Short essay 1000 words

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Assessment Guidelines Assessment 1: Short essay Weighting: 30% Length: 1000 words (excluding bibliography) Due date: Wednesday 24 February at 1pm Return date: Wednesday 17 March at 1pm Description and guidelines Your first assignment is to write a short essay titled ‘race is a social construction’. Your answer should use this question as a starting point for setting out some of the ways in which sociologists discuss the subject of race. This assignment will give you the opportunity to draw on material covered on the first few weeks of this module. Like all essays, this will test your research skills. Your essay should include references to books or journal articles. There is no minimum or maximum number of texts you need to consult, but generally speaking the more, the better. You should aim to draw on enough sources to show some of the different approaches to the subject of race. Reference to one or two texts, even in a very short essay, is unlikely to demonstrate this. Remember this is a degree level essay. You should not draw on A level or GCSE texts, and neither should you quote or reference your lectures or your module handbook. Carefully consult the sociology 'red book' for details on how to present your essay. This guide also contains information about help you can get with your writing skills. You will lose marks for poor referencing and presentation.

Notes:

• Essays must be submitted online via Blackboard. For details on how to

submit your essay, see page 16.

• Word count does not include the bibliography. There is a 10% leeway, but work significantly below or above this limit will be penalized.

Assessment criteria:

In marking the first assessment, tutors will consider:

• The ability to summarise and evaluate relevant theories and concepts.

• The ability to express what is distinctive about a sociological approach to race.

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• The ability to draw on relevant secondary sources.

• The ability to draw on relevant examples to illustrate theories and concepts.

• The clarity with which ideas are expressed and the ability to use good written English.

• The use of appropriate academic conventions including references and bibliography.

Assessment 2: Essay

Weighting: 70% Length: 2000 words (excluding bibliography) Due date: Wednesday 21 April at 1pm Return date: Wednesday 12 May at 1pm Description and guidelines Your second assessment comprises a slightly longer essay. In this essay you will engage with three of the key concepts you have studied on this module. You should pick three of the following

• antiracism

• colonialism

• diaspora

• ethnicity

• ethnocentrism

• hybridity

• imperialism

• intersectionality

• Islamophobia

• nationalism

• new ethnicities

• othering

• racialization

• whiteness Your essay should make use of your three chosen concepts in the context of a single, coherent piece of writing. You need to choose which three concepts interest you, and select a relevant example or examples to explain and unpack them. Though your essay will be focused on three of these concepts, there are connections to be made across the entire module, and where appropriate your essay should aim to make these connections. You should avoid dealing sequentially with one concept after another, but instead try to explore their interrelationships by making connections between them. The best preparation for the essay is to complete all the weekly learning materials (including the required reading) and to attend all the live sessions. You will also be expected to have read around the subject more widely. You should never quote from lecture material or this module handbook. It is always more impressive if you can draw on different examples from those covered in class. ‘Theory’ is very important to this module, and you will be assessed on your ability to engage clearly and accurately with theoretical ideas. These should be illustrated and explored by drawing on relevant examples.