Students

SOCI8990 – Master of Research - Sociology

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Justine Lloyd
justine.lloyd@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
80
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

MRes Year 2 students in the Faculty of Arts will develop their knowledge and experience of research in their chosen discipline via a program of Faculty-level and department activities and assessments. Students will complete two assessed tasks to assist with the design and implementation of an independent research project, the findings from which will be communicated via a 20,000-word, externally examined thesis. Alternatively, students enrolled in the departments of MMCCS or English may be required to produce a creative work and a 10,000-word thesis, which are also externally examined.

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:

  • ULO1: Formulate a research question that has the potential to produce new knowledge/insights within their research field.
  • ULO2: Research and compose a comprehensive and critical literature review in a specific research area.
  • ULO3: Conduct independent scholarly research of professional quality in your field or discipline.
  • ULO4: Use well-developed judgement to undertake research responsibly.
  • ULO5: Undertake a qualitative or quantitative analysis of the data collected, inclusive of critical reasoning and argumentation.
  • ULO6: Write and publicly defend a significant research project.

General Assessment Information

Due Dates

Due dates above vary on individual student enrolment dates and patterns. Updated information will be posted on ilearn as it comes to hand. Please also check your student email for communications from the Graduate Research Office.

All assessments in this unit align with the Faculty's MRes program. Refer to your FOAR8990 Research Frontiers II ilearn page and convenor for guidance and also to the Sociology/Gender Studies MRes (year 2) Discipline Handbook (in iLearn).

Late Penalties

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Literature review 5% Yes 3 months from enrolment
Thesis 90% Yes As per e-student
Conference Presentation - Research Frontiers II (RF2) 5% No Check FOAR8990 Faculty Event Calendar

Literature review

Assessment Type 1: Literature review
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: 3 months from enrolment
Weighting: 5%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Three months (or part-time equivalent) after the date of enrolment, students must submit a written review and synthesis of literature relevant to their research project, in accordance with the requirements of their discipline, which will be assessed at department level by the Principal Supervisor and one other member of staff. Candidates will be required to pass this assessment satisfactorily in order to continue in the MRes program.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Formulate a research question that has the potential to produce new knowledge/insights within their research field.
  • Research and compose a comprehensive and critical literature review in a specific research area.
  • Conduct independent scholarly research of professional quality in your field or discipline.

Thesis

Assessment Type 1: Thesis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1080 hours
Due: As per e-student
Weighting: 90%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students will conduct independent research during their candidature, such as locating, reading and analysing prescribed and additional relevant materials, collecting and analysing data, and producing outputs at various stages, as determined by their Principal supervisor. This will culminate in the completion of a 20,000-word written thesis summarising the research project undertaken or completion of a creative work and 10,000-word written thesis, which will be externally examined by a University approved examination panel. (A 1.5-day, compulsory faculty-led session will take place at the beginning of the year to provide students with information about the program requirements for the year. Some departments may also require their students to attend department-led information sessions. Non-compulsory information sessions and workshops may also be offered by the Faculty or Departments during the year, to provide support for student candidature.)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Formulate a research question that has the potential to produce new knowledge/insights within their research field.
  • Research and compose a comprehensive and critical literature review in a specific research area.
  • Conduct independent scholarly research of professional quality in your field or discipline.
  • Use well-developed judgement to undertake research responsibly.
  • Undertake a qualitative or quantitative analysis of the data collected, inclusive of critical reasoning and argumentation.
  • Write and publicly defend a significant research project.

Conference Presentation - Research Frontiers II (RF2)

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: Check FOAR8990 Faculty Event Calendar
Weighting: 5%

 

Approximately six months after enrolment (or part-time equivalent), students will be required to give a 10-minute presentation about their research project to the Faculty of Arts Year 2 cohort as part of the RF2 conference in June or November, which will be assessed by either the Associate Dean HDR or Faculty MRes Director, in consultation with the relevant department MRes Director.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Write and publicly defend a significant research project.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Internal/on campus students are required to attend all Faculty and Departmental workshops.

All learning and teaching activities run alongside the Faculty of Arts MRes Year 2 program. Refer to your FOAR8990 Research Frontiers II ilearn page and convenor for guidance and also to the Sociology/Gender Studies MRes (year 2) Discipline Handbook (in iLearn).

Unit Schedule

Topic

Semester week

1. Research Methods

2

2. Literature Review (CoC)

3

3. Research Planning

7

4. Thesis Completion

9

5. Department Pre-conference Presentation Tune-up

11

6. PhD proposal / MRes Reflections

Semester 2

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook