Using what you have learned in this course unpack the key INSTITUTIONS and ORGANISATIONS underpinning criminology from a given time period. Apply your analysis to the problem of SOCIAL ORDER. 2000 words

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

WHAT IS IN THIS GUIDANCE?

This guidance expands on the basic information given to students in lectures and tutorials and aims to help you get a grip on your major essay. Much of the material is covered in the early stages of the unit (see WEEK 1 lecture echo and assessment workshops) but a general guidance document with FAQs was requested by students in 2017 so we now also provide this, more detailed, primer on essay writing for SOC311.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: THE BASICS

• WHAT IS A MAJOR ESSAY?

A major essay is a written piece of assessment where the student engages in core academic skills appropriate to the discipline under study.

In writing an essay you are being asked to do three things:

• demonstrate your understanding of unit material;

• respond to the issues and themes that define an academic discipline; and

• produce a clearly written and analytic argument in response to a specific issue.

These skills are used to provide the assessment criteria and rubrics to guide performance.

• WHAT ARE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA & RUBRICS?

Assessment criteria explain the key skills students must show in their work, but also give some

more information on the types of important information, resources or content expected to

be covered or shown in an assessed piece of work.

A rubric is used to provide benchmarks for the assessment criteria. They are a more detailed

version of benchmarks, tailored to the specific key skills students must show in their work.

This helps each student calibrate their performance against clearly established requirements,

key skills and learning outcomes.

The rubric can also be used as a tool for matching assessment learning outcomes to the unit

learning outcomes, the program learning outcomes and to MQ graduate capabilities. This

helps students see how all the pieces of their study fit together.

Remember, as well, that it is always wise to refer - first - to the unit guide - second - to the

guidance provided in ilearn (including a lecture recording where much of this is also discussed)

and if you still have questions THEN either check the general discussion board – where many issues

are discussed or clarified – and finally contact the unit convenor if you still require clarification.

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

• WHERE IS THE RUBRIC FOR THE MAJOR ESSAY?

The rubric for the major essay is provided at the end of this document.

• WHAT AM I BEING MARKED ON?

Your work will be marked against the assessment criteria laid out in the unit guide, using the

rubric for this assessment provided below.

• WHO DECIDES WHAT MY GRADE IS?

Your grade is decided by our highly trained academic staff.

Grades are commonly based on the professional and qualitative judgements of highly trained

academic staff by matching the quality of your work against the assessment criteria provided

in our assessment rubrics.

• WHAT IF I DON’T AGREE WITH MY GRADE?

For more general information on grading or/and grade appeals students should refer to the

policies and procedures section of the unit guide OR to the assessment policy, directly,

available in policy central on the MQ website.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: THE SOC311 MAJOR ESSAY WORD LIMIT • What is the word limit for the MAJOR ESSAY?

The Major Essay should be no more than 2,000 words

o You do not have to include the reference list in your word count but may

choose to do so if you wish.

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

WHAT SHOULD I PUT IN MY MAJOR ESSAY?

• I don’t understand the question, what should I do?

The question is based on the reasonable assumption that students have listened to all of the lectures, attended all of the tutorials, and have completed a series of planned activities to assist their learning – progressing in their understanding of theoretical material and how to address it each week. If this does not describe your experience you should revisit the lecture content and tutorial activities, ensure you have completed the basic readings. Undertake further research from there to help you build an answer to the essay question. Consider writing a short two page outline of your essay. Include the question, a break down of how you want to answer it and a few key sources that you think can help you. You can show this to a tutor who can advise you on what to improve. NOTE: academic staff will not read draft essays or offer feedback on partially completed work, but we will look at an essay plan. These resources might also help you plan your work better:

• Essay Structure - Macquarie University - Student

• Student Portal - Writing skills - Macquarie University - Student RESEARCH & REFERENCES

• What referencing system do you want us to use?

The system we ask you to use is HARVARD, the version most commonly used in the Sociology department is the one adopted by the Journal of Sociology.

o Consistency is key. Be consistent in your referencing in-text and in the

bibliography.

o A good example from a relevant paper can be found in:

Roach Anleu, S., & Mack, K. (2015) ‘Performing Authority: Communicating Judicial Decisions

in Lower Criminal Courts’, Journal of Sociology, 51(4): 1052-1069.

o Students may wish to consider using the Endnote software to improve their

referencing. This is available from the library and can be accessed on many

university computers in our labs. For advice and help on software contact

library staff or file a onehelp ticket.

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

• How many references do I need to put in my essay?

There is no upper or lower limit on scholarly references, use as many as you need to make the argument and show your research skills. Use the rubric as a loose guide and show your own academic judgement. This is a key skill.

o Referenced research should include unit readings AS WELL AS independently

researched academic sources – e.g. journal articles, book chapters, statistical

reports etc.

o ‘Websites’ (e.g. Wikipedia, the online dictionary of philosophy etc.) are

generally seen as inferior to scholarly sources such as journal articles or books.

o DO NOT confuse journal articles retrieved from an online source with websites,

understanding the difference between sources is a key skill. More information

can be found in referencing guidelines or from the library.

o Remember that more, well-chosen references help show a higher caliber of

research skill, but volume does not replace quality. THINK and pick your sources

wisely.

FORMATTING

• How should I format my major essay? Is there a specific font size, line spacing required

for this unit?

The format requirements for assessments can vary from unit to unit. Different academics have different preferences and this can be confusing to students. If in doubt it is best to stick to the standard word document template. If you want more specific guidance some good general formatting guidelines to use for your major essay are included here for reference:

o FONT: Times New Roman or Calibri o SIZE: 11 o ALIGNMENT: Justified (a straight edge down both sides of the page) o SPACING: 1.5 or 2.0 (double spaced)

• Can I use SUBHEADINGS in my major essay?

You may use subheadings if you wish, make sure that they are thoughtful signposts for the argument and relate to your initial hypothesis. Sub-headings should aid in making the structure of your paper clearer. They are less useful when used as an alternative to ‘signposting’ the order of your argument in the introduction, but it can be helpful when used to give added structure the paper.

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

• Can I use pictures, graphs or tables in my major essay?

Yes. Making links between your observations and secondary sources of data is a great way to show you’ve done research. HOWEVER, you can’t just throw in random stats you don’t really understand; be selective and thoughtful when deciding what to include.

o Consider making links between the charge laid or sentence levied and the data

provided on court room practice by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research

(BOCSAR) or the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) - for more links revisit the

lectures and/or check for additional weblinks in iLearn.

• Can I use bullet points and lists?

This really depends on what you are trying to do. IN general lists will be seen as haphazard writing or incomplete notations. It is best not to use bullet point lists in your major essay STYLE

• Should I use an active or passive voice in writing the report?

There is no preference for active or passive voice in this unit. Students may use their own discretion.

o If you do not know the difference search online there are many good website

with further guidance on ‘voice’. Consider checking out the writing workshops

offered by the library.

Students are allowed to use personal pronouns, however should be careful to do so in a scholarly fashion. Some useful conventions to bear in mind are:

o avoid presenting your opinion uncritically (e.g. Do not write ‘I think that’… or …

‘in my opinion’)

o focus on research (e.g. ‘my observations suggest’)

o organise your ideas or add structure (e.g. “First I will…”)

o flag intentional knowledge claims (“On the basis of my data I would claim…”)

o show you’ve thought about methodology (“I observed X cases in Y courts over Z

visits…”)

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

F Borderline fail P C D HD

1. KNOWLEDGE - Theoretical concept(s)

little or no theoretical knowledge, understanding

or description of the course material

marginal demonstration of theoretical knowledge,

poor understanding and flawed description of basic

course material

sufficient description of theoretical knowledge, showing a rudimentary understanding of the

course material

substantial and mostly accurate description of theoretical knowledge, showing a reasonable understanding of the

