Internal Students: This task is designed to develop and assess your oral communication skills and ability to work with others. At the beginning of semester we will assign tutorial topics to presenters who will work in pairs. Together, you will run the first 15-30 minutes of the tutorial. Any teaching and learning activity is acceptable, except you must not read a written paper. You could conduct a debate, organise a negotiation activity, prepare a scenario, conduct a quiz etc.  Your goal should be to help others gain greater understanding by analysing the week’s topic and linking it to current human rights issues.  For example a presentation on the topic of ‘International Enforcement’ may consider the doctrine of “Responsibility to Protect” and perhaps link this to a contemporary case study (Syria, Myanmar etc.). 

Each group-member must submit a 500- 700 word paper to ilearn by 5pm on Monday prior to your presentation.  This paper should explain how you have sought to engage the group, what you have sought to achieve in the class (what do you hope other students will learn/ reflect on) and outline the resources you have drawn on. You are also encouraged to discuss your presentation plans with your seminar leader ahead of time, either in class or via email to mariam.farida@mq.edu.au  (Note, Mariam may do some external teaching and Jon may do some internal teaching).You will be assessed on five criteria:

·         Engagement - how was the activity designed in order to engage other students in the issue?

·         Understanding - does the presentation demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the week's topic?

·         Research - how thoroughly researched is the topic and the activity format.

·         Creativity - how innovative is your method of engaging the class

·         Organization of presentation - how well organised is the class that you run.

While each student must make an individual submission to ilearn you are welcome to either submit individually-prepared work or for each member of the group to submit the same paper. In either case, please include a brief note explaining the contribution that each group member has made to the activity. Further information about this task/ discussion threads will be available on ilearn.

External students: 

You will complete the same task as internal students, with a few minor modifications. Working with at least one other student (using online discussion tools to plan your presentation) you will lead online discussion for a week, using materials or activities to engage other students. Remember, don't post an essay online and keep presentations short. The point of the exercise is to lead discussion: which means you need to prompt and encourage participation rather than dominate it.  Any form of presentation is acceptable but you should try to keep the reading/ media-viewing required for other students manageable. Think carefully about how best to draw others into the topic You could conduct a debate, work through a guided series of discussion questions, run a scenario or role play etc.  Your presentation should help others to gain greater understanding by analysing the week’s topic and linking it to current human rights issues.  

Each group-member must submit a 500- 700 word paper to ilearn by 5pm on Monday prior to the lecture in which your topic is covered. You are also encouraged to email jonathan.symons@mq.edu.au (or mariam.farida@mq.edu.au if she is convening your week) earlier to discuss your plans. This paper should explain how you have sought to engage the group, what you have sought to achieve in the class (what do you hope other students will learn/ reflect on) and outline the resources you have drawn on.  It may contain some of the posts/materials that you intend to use to prompt class discussion.

All external students are expected to engage in each other's presentations. While you will receive a preliminary presentation grade based on your own presentation, your final class participation grade will reflect both your own presentation and also your participation across the semester. You are expected to engage meaningfully in at least 70% of presentations.

An online test comprising of 15 multiple choice questions (worth 1 mark each = 15% of the total assessment) will be conducted at the end of week 7 (covering material presented in the unit up to and including week 7). The test will be administered on-line. You will have access to the test from 5pm Thursday until 5pm Friday in week 7. Once you open and start the test you will have only 30 mins in which to finish it. 

This is a timed assessment and no late submissions will be accepted.

Students are required to submit a research essay of no more than 2500 words in length.

An end-of-semester take home exam will cover content drawn from the entire unit. The maximum word length will be 2000 words. The paper will be released at 9am on Thursday and must be submitted by 5pm Saturday.

This is a timed assessment and no late submissions will be accepted.