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Monash University - Subject Reviews & Ratings
slothpomba:
Subject Code/Name: ASP1022 - Life and the universe
Workload: 3 x 1 hour lectures, 1 x 2 hour lab class.
Assessment: Examination (3 hours): 50% (Fairly easy, 1/3 multi choice, 1/3 short answer, 1/3 extended response on two questions, one is compulsory for all, the other question you can select from a list of about 4 or 5)
Support class work (AKA Labs): 30%
Project work: 10% (You work in a group to make a poster on a particular topic)
Assignments: 10% (You write an essay about one particular term of the drake equation)
Recorded Lectures: Audio only. Lecture slides are available on blackboard.
Past exams available: Yes, from the library database and blackboard.
Textbook Recommendation: The textbook i think is not at all needed really. They teach you all you need to know. It is a handy reference to have and a good thing to help you out with work in tutes (you can use whatever resources you like) and it is a fairly interesting and well written book as well.
Lecturer(s): Many lecturers, Simon Campbell and John latanzio are regulars but there are many guest lecturer's from many different faculties.
Year & Semester of completion: Semester 2, 2011.
Rating: 5/5 (hell, maybe even a 6 out of 5)
Your Mark/Grade: Distinction
Comments: This is a very well done unit. Very interesting and very broad, it's what i'd imagine UoM's breadth to be like. It's basically about life in the universe, first it talks a little about the origin of life, how life came about from unliving molecules, what conditions are needed for life to flourish, evolution...right through to stars...planet formation...geology of earth..how life becomes intelligent...aritifical life..the search for life on other planets...microbiology...basic biology... it has a little bit of everything.
They have numerous guest lecturers come in from the different faculties to give lectures on their area of expertise.
Overall, very interesting and the work load is fairly light. This unit is fairly "easy", so if you're looking for something like that and something that is interesting too, this is a very good choice.
Muuru:
Subject Code/Name: ATS2503 - Writing Women
Workload: 1x1hr tutorial and 1x1hr lecture per week
Assessment: Tutorial Leadership (10%), Essay Plan (10%), 2x Class Tests (20% each), 1x 1800wd Research Essay (40%)
Recorded Lectures: Yes
Past exams available: No
Textbook Recommendation: A unit guide and various texts. The texts studied in this unit were Jane Austen's Persuasion, Charlotte Bronte's Villette, Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Chris Kraus's Torpor, Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, Eliza Haywood's Fantomina, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and a selection of Sylvia Plath's poems.
Lecturer(s): Anna Poletti
Year & Semester of Completion: Semester 2, 2011
Rating: 5 out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: TBD
Comments: All in all, I thought this was a fantastic unit. Out of the eight English units I've done in my major, I'd say this was my favourite of them all. Basically, the subject is divided into two modules. The first module deals with how female authors have used literature as a means of examining the relationship between femaleness and femininity, and the second half focuses on how women's writing has been valued and received, with some feminist theory thrown in the mix.
Anna is an extremely passionate, animated and approachable lecturer who taught the subject matter well. Most other English units I've done assume you already know the ins-and-outs of various literary theories, which can be especially daunting for those who haven't encountered any literary theory before, but in this unit you're given lots of assistance in understanding feminist literary theory by Anna at the start of semester. I thought that was nice. There were several guest lecturers in this unit (Melissa Hardie and Patrick Spedding) who were equally as passionate as Anna.
Interestingly, attendance at lectures were compulsory but tutorials were optional. I think this decision was an ingenious one as it made the tutorials smaller, which consequently made discussions more lively and interesting (since the only people who attended the tutorials were those who wanted to be there and contribute). Perhaps other Arts units could take a page or two out of Writing Women's book!
My only gripe with this unit was with the assessments. The essay plan was an easy 10%, but I still didn't really understand the point of being assessed for it. Also, the research essay and the final in-class test were both due on the same day, which isn't good if you love procrastinating like I do, haha.
ninwa:
Subject Code/Name: ATS3100 German advanced 4; however the workload, assessments and general comments would apply to any German language unit
Workload: 2-hour language tutorial + 2-hour culture seminar/lecture per week (total 4 hours)
Assessment:
Language component: 4 vocabulary tests, oral presentation, mid-semester test, end-of-semester exam
Culture component: 1000-word essay (in English) worth 60%, end-of-semester exam worth 40%
Each component is worth 50% of your final German mark.
