Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Maria Amigo
Contact via maria.amigo@mq.edu.au
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
SOC830 or SOC831
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides students with experience undertaking applied or policy related research as part of a program of working within a research team or project in the field. Through on-campus workshops and a period of practical internship of approximately three weeks, students learn first-hand about social research and gain valuable experience undertaking social inquiry. Students should have completed at least one research methods unit prior to undertaking this unit, and enrol at least three months prior to the relevant study period in order to allow adequate preparation time. Students who enrol after teaching begins will not be guaranteed a place.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Project Management Plan | 20% | see description |
Engagement | 20% | ongoing |
Supervisor's feedback report | 20% | n/a |
Final Report | 40% | 20 June 2014 |
Due: see description
Weighting: 20%
Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) within the first 20 hours of placement. The PMP should have a title, should state the background, scope and purpose of the project, a detailed schedule of tasks to be completed, a plan for monitoring the project, and an identification of risks and issues. The criteria used to assess this assignment will be based on how well and detailed the plan is, and on evidence that the plan has been discussed with the host supervisor. Specific information for this assignment will be available on iLearn.
Due: ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Engagement throughout the semester will be assessed based on the a) Class attendance and associated tasks b) Participation during workshops and online discussions c) Presentation to class and partners in workshop 4
Due: n/a
Weighting: 20%
Your workplace supervisor will be requested to complete a form at the end of your placement to provide detailed feedback on your performance.
Due: 20 June 2014
Weighting: 40%
The final assignment will consist of a report on the internship. The report cannot be longer than 12 pages using a p12 font and 1 1/2 spacing. The report must be submitted via turnitin.
This report will need to have the following sections:
1) Introduction: You will include details of the organization and its mission, a brief description of the research project you were involved in, its purpose and your role during the research process. For example, if you were one member of a team project, what part did you play? Or, were you the only person working on that project? Did you conceptualise the project yourself? If you wrote a final report which parts of the report did you write? Will your work be published? (Max 2 page).
2) Research Project: You will present the work you have completed during your placement, firstly explaining each stage of the process and secondly including examples of work completed. For example, if you designed a survey and analysed the results, you can provide a copy of the survey and a summary of the results. If you wrote a literature review, you can include sections of it; if you conducted interviews, you can include the questionnaire you prepared and an analysis of the content. You may also explain associated tasks you may have engaged in such as organising an event, planning meetings, etc (Max 8
pages).
Important note: Unless the work you produce is due to be published, it is important
that you discuss the content of your final report with your placement supervisor in case there are problems of confidentiality or access to the research. You can assure the supervisor that the work will be viewed only by the teaching staff for marking purposes and will otherwise remain confidential.
3) Final Reflection: Based on your research output, your project management plan, and in light of the notes taken in your diary, this section will entail a personal reflection on the research experience. You may want to refer to the topics discussed during the workshops (and consult the relevant readings for this unit), to develop an account of the impact—both at a personal and professional level—the internship has had on your learning experience and career prospects. It is expected students will include a few quotations from their journals to illustrate this final reflection. Feel free to include alternative ways of reflecting (poems, images, links to media you have produced) within the maximum length (Max 2 pages).
This task will be assessed by the following criteria: engagement with key concepts discussed during the semester, presentation and writing style, quality of the examples presented, depth of reflection, referencing.
Unit Requirements
During the unit students will be required to:
Submit the required assessment tasks in a timely manner.
Complete all the required readings for the unit.
Contribute to online discussions and activities.
Assignemnt Submission and retur of marked work
All work is to be submitted via the Turnitin function inside the ilearn site. Likewise, marked work will be returned to students electronically via ilearn.
Late submissions, Special Consideration and Extensions
Please email the unit convenor if you find yourself unable to meet the submission dates for assessments.
For all written assessment tasks, the Sociology Department applies the following penalties for late work (without an extension):
5% for the first day, then 1% for each subsequent day late.
Technology
SOC 301 iLearn Site. Learning and Teaching resources, assessment guidelines, and links to individual learning modules will be on SOC301’s ilearn page. You will also use the discussion boards to keep in touch with other students and share your experiences of your internship placement.
Academic Honesty Policy
Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement (http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic-statement-final.html). Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
All academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim.
All academic collaborations are acknowledged.
Academic work is not falsified in any way
When the ideas of others are used, these ideas are acknowledged appropriately.
The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty policy.
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
University Grading Policy
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
The grade a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of a unit of study. Grades will not be awarded by reference to the achievement of other students nor allocated to fit a predetermined distribution. In determining a grade, due weight will be given to the learning outcomes and level of a unit (ie 100, 200, 300, 800 etc). Graded units will use the following grades:
HD High Distinction 85-100
D Distinction 75-84
Cr Credit 65-74
P Pass 50-64
F Fail 0-49
The works listed below are required for specific workshops. All readings will be available through e-Reserve.
Ghaye, T. (2010). "In what ways can reflective practices enhance human flourishing?" Reflective practice 11(1): 1-7.
Guillemin, M. & Gillam, L. (2004) “Ethics, reflexivity, and “ethically important moments” in research”, Qualitative Inquiry, 10(2): 261-280.
Thorpe, K. (2004): “Reflective learning journals: From concept to practice”, Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 5:3, 327-343.
The following readings will enahnce your understanding of the topics that underpin this unit. Except for the first resource listed which will be made available on iLearn, all readings can be otained via e-Reserve.
CDRI (2013). Research Project Development and Management: A Handbook. Phnom Penh, Cambodia CDRI.
Kolb, A. and David A. Kolb (2005). “Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education”. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4:2, 193-212.
Moon, J.A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. London: Routledge. (Chapters 6, 8; and Resource 2 –p187-189-, and Resource 7 –p 210-211)
Mooney, L.A. & Edwards, B. (2001) “Experiential learning in sociology: service-learning and other community-based learning initiative”, Teaching Sociology, 29(2):181-194.
Russell, T. (2005): “Can reflective practice be taught?” Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 6:2, 199-204
his unit is a participation (PACE) participation unit, and you will be working between 100 and 150 hours for an organisation. Some students will be based at the host organisations, others will be able to complete part of their work from home or campus.
The internship is supported by 5 compulsory on-campus two-hour workshops. This component of the internship is as important as the professional work-based component.
There are two workshops you can choose from, Fridays 9-11 AM or Fridays 4-6 PM. It doesn't matter if you signed in for one or the other, you can come to the one that suits you the most, and this may vary from workshop to workshop. For example, you can come to the 9 AM slot for workshop 1 and to the 4 PM slot for workshop 2. I will ask you to sign in for each workshop beforehand so that I know who will be coming. The dates, times and locations listed below.
Workshop 1 |
7 March |
Managing a Research Project |
Workshop 2 |
21 March |
Reflective Practice |
Workshop 3 |
28 March |
Ethics in Research and at the Workplace |
Workshop 4 |
6 June |
Communicating Research |
Workshop 5 |
13 June |
Pursuing a Career in Social Research |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by: