Concepts in Biology is an introduction to the major themes of modern biology. The unit emphasizes how biologists carry out scientific investigations, from the cellular/molecular level to the level of ecosystems.Practical classes focus on the design and analysis of robust scientific experiments based on modern biological techniques.Topics covered in lectures and include: introductory cell biology, with particular emphasis on cell structure and function; an introduction to molecular biology through the role of DNA in protein synthesis and in the genetics of organisms; theories of evolution and phylogenetic analysis, and how they are used to interpret the origins of the diversity of modern organisms; and interactions between organisms in biological communities, with particular emphasis on Australian examples.

Concepts in Biology (Advanced) builds on the main themes introduced in HSC Biology, with emphasis on current research in biology.Topics covered in lectures and include: introductory cell biology, with particular emphasis on cell structure and function; an introduction to molecular biology through the role of DNA in protein synthesis and in the genetics of organisms; theories of evolution and phylogenetic analysis, and how they are used to interpret the origins of the diversity of modern organisms; and interactions between organisms in biological communities, with particular emphasis on Australian examples. Research-based lectures will expand on the general lecture topics and include current investigations of such diverse topic areas as cancer therapies, metabolic malfunction, anarchy in beehives, evolutionary studies of snake reproductive strategies, plant phylogeny and global environmental change.

Entry to Special Studies Program in Concepts in Biology is restricted to students who have done exceptionally well in their HSC and/or have shown extraordinary aptitude in Biology. The practical work syllabus for BIOL1991 is very different from that of BIOL1911 (Advanced) and consists of special project-based laboratory exercises. All other unit of study details are the same as those for BIOL1911 (Advanced).

Living Systems deals with the biology of organisms as individuals, within populations and as part of communities and ecosystems. A broad range of taxa are covered, from bacteria to large plants and animals, and emphasis is placed upon understanding the ways in which they can live in a range of habitats. Behaviour is discussed as a key process linking organismal-level processes to population and community dynamics. The importance of energy in living systems, and how elements are used and recycled in biological communities, are introduced as the basis of ecosystems. The unit of study includes lectures and laboratory classes on the physiology and behaviour of animals and plants, the ways in which organisms control and integrate their activities and the processes controlling dynamics of populations and community. These themes are revisited within applied contexts to discuss issues such as management and conservation.

This unit of study will cover generally the same topics as BIOL1002 but material will be discussed in greater detail. Roughly 50% of the material in lectures and practicals will be different from BIOL1002. Students enrolled in BIOL1902 will have separate lectures and practical sessions from BIOL1002.

This is the gateway unit of study for Human Geography, Physical Geography and Geology. Its objective is to introduce the big questions relating to the origins and current state of the planet: climate change, environment, landscape formation, and the growth of the human population. During the semester you will be introduced to knowledge, theories and debates about how the world's physical and human systems operate. The first module investigates the system of global environmental change, specifically addressing climate variability and human impacts on the natural environment. The second module presents Earth as an evolving and dynamic planet, investigating how changes take place, the rate at which they occur and how they have the potential to dramatically affect the way we live. Finally, the third module, focuses on human-induced challenges to Earth's future. This part of the unit critically analyses the relationships between people and their environments, with central consideration to debates on population change and resource use.

Advanced students will complete the same core lecture material as for GEOS1001, but will be required to carry out more challenging practical assignments.

This Unit of Study provides a geographical perspective on the ways in which people interact with each other and the physical world, focussing on the processes that generate spatial variation and difference. This Unit will consider the development and characteristics of natural environments across the globe, and will explore how these environments both constrain, and are influenced by, humans. Therefore, the Unit of Study will consider the political, economic, cultural and urban geographies that shape contemporary global society. Each of these themes will be discussed with reference to key examples (such as Hurricane Katrina, the Earthquake in Haiti/Dominican Republic, the conflict in Darfur, and sea-level rise in the Asia-Pacific), in order to consider the ways in which the various processes (both physical and human) interact. The Unit of Study will also include a short field trip to localities surrounding the University to observe processes of spatial change and conflict. The Unit of Study is designed to attract and interest students who wish to pursue geography as a major within their undergraduate degree, but also has relevance to students who wish to consider the way geographers understand the contemporary world.

Advanced students will complete the same core lecture material as for GEOS1002, but will be required to carry out more challenging practical assignments.

The aim of this unit of study is to examine the chemical and physical processes involved in mineral formation, the interior of the Earth, surface features, sedimentary environments, volcanoes, and metamorphism. Lectures and laboratory sessions on mountain building processes and the formation of mineral deposits will lead to an understanding of the forces controlling the geology of our planet. Processes such as weathering, erosion and nature of sedimentary environments are related to the origin of the Australian landscape. In addition to laboratory classes there is a one-day excursion to the western Blue Mountains and Lithgow to examine geological objects in their setting.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS1003 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their ATAR or UAI and/or their university performance at the time of enrolment. Students that elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. This unit may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

This unit examines the ecological principles driving the major ecosystems of the world and ecological processes behind the world's major conservation issues. It aims to develop in students the core foundations for an understanding of Ecology and its application in conservation. Lectures will focus on the ecology of the major terrestrial and marine biomes of the world. Application of ecological theory and methods to practical conservation problems will be integrated throughout the unit of study. Practical sessions will provide hands-on experience in ecological sampling and data handling to understand the ecology of marine and terrestrial environments, as well as ecological simulations to understand processes.

