Students

PICX3020 – Ethical Practice in Security Studies and Criminology

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Andrew Kapos
andrew.kapos@mq.edu.au
Peter Siomos
peter.siomos@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to Bachelor of Security Studies (OUA) and 50cps at 2000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

As the capstone unit for the Department of Security Studies and Criminology, PICX3020 partners students with organisations drawn from government, industry, and civil society. Teams of students will work on projects designed both to contribute to the mission of their partner organisation and to give students the opportunity to apply the insights they have developed over the course of their program to a practical problem in their field. Mentors from the partner organisations will provide guidance to the student teams during the unit. Alongside their project work, students will undertake some complementary career development exercises and consider what it means to think and act ethically in their chosen careers. Applications to undertake PICX3020 in Session 2 will open at the start of Session 1 and close at the end of Week 5 in Session 1. To apply for PICX3020 in Session 2, students must meet specific prerequisites to enroll (see pre-requisite section below). Students are responsible for ensuring these requirements are met prior to course registration.  Visit Employability Connect for important information on this unit.

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: Examine the major ethical, moral, and legal paradigms of thought within the field of Security Studies and Criminology.
  • ULO2: Discuss and critically evaluate challenging questions of security and criminology policy and practice.
  • ULO3: Apply ethical and professional standards expected of those working in the security sector, including during the course of their PACE activity.
  • ULO4: Understand and apply the theory of teamwork and project management during the course of their PACE activity.
  • ULO5: Through reflective practice, consider and apply career development and job application strategies.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mock Job Application 40% No Week 10 Sunday 12 May 23:55
Project Work 60% No Project Wk 12 Sun 26 May 23:55 Indiv Comp WK13 2 June 23:55

Mock Job Application

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 10 Sunday 12 May 23:55
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will prepare and present mock job applications designed to prepare them for applying and interviewing for jobs in the security profession.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine the major ethical, moral, and legal paradigms of thought within the field of Security Studies and Criminology.
  • Through reflective practice, consider and apply career development and job application strategies.

Project Work

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Project Wk 12 Sun 26 May 23:55 Indiv Comp WK13 2 June 23:55
Weighting: 60%

 

Students working in small teams assigned to work on projects set by partner organisations from public, private, or not-for-profit sector. Teams work mostly independently, supervised by mentors from sponsoring partner organizations who provide guidance and direction in collaborative environment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss and critically evaluate challenging questions of security and criminology policy and practice.
  • Apply ethical and professional standards expected of those working in the security sector, including during the course of their PACE activity.
  • Understand and apply the theory of teamwork and project management during the course of their PACE activity.

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

Delivery and Resources

UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

  • You should spend an average of 12 hours per week on this unit. This includes listening to lectures prior to seminar or tutorial, reading weekly required materials as detailed in iLearn, participating in Ilearn discussion forums and preparing assessments.
  • Internal students are expected to attend all seminar or tutorial sessions, and external students are expected to make significant contributions to on-line activities.
  • In most cases students are required to attempt and submit all major assessment tasks in order to pass the unit.

 

REQUIRED READINGS

  • The citations for all the required readings for this unit are available to enrolled students through the unit iLearn site, and at Macquarie University's library site.  Electronic copies of required readings may be accessed through the library or will be made available by other means.

 

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

  • Computer and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
  • This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
  • Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.
  • Information about IT used at Macquarie University is available at  http://students.mq.edu.au/it_services/

 

SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS

  • All text-based assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically.  This will only happen through the unit iLearn site. 
  • Assessment tasks must be submitted as a MS word document by the due date.
  • Most assessment tasks will be subject to a 'TurnitIn' review as an automatic part of the submission process.
  • The granting of extensions is subject to the university’s Special Consideration Policy. Extensions will not be granted by unit conveners or tutors, but must be lodged through Special Consideration: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

 

 

LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKS

 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.  

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

 

 

WORD LIMITS FOR ASSESSMENT TASKS

  • Stated word limits include footnotes and footnoted references, but not bibliography, or title page.
  • Word limits can generally deviate by 10% either over or under the stated figure.
  • If the number of words deviates from the limit by more than 10%, then penalties will apply. These penalties are 5% of the awarded mark for every 100 words deviation from the word limit. If a paper is 300 words over, for instance, it will lose 3 x 5% = 15% of the total mark awarded for the assignment. This percentage is taken off the total mark, i.e. if a paper was graded at a credit (65%) and was 300 words over, it would be reduced by 15 marks to a pass (50%).
  • The application of this penalty is at the discretion of the course convener.

 

REASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER

 

STAFF AVAILABILITY

  • Department staff will endeavour to answer student enquiries in a timely manner. However, emails or iLearn messages will not usually be answered over the weekend or public holiday period.
  • Students are encouraged to read the Unit Guide and look at instructions posted on the iLearn site before sending email requests to staff

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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.01 of the Handbook