course material

good and accurate description of theory

showing a broad knowledge and higher

level understanding of the course material

excellent theoretical knowledge in accurate and

clear description of core themes and ideas showing a nuanced understanding

of the course material

little to no identification and definition of

theoretical concept(s), particularly institutions and

organisations

marginal identification and definition of theoretical concept(s) particularly

institutions and organisations

sufficient identification and definition of theoretical concept(s), particularly

institutions and organisations

substantial identification and definition of

theoretical concept(s), particularly institutions

and organisations

good identification and definition of theoretical concept(s), particularly

institutions and organisations

excellent identification and definition of theoretical concept(s), particularly

institutions and organisations

little to no mastery of the link between theoretical

concept(s) chosen and no inclusion of other concepts

relevant to the course

marginal mastery of the link between theoretical concept(s) chosen and

inclusion of other concepts relevant to the course

sufficient mastery of the link between theoretical concept(s) chosen and

inclusion of other concepts relevant to the course

substantial mastery of the link between theoretical concept(s) chosen and

inclusion of other concepts relevant to the course

good mastery of the link between theoretical

concept(s) chosen and inclusion of other

concepts relevant to the course

excellent mastery of the link between theoretical concept(s) chosen and

inclusion of other concepts relevant to the course

2. RESEARCH - Sources & their use

no or litle use of sources from the unit reading list

marginal use of sources from the unit reading list

sufficient use of sources from the unit reading list

substantial use of sources from the unit reading list

good use of sources from the unit reading list

excellent use of sources from the unit reading list

substantial or complete failure to conform to

referencing requirements both in text and in the

bibliography

Failure to offer a consistent style or format of

referencing either in text or in the bibliography

sufficient conformance to referencing requirements

in text and/or in the bibliography but lacking

both consistency and attention to detail

reasonable conformance to referencing

requirements both in text and in the bibliography, may lack consistency or

attention to detail

good conformance to the referencing requirements

both in text and in the bibliography

excellent conformance to the referencing

requirements both in text and in the bibliography

no example(s) inappropriate choice and presentation of example(s)

poor choice and presentation of example(s)

reasonable choice and presentation of example(s)

good choice and presentation of

example(s)

excellent choice and presentation of example(s)

no or little use of sources other than course material

marginal use of sources other than course material

sufficient use of sources other than course material

substantial use of sources other than course material

good use of sources other than course material

excellent use of sources other than course material

3. EXPRESSION - Structure &

language

no or little structure along the lines of intro, main body and conclusion

marginal structure along the lines of intro, main body and conclusion

sufficient structure along the lines of intro, main body and conclusion

substantial structure along the lines of intro, main body and conclusion

good structure along the lines of intro, main body

and conclusion

excellent structure along the lines of intro, main body and conclusion

spelling poor frequent spelling mistakes minor spelling mistakes spelling mostly correct with some inconsistencies

spelling correct throughout

spelling correct throughout

substantial mistakes in the use of English language &

grammar

inappropriate use of English language &

grammar

poor use of English language & grammar

proficient use of English language & grammar

good use of English language & grammar

excellent use of English language & grammar

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS. Further information on content of the Major Essay

F Borderline fail P C D HD

4. ARGUMENT - Discussion, critical thinking & analysis

no or little analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

marginal analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

sufficient analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

substantial analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

good analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

excellent analysis and discussion of pros AND

cons

no or little connection between theory & example

marginal connection between theory & example

sufficient connection between theory & example

substantial connection between theory & example

good connection between theory & example

excellent connection between theory &

example

no or little demonstration of coherent, consistent,

focused, critical and original argument

marginal demonstration of coherent, consistent, focused, critical and original argument

sufficient demonstration of coherent, consistent, focused, critical and original argument

substantial demonstration of coherent, consistent,

focused, critical and original argument

good demonstration of coherent, consistent, focused, critical and original argument

excellent demonstration of coherent, consistent, focused, critical and original argument

failure to recognise and describe key themes and arguments from the unit

marginal description and summary by or

paraphrasing key themes and arguments from the

unit

satisfactory comparison of key themes in a basic

analysis of arguments from the unit

substantial comparison and deconstruction of key

themes and arguments from the unit

good critique of key themes whilst offering a

clear hypotheses and rigorous arguments in the

units key themes

excellent synthesis of key themes and key arguments in this unit to formulate a

nuanced discussion

no critical reflection and the author presents their

personal views uncritically

Little or no critical reflection and the author

present their personal views uncritically

Lacking consistent critical reflection. Authors views

may be present but appear too often as personal opinion not analysis

offers indications of critical reflection without

sufficient consistency, author may at times muddle opinion with

analysis

good awareness and critical reflection, authors opinions are grounded in analysis and/or reflection

excellent reflexive awareness; authors

opinions are grounded in critical reflection and analysis consistently

throughout