Task: Each week you will be prompted to participate in the week’s discussion by a series of questions. The questions are designed to check your understanding of the readings or allow you to raise questions about the readings. You should aim to be able to answer all the questions even if your contribution to the discussion covers only one or two of them. The aim is to have a conversation with other students so try to be brief.

You must contribute something to the discussion board in respect of this assessment task in order to pass the COURSE, and you need to contribute to 10 weeks of the discussions to pass this assessment task.

Marks up to 5% will be allocated for minimal participation to meet requirements. Additional marks up to a further 10% will be allocated for quality of participation and engagement. Quality participation is participation which either indicates a thoughtful and engaged response to the questions raised or which raises issues which stimulate further discussion.

Task: Using one of the discussion questions from each week from weeks 2 to 6, write 5 short essays of 200 words each  - one for each week - on one of the set readings from each week. 

This task is designed to assess:

•  your coverage of the spread of the material in the unit. You are required to submit 5 pieces of work, one for each of the specified weeks.
• your ability to accurately comprehend particular texts.  Your responses should indicate your understanding of the key ideas and argument in the set text.
• your ability to creatively and critically evaluate ideas and arguments. Your responses should attempt to weigh the significance of key ideas in the set text. What do you think of what is being said? Can you come up with examples that confirm or challenge key points? Please note that some texts will require a heavier weighting of exposition over critical and creative engagement.
•  your ability to write clearly. You need to submit polished work in essay form that is structured around the presentation of key idea(s) that are carefully explicated and analysed. Pay attention to grammar and spelling. 

Your essay must include proper in-text referencing and a bibliography according to the Department of Sociology guidelines, Note: Department of Sociology guidelines available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_arts/department_of_sociology/undergraduate/useful_links/sociology_reference_guide/

Task: Using one of the discussion questions from each week from weeks 7 to 11, write 5 short essays of 200 words each  - one for each week - on one of the set readings from each week. 

This task is designed to assess:

•  your coverage of the spread of the material in the unit. You are required to submit 5 pieces of work, one for each of the specified weeks.
• your ability to accurately comprehend particular texts.  Your responses should indicate your understanding of the key ideas and argument in the set text.
• your ability to creatively and critically evaluate ideas and arguments. Your responses should attempt to weigh the significance of key ideas in the set text. What do you think of what is being said? Can you come up with examples that confirm or challenge key points? Please note that some texts will require a heavier weighting of exposition over critical and creative engagement.
•  your ability to write clearly. You need to submit polished work in essay form that is structured around the presentation of key idea(s) that are carefully explicated and analysed. Pay attention to grammar and spelling. 

Your essay must include proper in-text referencing and a bibliography according to the Department of Sociology guidelines (see above).

Task Description: You will be asked to select one question from a list of questions made available at the end of Week 6 and research and write a formal research essay of 2,500 words in response.

This task is designed to assess:

• your capacity for independent research.  Use some of the literature nominated in the unit guide and supplement with your own search for relevant material on your chosen topic.
• your ability to develop a sustained and coherent answer to a set question. Include a clear interpretation of the question and an introduction that sets out the terms of and the steps in your argument.
• your ability to bring creativity, imagination and originality of argumentation to bear on a set question. Having an opinion is vital to but not sufficient to the purposes of an argument. You need to back all claims with reasons and with evidence.
• your ability to write clearly, accurately and succinctly. You need to draft, redraft and redraft your essay. Develop one main point per paragraph and make sure that each paragraph links tightly to the next and the whole forms a coherent unity. Pay attention to grammar and spelling.

Your response must be in formal essay form, and in appropriate academic language. It should demonstrate familiarity with the course concepts, themes and set readings that relate to the question topic, as well as an effort to locate and draw on additional scholarly material to support your argument. You are also encouraged to utilize the Journal Find, Database and Multisearch functions offered by the Macquarie Library to locate material for yourself. Scholarly material is peer-reviewed material. Care must be taken if you choose to search the web for material.

Your essay must be fully referenced according to the Department of Sociology guidelines (see above).