Unit Outline

Pulling together the disciplines of sociology, law and complementary medicine this unit is designed for students who want to understand, debate and critically analyse the use and place of complementary medicines in healthcare today. Learning modules include: understanding the use of complementary medicines in Australia, the question of evidence and the role of ethics and the law in regulating the availability, safety and advertising of complementary medicines. A particular focus is on the ecological and environmental issues that arise from increased use of these products.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain what Complementary Medicines are and discuss changes in their use over the last 30 years, with a particular focus on Australia.
2	Identify and analyse the role of different types of evidence in influencing decision making by Australian consumers about their use of Complementary Medicines.
3	Assess the role of ethics and the law in regulating the availability, safety and advertising of Complementary Medicines in Australia and more broadly.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	XBR120

Alterations as a result of student feedback

As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2025, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s Unit Survey following your completion of the unit

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Online quizzes	Week 4	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Reflection	Week 8	40 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Analysis	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Online quizzes

Task Description:

You will complete four (4) online quizzes.
10 questions in each quiz
Due Weeks 4, 7, 9 and 13

Task Length:

10 questions each quiz

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge regarding complementary medicines.	LO1
2	Explain the role of different types of evidence in influencing decisions for people to use complementary medicine.	LO2
3	Explain how ethical and legal regulations, in Australia, impact availability, safety and advertising of Complementary Medicines.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Reflection

Task Description:

This task will assess your awareness about evidence and complementary medicines. You will need to reflect on your own experience of complementary medicine, as well as critically evaluating the types of evidence available regarding complementary medicine, referencing using APA 7 referencing system.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply the content from CSA120 to discuss complementary medicines and the changing field of complementary and alternative medicine in Australia.	LO1
2	Analyse the merits and limitations of different types of evidence in relation to making decisions about the legitimacy and use of complementary medicines, using APA 7 referencing to cite the evidence.	LO2
3	Relate your personal experience with relevant concepts and literature to describe your decision making process regarding taking complementary medicines.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Analysis

Task Description:

This task will assess your knowledge of the legal, regulatory and ethical issues associated with the use of complementary medicine products.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify the legal, regulatory and ethical environment governing complementary medicine products.	LO1
2	Demonstrate an understanding of the regulation and ethics affecting complementary medicines.	LO2, LO3
3	Appraise the regulatory regime for complementary medicines in Australia.	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.