Recorded Lectures: No.
Past exams available: No. Not really a disadvantage in this subject as students are advised pretty thoroughly of what will be on the exam.
Textbook Recommendation: A Practice Grammar of German (yellow book); excellent source for studying German grammar.
Textbook and workbook changes every few years. They are used every class so you'll need to buy them.
Lecturer(s): Language component: Dr Heinz-Josef Kreutz for German Advanced 1-4
Culture component: Dr Franz-Josef Dieters, Dr Axel Fliethmann, and another Dr lady whose name I can't remember now
Year & Semester of completion: 2011 semester 2
Rating: 4 Out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: Have no idea yet :P
Comments: All German subjects at Monash come with a language component (including grammar, vocabulary work, reading/listening comprehension and speaking practice) and a culture component (varies from year to year but generally involves a study of various German literature, philosophy, history and film).
Language
Workload is medium-high. Every week you'll get homework to do in the textbook and workbook, which includes reading comprehension and grammar practice. Vocab tests derived from these homework chapters are every 2 or 3 weeks, so you can't afford to slack off.
There is not a lot of speaking practice within the tutorials but usually Heinz will organise optional speaking practice sessions during the week.
Not a lot of grammar since you are expected to basically know everything. Most of the "grammar" work is actually refining your expression.
Culture
To give an idea of what this component entails for later years (binders has already described it for first-year students above):
Semester 1: we studied a bunch of literature and film, such as The Earthquake in Chile, as well as dabbling in some philosophy - Kant and someone else I forget now.
Semester 2: we studied a bunch of random stuff including German class society in the 1800s, Nietzsche (specifically his views on religion), Schnitzler's Lieutenant Gustl, aestheticism and the history of photography.
General
I've found that the German department as a whole are quite relaxed and lenient, and will generally accommodate your needs as long as you prove yourself to be a hard-working student with a genuine interest in the subject. For example, I slept in on the day of my culture exam and didn't mention it because obviously I deserve a 0 for it, but Heinz emailed me a few days later offering me a re-sit (even when I told him the truth) because he didn't want it to affect my grades.
From German advanced 1 onwards, all classes are held in German.
ninwa:
Subject Code/Name: LAW3101 Administrative law 306
Workload: 3 hours of lectures per week; 1-hour OPTIONAL tutorial from week 6
Assessment:
Option 1: Optional 2000 word essay (worth 40%) + end-of-semester exam (worth 60%)
Option 2: End-of-semester exam (worth 100%)
Recorded Lectures: Yes + video
Past exams available: Yes, at least one will always be available because the lecturers will go through it at the end of the semester.
Textbook Recommendation: Control of Government Action (the prescribed casebook); everything else, don't waste your money and get it from the library instead
Lecturer(s): Changes every year; I had Maria O'Sullivan who makes a sometimes very technical and boring subject seem... bearable. Also just a generally lovely person.
Have also heard good things about Colin Campbell.
Year & Semester of completion: 2011 semester 2
Rating: Irrelevant, it's a compulsory subject anyway :P
Your Mark/Grade: For the love of god please give me a pass
Comments: Best advice I got on this subject from my lecturer: don't freak out if at first you have no idea what's going on. It took me until about week 6 for everything to just click; only then did I start actually somewhat enjoying the subject.
Tutorials are optional and do not count towards your grade but I would advise that you attend them. This is a very legislative interpretation-intensive subject and takes some practice to get right.
It would help to do constitutional law before you tackle this subject but you won't be at a HUGE disadvantage if you don't.
TrueTears:
Subject Code/Name: AFC2000 - Financial institutions and markets
Workload: 1 hour tutes per week
Assessment: Within semester assessment: 30%, Examination (3 hours): 70%
Recorded Lectures: yes
Past exams available: around 8-10 past papers all with answers
Textbook Recommendation: financial institutions and markets by kidwell
Lecturer(s): not sure didn't go to any lectures
Year & Semester of completion: 2011 semester 2
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Your Mark/Grade: 99 hd
Comments: You basically just need to memorise theory and formulas in this unit. This subject is a preq for AFC2340 (which contains plenty of maths etc) so it's best you memorise all the theory which is then turned into more financial mathematical theory in AFC2340. Generally this subject is really easy to HD in, the midsem is MC and again it's just questions that you'll know if you memorise the relevant concept/theory/formula. Definitely not a hard unit and very accessible to the majority of students.
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