Home > Subjects > Biology > Level 3 > 3.2 Socio-scientific issue > Subject content
- Subject: Biology
- AS: AS 91602
- Level: 3
- Credits: 3
- Internal
Biology 3.2 Integrate biological knowledge to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue
Subject content
This standard involves research into an issue. An issue is one for which people hold different opinions or viewpoints. A socio-scientific issue has both biological and social implications. Social implications may be economic, ethical, cultural, or environmental. Examples of socio-scientific issues include:
- Use of 1080 poison
- Animal testing of drugs
- Safe food sources
- Designer babies
- Preventive double mastectomy
- Hormone use in animal growth
- Genetic manipulation
- Human cloning
- Mental illness
- Prescribed and un-prescribed use of Ritalin - treatment vs. enhancement
- Global warming
- Whale harvest
Research will involve finding biological knowledge such as:
- biological concepts and processes relating to the issue
- biological and social implications of the issue
- differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue.
Integrate refers to selecting and collating relevant biological knowledge to develop an informed response. An informed response means to present a personal position on an issue that has been developed through understanding of the biological knowledge.
