SOC3SOC : Assessment 3: Details & Instructions

Purpose

The purpose of the research essay is for you to develop and demonstrate a capacity for cultural sociological analysis.

Task details

You will choose a question related to one of the topics from Week 4 to Week 11.

• Art and the Culture Industries

• Taste, Music and Cultural Consumption

• Story and Myth in Film and Literature

• Digital Cultures and the Transformation of Television

• Cultures of Love and Happiness

• The Self and Therapeutic Cultures

• Cultural Trauma and Collective Memory

• Social Movements and Cultural Change

Essay questions will be available on the LMS by Week 6. You may also develop your own question. If you wish to do this, you must have your essay question approved by the subject coordinator, Associate Professor Katie Wright.

1. Essays must be researched using databases and resources available from the Library.
2. The essay word requirement is 2000 (+/- 10%). Therefore, essays must be between 1,800 and 2,200 words.
3. Essays MUST include a reference list formatted using APA7 reference style.
4. The resources and grading criteria below contain additional insights and advice for writing sociological essays.
5. Please get in touch with the teaching staff if you have any questions.

Resources and readings relevant to the assessment

Below is a recording of an essay tutorial (delivered as a lecture). This covers essential skills required for essay preparation and writing.

You can also access the slides here: Essay Tutorial Slides

If you have any issues playing this video you can access it using the following web address:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMFK_TQAM8E

ESSAY CONSULTATIONS:

Please get in touch with staff at any time if you would like to discuss your essay. There will also be discussions of the essay during tutorials in Module 3 (Weeks 8-12), with the final opportunity for a drop-in session during your regular Week 12 tutorial time. Please bring any questions you may have, as there will be opportunities to discuss your progress on your essay.

Assessment criteria

Essays are assessed according to the following criteria:

• Research: evidence that you have undertaken 'desk-based' research on your topic.

• Concepts and methods: reference to sociological concepts and application of sociological methods.

• Structure: clear introduction, body and conclusion.

• Analysis: a clear sociological framework and perspective.

• Argument: logical development of a clear and coherent argument throughout.

• Critical thinking: demonstrates critical thinking.

• Expression: well written with careful proofreading and editing.

• Sources: sufficient academic and other sources found through ‘desk-based’ research (minimum of 10 sources, with at least 5 references drawn from weekly readings).

• Referencing: appropriate and consistent referencing using APA7 (see Library website).

A PDF of the below image containing the detailed marking criteria can be accessed here: Essay Grading Criteria

Submission details

The link to submit the research essay is on the previous page (Assessments block on LMS).

The final essay will be submitted via Turnitin on the LMS site of this subject. The due date is Sunday, Week 12 by 11:59 pm.

Please ensure you have checked your similarity report and revised your submission if necessary to correct any problems identified by Turnitin. All assignments with a high-similarity report or evidence of academic integrity problems will be referred to the Academic Advisor.