This course introduces students to the broad range of current research into autism. The approach to the topic is multi-disciplinary, examining the psychological construct of autism at the cognitive, neural and genetic levels as well as considering the historical and contemporary social context in which autism research takes, or has taken, place and the views of the autistic community. The course features in-class discussion as well as more traditional didactic content and uses authentic coursework assessment.

2 hours of lectures for 5 weeks

Coursework 100%. This will consist of two components:

1. A presentation on an assigned topic prepared and delivered/recorded in groups of one, two or three (90%).

2. A short abstract describing the presentation (10%).

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the field of contemporary autism research, with the ultimate goals of (1) providing a thorough understanding of theories of autism from a range of perspectives and (2) making students aware of the historical, social and scientific context of current thinking about autism.

By the end of this course, it is intended that students will:

■ be able to demonstrate an awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of current definitions of autism and diagnostic techniques.

■ be able to critically assess current psychological/cognitive theories of autism.

■ Be able to critically assess current neural theories of autism.

■ Be able to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the influence of genetic, environmental and cultural factors on autism

■ Be able to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the social and scientific context in which autism research exists

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components of the course's summative assessment.