For this assessment task, students will be put into groups in the first two tutorials. Groups will also choose a weekly topic in the first two tutorials. Each student group will lead the discussion for their chosen week. This task requires students to summarise the literature and collaborate with other students in order to evaluate, contrast and defend their own judgements concerning popular music. This task does not require a formal presentation, just student-led discussion. You will be required to collaboratively work with your tutor to present and critique the ideas contained in the readings. 

• Please note that because group assessment tasks in which the contributions of individual students cannot be identified are graded on a pass/fail basis (as per the University's assessment policy), these group exercises will be graded on this basis in this unit. This is because there is no fair and transparent way to identify individual contributions to this group exercise. 
• Detailed instructions are available on iLearn.

Marking Criteria:

In order to pass this assessment task, students will need to:

- Demonstrate that they understand the readings for their chosen week

- Actively engage with the class in order to generate discussion
- Demonstrate knowledge of the relevant topic(s)
- Integrate the information presented with the broader themes of the week
- Demonstrate independent research of the topic

Literature Review

This assignment is an early assessment task and is designed to give you feedback within the first third of the study period. 

In 800 words, summarize the arguments contained in the readings that have been set for the first 4 weeks of this unit. Literature review assignments will be examined in relation to the following criteria:

Marking criteria:

- Demonstrated familiarity with and communication of the relevant literature covered on the unit so far
- Demonstrated ability to clearly articulate the arguments put forth in the readings so far using academic language
- Demonstrated ability to engage with, interpret and apply academic sources
- Clear identification of assignment aims (and whether these are achieved)
- Cited works should be referenced using an established system
- Clarity of expression in line with expected academic standards
 

An example of a literature review is available via the unit iLearn site. Check out how the author has reviewed the literature and in doing so, has produced a ‘dense’ piece of writing that surveys a lot of literature while also picking up on key themes. Note how the different texts are put ‘in conversation’ with each other. This is what you should aim to do for your literature review assignment for this unit. This will help you to work towards the learning outcome of being able to discuss a broad understanding of relevant popular music history and to recognise the role popular music has played, and continues to play, in the contemporary political landscape.

This type of exercise is called a ‘literature review’ because in order to create new knowledge (the aim of academia), we first need to find the gaps in the literature and to survey what has come before. This assessment task will therefore help you to meet the learning outcome of reproducing academic ideas verbally and in writing. In this way what you are doing as undergraduate students in this unit mirrors the approach that a Higher Degree Research (HDR) student would take. By doing a literature review, you will have learnt a valuable new skill and you will have started to engage with the ideas, to see links between the different topics, and by thinking in a critical and analytical way early on, you will now be able to let the ideas incubate in your mind across the semester. This will lead to better moments of insight when you produce the following assessment tasks. 

Set essay length is 1000 words. Drawing on the theories and perspectives covered in the unit analyse any one artist (and/or album) that attempts to express counter-cultural perspectives in the music, lyrics and/or overall performative persona.

Assignments must be submitted via the Turnitin dropbox on the homepage of the unit iLearn site.

Marking criteria:

- Demonstrated understanding of the essay question
- Demonstrated ability to clearly and articulately structure an argument using academic language
- Demonstrated ability to research, interpret and apply academic sources

- Clear identification of assignment aims (and whether these are achieved)
- Relevance of sources
- Credibility of sources
- Use of sources
- Evidence of independent research
- Demonstrated ability to conduct independent wider research
- Cited works should be referenced using an established system
- Clarity of expression in line with expected academic standards
- Use of relevant examples

Research Essay length is 2000 words. For your final essay, you will be required to select one question from a list that will be distributed during the second half of the semester. This list will feature questions that draw from ideas that emerge across the semester so that you can explore these further. You will play a part in developing the essay question options and ideas through group brainstorming sessions that will take place in the tutorials and lectures in the latter weeks of the semester. This way we can crowd source ideas from the student body and then collaboratively generate the essay questions and topics that you would like to research. 

•     Questions and further details will be available on iLearn and discussed at the lecture.

•     Grading Criteria in the form of a rubric is available on iLearn.