The content will be based on the standard unit BIOL2024 but qualified students will participate in alternative components at a more advanced level. This unit examines the ecological principles driving the major ecosystems of the world and ecological processes behind the world's major conservation issues. It aims to develop in students the core foundations for an understanding of Ecology and its application in conservation. Lectures will focus on the ecology of the major terrestrial and marine biomes of the world. Application of ecological theory and methods to practical conservation problems will be integrated throughout the unit of study. Practical sessions will provide hands-on experience in ecological sampling and data handling to understand the ecology of marine and terrestrial environments, as well as ecological simulations to understand processes.

The unit provides an essential framework for understanding the environmental response to short- and long-term geologic, oceanic and atmospheric processes. This Unit of Study introduces students to a variety of natural phenomena that affect society with impact levels ranging from nuisance to disastrous. The discussion of each hazard focuses on: (1) the process mechanics, (2) hazards and risk, and (3) methods for mitigation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used by scientists, planners, policy-makers and the insurance industry alike to address many issues relating to natural hazards. This Unit of Study will introduce students to the major concepts relating to GIS and provide practical experience in the application of GIS techniques to hazard mapping, risk assessment and mitigation.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2111 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives.

This unit of study introduces core concepts about how the formation of ocean basins and their influence on climate govern the development of coasts and continental margins. These concepts provide a framework for understanding the geographic variation of coasts, continental shelves and sediment accumulations in the deep ocean. Ocean-basin evolution is explained in terms of movements within the Earth's interior and how these movements determine the geometry of ocean basins, and their alpine counterparts, which interact with the global circulation of the ocean and atmosphere. This interaction plays a key role in marine sedimentation and controls the environmental conditions responsible for the development of coral reefs and other ecosystems. The Unit of Study systematically outlines how these factors have played out to produce, by gradual change, the coasts we see today, as well as the less familiar deposits hidden beneath the sea and coastal lands. The Unit thereby outlines how knowledge of responses to climate change in the past allow us to predict environmental responses to accelerated climate change occurring now and in the future due to the industrial greenhouse effect, but places these responses into perspective against the geological record. Overall therefore, the Unit aims to provide familiarity with fundamental phenomena central to the study of marine geoscience and environmental impacts, introduced through process-oriented explanations. The Unit of Study is structured around GIS-based practical sessions and problem-based project work, for which lectures provide the theoretical background.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2115 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives.

This unit of study explores cultural constructions of nature and resources, the evolution of environmental thought, and the debates surrounding sustainable development and climate change. It integrates environmental, economic, cultural and social considerations in respect to natural resource management in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The environmental considerations extend to an understanding of climatic responses over the long term that provide constraints on resource management today, and how these responses are projected to vary in future. These environmental constraints include air, land, vegetation and water resources and are examined in relation to current issues driving contemporary debate on the politics of climate change that must now be considered in environmental management. These concepts and principles are reinforced through the analysis of real-world data from the Hunter Valley of NSW – a region rich in resources with many stakeholders that hold differing, sometimes contrary perceptions of environmental and resource management. The unit of study enables students to learn about the social, cultural and environmental considerations that must be taken into account when developing and implementing environmental and resource management policies in an increasingly congested 'marketplace of ideas'.

Advanced students will receive the same core lecture materials as for GEOS2121 but are required to complete alternative written work.

The unit aims to convey how fossils, stratigraphic and structural data are used together to determine ages and environments and the deformation history of rock layers. It covers an introduction to historical geology and the evolution of the major fossils groups. Methods of stratigraphic age determination include litho-, bio-, chemo-, magneto- stratigraphy, as well as radiometric geochronology and the stratigraphic characteristics of the main geological time intervals. Structural methods are focused on brittle deformation in the upper crust and sediments. Students will gain familiarity with the most important fossil groups and how to identify them, and with the most important types of faults and folds. The formation of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas will also be covered in an earth history and resource exploration context. The simultaneous use of fossils, stratigraphy and structure to unravel the geological history of a set of exposed rock layers is demonstrated during a field excursion to Yass.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2124 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students that elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. This unit may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

This unit of study provides an introduction to the fundamentals of fluvial geomorphology (the study of surface water as an agent of landscape change) and groundwater hydrology. The fluvial geomorphology section of the unit will describe the movement of water in stream channels and investigate the landscape change associated with that movement. Topics to be covered will include open channel flow hydraulics, sediment transport processes and stream channel morphology. Practical work will focus on the collection and analysis of field data. The quantity and quality of the groundwater resources are closely linked to geology and fluvial geomorphology. The groundwater section of this unit is based around four common groundwater issues: contamination, extraction, dryland salinity and groundwater-surface water interaction. In the practical component, common groundwater computer models such as FLOWTUBE and MODFLOW will be used to further explore these problems.

This unit of study is divided into two parts and covers topics in environmental law and governance (Part 1) and environmental ethics (Part 2). Environmental regulation and governance plays an important role in regulating human impacts on the environment. The law and governance part of this unit provides an introduction and overview to environmental regulation. We look at key environmental issues through an examination of legal policies, legislation and case law at a variety of scales (international, national and state/local). This unit also highlights the ways in which environmental law and governance is increasingly interconnected to other areas of environmental studies. The ethics component helps students develop thoughtful and informed positions on issues in environmental ethics using arguments derived from traditional ethics as well as environmentally specific theories. Ethical conflicts are often inevitable and difficult to resolve but using the resources of philosophical ethics and regular reference to case studies, students can learn to recognize the values and considerations at stake in such conflicts, acknowledge differing viewpoints and defend their own well considered positions.

This unit of study focuses on environmental impact assessment as part of environmental planning. It seeks to establish a critical understanding of environmental planning and the tools available to improve environmental outcomes. The unit of study addresses the theory and practice of environmental impact statements (EIS) and environmental impact assessment processes (EIA) from scientific, economic, social and cultural value perspectives. Emphasis is placed on gaining skills in group work and in writing and producing an assessment report, which contains logically ordered and tightly structured argumentation that can stand rigorous scrutiny by political processes, the judiciary, the public and the media.

This unit covers the following aspects of energy and the environment: energy resources and use; electrical power generation including fossil fuelled and alternate methods; environmental impacts of energy use and power generation including greenhouse gas emissions; transportation and pollution; energy management in buildings; solar thermal energy, photovoltaics, wind power and nuclear energy; embodied energy and net emissions analysis and, importantly, socio-economic and political issues related to energy provision.

Coastal Management is about how scientific knowledge is used to support policy formulation and planning decisions in coastal environments. The course links coastal science to policy and practice in management of estuaries, beaches and the coastal ocean. The principles are exemplified through specific issues, such as coastal erosion, pollution, and impacts of climate-change. The issues are dealt with in terms of how things work in nature, and how the issues are handled through administrative mechanisms. These mechanisms involve planning strategies like Marine Protected Areas and setback limits on civil development in the coastal zone. The coastal environments and processes that are more relevant to coastal management including: rocky coasts; beaches, barriers and dunes; and coral reefs will also be introduced. At a practical level, the link between science and coastal management is given substance through development and use of 'decision-support models'. These models involve geocomputing methods that entail application of simulation models, remotely sensed information, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The course therefore includes both principles and experience in use of these methods to address coastal-management issues. (It thus also involves extensive use of computers.) Although the focus is on the coast, the principles and methods have broader relevance to environmental management in particular, and to problem-solving in general. That is, the course has vocational relevance in examining how science can be exploited to the benefit of society and nature conservation.

Advanced students will complete the same core lecture material as for GEOS3014 but will carry out more challenging projects, practicals, assignments and tutorials.

The unit of study can be taken only with prior permission from the unit of study coordinator. It constitutes a Field School run over a three-week period in July, prior to the commencement of the second semester. In 2013 the Field School will be held in mainland Southeast Asia (three of the Mekong countries China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam). In other years it may be held in Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi and Bali). The Field School focuses on three main themes; rural social, environmental and economic change; regional economic integration and its local effects; regional environmental change and natural resources governance. The Field School is run in close association with local universities, whose staff and students participate in some components of the course. Places are limited, and students interested in the 2013 Field School should indicate expression of interest to Professor Philip Hirsch by the end of August 2012.

The unit of study can be taken only with prior permission from the unit of study coordinator. It constitutes a Field School run over a three-week period in July, prior to the commencement of the second semester. In 2013 the Field School will be held in mainland Southeast Asia (three of the Mekong countries China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam). In other years it may be held in Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi and Bali). The Field School focuses on three main themes; rural social, environmental and economic change; regional economic integration and its local effects; regional environmental change and natural resources governance. The Field School is run in close association with local universities, whose staff and students participate in some components of the course. Places are limited, and students interested in the 2013 Field School should indicate expression of interest to Professor Philip Hirsch by the end of August 2012.

Cities are now the predominant home for humanity. More than half of the world's population reside in cities. The contemporary growth of cities, however, is attached to profound political questions about what it means to be urban, and what 'being urban' means for the planet. This Unit of Study provides grounding to these crucial questions. During the first half of the semester, lectures ask the question what does it mean to be a 'citizen', and what has this got to do with cities? This includes consideration of historical and contemporary configurations of citizenship. Case studies illustrate ways in which new forms of citizenship are produced through struggles over rights to the city, looking at issues including new informatics and surveillance technologies, homelessness, child spaces, indigeneity, asylum-seekers, 'culture jamming', and sexuality. In the second half of the semester, lectures address the question: are cities sustainable? Why or why not? And for whom? This focus addresses utopian visions for cities, urban history, ecological footprint analysis, bioregionalism, transport options, urban form and urban policy, with reference to sustainable futures and the role of custodianship. Through the semester a practicals program enables students to develop urban-based research projects.

GEOS3920 has the same thematic content as GEOS3520 however with elements taught at an Advanced level