Students
MECO701 – Research Practices
2016 – S1 Day
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit convenor
John Potts
Contact via 9850 2163
Y3A 165J
Tuesday 11-1
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| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit students will develop knowledge of the literature and practices in their field. They will do this by learning to navigate research databases and academic indexes relevant to their field and topic, and research and write annotated bibliographies that will help them to not only gather material, but to read that material critically and evaluate its relevance for their field and topic in preparation for writing a literature review at 800 level. Students will also be introduced to the ethical practices that inform their field of study.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
General Assessment Information
The Discipline Report and Written Research Proposal are to be emailed as PDF or Word Document to the convenor by the due dates.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Discipline Report | 30% | 26 April |
| Seminar Presentation | 20% | 7 June |
| Written research proposal | 50% | 14 June |
Discipline Report
Due: 26 April
Weighting: 30%
This report of 2,000 words should define the discipline or sub-discipline in which the student's research interest resides. The report should describe the history and conventions of this discipline, as well as its scope, defining characteristics, debates, and key research questions. A brief description of the existing scholarship within this discipline, relevant to the student's research question, should also be included.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Seminar Presentation
Due: 7 June
Weighting: 20%
A presentation delivered to the seminar group, outlining the student's proposed research question and its disciplinary context. The presentation should be of twenty minutes duration and take place in weeks 10-13.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Written research proposal
Due: 14 June
Weighting: 50%
This written proposal, of 3,000 words, should outline the topic of the proposed MRes research project, to be delivered in Year Two. The proposal should outline the scope of the project and describe the methodology employed in the research. It should also identify how this project is situated within a disciplinary context, including the relevant published scholarly research and/or creative practice, and any cross-disciplinary research initiatives where applicable.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Delivery and Resources
Readings will be provided by the convenor. Some readings are available online for download, as detailed in the Unit Schedule.
Unit Schedule
Week 2: 8 March - Introduction (John Potts)
Week 3: 15 March - Media Studies (Willa McDonald)
Reading: Graeme Turner and Stuart Cunningham, 'The Media and Communications in Australia Today', Chapter 1 in Turner and Cunningham, The Media and Communications in Australia, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2010
Week 4: 22 March - Writing (Willa McDonald)
Reading:
Christine Owen, 'Academic Research and Creative Writing: Redrawing the Map and Finding One's Allies (and avoiding the Corbett phenomenon)', TEXT, Vol 10, No 2, 2006, online - available at: www.textjournal.com.au/oct06/owen.htm
Shady Cosgrove, 'Getting my hands dirty: research and writing', TEXT, Special Issue 27, Creative Writing as Research III, October 2014 (eds Nigel Krauth, Donna Lee Brien, Ross Watkins and Anthony Lawrence), online at:
http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue27/Cosgrove.pdf
Week 5: 29 March - Creative Arts Research (Kathryn Millard)
Reading: Kathryn Millard, 'Writing and Improvising the Digital essay Film: The Boot Cake' at
http://aspera.org.au/research/writing-and-improvising-the-digital-essay-film-the-boot-cake/
Additional Reading: Estelle Barrett and Barbara Bolt (eds) Practice as Research Approaches to Creative Arts Enquiry London: I.B Tauris, 2007
Week 6: 5 April - Interdisciplinary Research (Kathryn Millard)
Reading: Mieke Bal, 'When Art Meets History, Philosophy, and Linguistics' in Repko et al (eds) Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Research Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2012 Note: Chapters of this book may be downloaded online from the university catalogue.
MID-SEMESTER BREAK
Week 7: 26 April - Cultural Studies (Nicole Anderson)
Reading: Nicole Anderson and Katrina Schulnke, 'Introduction: Theory to Practice' in Anderson & Schulnke, Cultural Theory in Everyday Practice, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
Week 8: 3 May - Cultural Studies and Cultural Theory (Nicole Anderson)
Reading: 'Bodies and Embodiment', 'Empire and Ethnography', 'Sex and Sexuality', 'Poststructuralism and Postmodernism' in Anderson & Schulnke, Cultural Theory in Everyday Practice, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
Week 9: 10 May - Music (Sarah Keith)
Reading:
Philip Tagg, (1982, revised 2015) 'Analysing popular music: theory, method and practice', Popular Music, 2 (1982), 37–65
Available from http://tagg.org/articles/xpdfs/pm2anal.pdf
Additional Reading: Philip Tagg (2002), 'Text and Context as Corequisites in the Popular Analysis of Music' [Unpublished Paper]. Prepared for conference on Musical Text and Context, Cremona, April 2002.
Available from http://tagg.org/articles/xpdfs/cremona1.pdf
Weeks 10 - 12: 17 May - 31 May: Student Presentations
Learning and Teaching Activities
Participation
Presentation
Written Paper
Policies and Procedures
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
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.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.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
MMCCS re-mark procedure: Additional information MMCCS website https://www.mq.edu.au/ about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_arts/ department_of_media_music_communication_and_cultural_studies/ MMCCS Session Re-mark Application http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914 Information is correct at the time of publication
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative
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:
Learning outcome
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
Assessment tasks
- Discipline Report
- Written research proposal
PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills
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:
Learning outcomes
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
Assessment tasks
- Discipline Report
- Seminar Presentation
- Written research proposal
PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
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:
Learning outcomes
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Assessment tasks
- Discipline Report
- Seminar Presentation
- Written research proposal
PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability
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:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Assessment tasks
- Discipline Report
- Written research proposal
PG - Effective Communication
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:
Learning outcomes
- Develop a high level of oral, written, and technological communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Assessment tasks
- Seminar Presentation
- Written research proposal
PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens
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:
Learning outcomes
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within a discipline area.
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods in a disciplinary area
- Think critically and make informed and logical judgments of the arguments of others to arrive at reasoned and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
Assessment task
- Seminar Presentation