions, but no full exam.

5 Out of 5

None.

3x1 hour lectures even though the handbook says there's workshops involved. There was one lab session in week 8 or so; helpful but not compulsory.

2014, Semester 1

H1