THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FACULTY OF MEDICINE, DENTISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES

UNIT PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of Systems Pharmacology 302 is similar to Molecular Pharmacology 301. Various topics in which some members of staff are currently researching are dealt with in depth. The staff concerned find these areas interesting and we hope they will appeal to you in the same way. As a consequence of this approach, there is no one textbook that covers the different topics to the level required. You will have to make increasing use of the specialty texts and the periodical literature which you will be advised to use by the lecturers teaching this unit.

While the acquisition of facts is a necessary prerequisite for the study of any science, it is not the sole aim in Systems Pharmacology 302. You should also become proficient in the laboratory with experimental methodology. This is important because much of pharmacology is still in the exploratory stage and therefore mostly experimental, and also because it will serve you well when seeking jobs in the general biomedical scene. The masses of facts are organised into plausible, rational theories which can be tested, modified where necessary, and subsequently used. You will be introduced to some of these theories, together with the evidence for and against them, and expected to develop some critical faculties in evaluating the claims and counter-claims of scientific literature.

EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Pharmacology students MUST use their own Tartarus account to access the Internet as part of Computer Assisted Learning programmes. All computers in Room G.17 are assigned with restricted IP (Internet Protocol) numbers.

FLYING FISH
Various teaching and learning material pertinent to this unit (eg lecture notes, lab handouts) will be available online via "Flying Fish". In order to access this material, students must have their own Tartarus email account as described above. Information on how to access web-based course material will be provided in the Introductory lecture in the first week of semester. The Flying Fish website is http://pharmfish.pharm.uwa.edu.au:8300/

It is the responsibility of each student to login to Flying Fish at least twice a week for updates to notices, learning material etc. Students are able to use computer labs in Pharmacology outside Laboratory class times. The course co-ordinator will monitor the Flying Fish forum once a week where possible.

When working from home please note that
- You must be using a browser version 4 or higher (IE or Netscape)
- Your browser needs to be configured to "accept all cookies", see
http://pharmfish.pharm.uwa.edu.au:8300/

Java and javascript should also be enabled and selections should be such that the document in cache should be compared to network every time. We strongly advise students accessing course work to dial in via their tartarus accounts. This gives you access as part of the university LAN which avoids many issues that can arise via private ISPs. This service is free to students.

LECTURES
Systems Pharmacology 302 involves three lectures each week, these are presented in the Mary Lockett Lecture Theatre, QEII Medical Centre. A timetable for the lectures is included. Lectures containing curriculum content will be recorded using Lectopia. Audio recordings will be available via Flying Fish. Any problem recordings should be reported to Lectopia via email (ilectures@uwa.edu.au) or using the link “Report a problem with this recording”.

LECTURE HANDOUTS
Lecture handouts will be given at each lecture.
If a student misses a lecture copies of the handouts will be available from the Administrative Office in Pharmacology as well as on Flying Fish.

LABORATORY CLASSES
Laboratory classes will be held on Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 1pm in the Undergraduate Laboratories, Department of Pharmacology. The laboratory work has been designed to complement and extend the lecture material and introduce some of the experimental methodology of modern pharmacology. Each Laboratory will require a report to be submitted within TWO WEEKS of completion of the class. CREDIT WILL NOT BE GIVEN FOR LABORATORIES THAT ARE NOT ATTENDED OR FOR LATE REPORTS.

Each student will require a laboratory coat and appropriate footwear (no sandals, thongs or bare feet) for each laboratory session. No eating or drinking is permitted in laboratory classes. Note that some laboratory sessions use animals, either for provision of tissues for in vitro use, or as anaesthetised preparations. If you feel that the use of animals will be distasteful to you, then you should discuss the matter with the Unit Controller before commencing the unit.

SEMINAR
In Semester Two, each student will be required to present a SEMINAR based upon a topic of interest related to the study of Pharmacology. Topics will be assigned early in Semester Two. The purpose of these seminars is to expose the student to critical analysis of the literature. Each seminar is for 10 minutes with 5 minutes for questions. Every student is expected to read widely and assess their particular topic, then present the work to his/her colleagues. Attention should be given to the aims of investigations into the topic, whether appropriate experiments were performed, and whether the conclusions are justified by the data. In order to be able to make any assessment of a published work, it is important that a good basic understanding of the subject matter is demonstrated by the student. Students will be expected to attend all sessions of the seminar presentations.

ASSESSMENT
1. The end of semester examination (60%) will be a three hour examination. The examination will require a question from each topic group to be answered. Each topic group will be represented by two questions. One question from each of these topics must be answered, ie one question concerning each lecture group must be answered.
2. Practical reports (30%)
3. Communication Skill (Seminar) (10%)

PARKING
There is no free parking on site.