•     Assignments must be submitted via the Turnitin dropbox that is available via the unit iLearn site. 

Marking Criteria

In MUS 102 three sets of criteria are assessed in essays: reading and research; argument and analysis; and writing and structure. Within each of these sets, markers are looking for the following:

Reading and research: evidence of critical engagement with set course materials; evidence of independent reading of appropriate academic material; evidence of thorough research (books, journals, Internet, media resources and archives).

Argument and analysis: well-articulated and well-supported argument; evidence of critical thinking (through taking a position in relation to key ideas from the course, and supporting this position); evidence of relational thinking (through making connections between key ideas from the course and wider literature, and supporting these connections).

Writing and structure: clear, logical and coherent structure; clarity of expression; adequate referencing.
The notes below indicate the relationships between these criteria and grades. These should be taken as indicative rather than prescriptive. Grades are defined in the Macquarie Handbook of Undergraduate Studies.

Pass essays
Macquarie University defines the Pass standard as denoting performance which "satisfies unit objectives" the majority of essays submitted are likely to be of Pass standard. Pass essays will be solid, satisfactory pieces of work which clearly meet good standards in all three of the assessment categories.
However, generally speaking, Pass essays will probably have substantial room for improvement in at least two of the three assessment categories. The following are some examples of common problems in Pass essays: Pass essays often rely overly on description and summary at the expense of argument. They sometimes demonstrate an understanding of the need to be analytical and to construct an argument, but do not quite achieve an effective one. Often they are under-researched. Pass essays are also often in need of further editing and revision and may feature occasional unclear language or less-than coherent structure (essays which are unclear or incoherent throughout may fail).

Credit essays
Macquarie University defines the Credit grade as denoting "performance which is substantially better than would normally be expected of competent students in the unit." Credit essays, therefore, are very much above average. Speaking generally, Credit essays will often have at least some of the following characteristics: they will probably have a clear and well-supported argument and are likely to offer strong evidence of serious and thoughtful reading and research; they will often also demonstrate a broader understanding of the key themes and concepts of the unit. In addition, Credit essays will be written with a high degree of clarity and precision, and will obviously be the product of a serious process of thoughtful drafting, revision and editing. However, Credit essays will probably still display significant room for improvement in at least one of the three assessment categories.

Distinction and High Distinction essays
The university defines the Distinction grade as denoting performance which "clearly deserves a very high level of recognition as an excellent achievement in the unit." Distinction essays are exceptional pieces of work which demonstrate initiative in research and are informed by serious reading on the essay topic and in the subject area more broadly. They display both breadth and depth of understanding. Speaking generally, Distinction essays will often have at least some of the following characteristics in addition to meeting all the requirements of the Credit standard: Distinction essays usually demonstrate complex understanding and the best of them may display some originality in their analysis. Distinction essays often engage critically with underlying assumptions in texts and assess these with reference to well chosen other texts and appropriate evidence and examples.
In sum, Distinction essays are excellent pieces of writing, with carefully-mounted and effective arguments, well-supported with reference to rigorous and comprehensive research; in addition, they will be persuasively written and probably display some initiative and flair. The grade of High Distinction is awarded to essays which satisfy all of the criteria of the Distinction essay in an obviously exceptional manner: this grade is defined by the university as denoting work "which meets all unit objectives in such an exceptional way and with such marked excellence that it deserves the highest level of recognition."

Fail Essays
Fail essays do not satisfy minimum standards in any of the three assessment categories. Fail grades may be given in a range of cases, including (but not limited to) cases where: the assignment submitted more closely resembles a set of preliminary notes than a finished essay; the essay contains no evidence of reading or evidence only of reading material inappropriate for university study (this often means haphazardly selected writings found online); the essay does not construct an argument but relies instead entirely on description and synopsis; the essay calls upon the reader to guess at the meaning intended, through lack of care and attention in spelling, grammar, sentence and paragraph construction.
Please note that clarity of expression is not an optional extra in university work and that all assignments must be clearly and precisely written, using language appropriate to a university assessment task.