Students

SSCI3002 – The Arts of Enquiry

2025 – Session 2, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and Lecturer
Prof Shaun Wilson
shaun.wilson@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email or ilearn
25WWB 250
Monday 9am via email or Zoom
Hangyoung Lee
hangyoung.lee@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
120cp at 1000 level or above and (SSCI2001 or SSCI2010) and (SSCI2002 or SSCI2020)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

A rigorous, valid and reliable process of enquiry involves a balance of knowledge and skills that social scientists are trained to apply. Drawing on a variety of materials including data sets, websites, articles, audio and visual texts from different settings to simulate social complexity, students will finesse their qualitative and quantitative social scientific skills and knowledges through advanced instruction in mixed methods inquiry. This unit will enable students to put their social scientific training into practice. Students will determine a topic of enquiry and address their research questions using appropriate theoretical lenses, methodological tools, and a reflexive, ethical, evidence-based approach to narrating their work. Upon successful completion, students will have demonstrated their project, problem-solving and applied research skills. They will have gained further valuable experience in generating knowledge that informs policies, strategies, and interventions, along with the means to communicate outcomes to broader communities.

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: Appraise and use a variety of materials and data sources to develop experience and capacity in managing complex social inquiries.
  • ULO2: Propose a topic of enquiry and determine the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to address the topic in a reflexive, ethical and evidence-based manner.
  • ULO3: Apply advanced qualitative and quantitative social scientific skills and knowledges to undertake mixed methods inquiry.
  • ULO4: Communicate proposals, findings and outcomes to a variety of audiences

General Assessment Information

More information

Please see the SSCI 3002 i-Learn for update information on assessments in the Assessments folder.

Special Consideration

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-time 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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research proposal 30% No Friday, 19 September at 11.55PM
Case study report 50% No Friday 7 November at 11.55PM
Presentation 20% No in week 12 classes

Research proposal

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Friday, 19 September at 11.55PM
Weighting: 30%

 

Research proposal with literature review and project plan. 1500 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Appraise and use a variety of materials and data sources to develop experience and capacity in managing complex social inquiries.
  • Propose a topic of enquiry and determine the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to address the topic in a reflexive, ethical and evidence-based manner.
  • Communicate proposals, findings and outcomes to a variety of audiences

Case study report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Friday 7 November at 11.55PM
Weighting: 50%

 

Final case report synthesising mixed-method data. 2500 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Appraise and use a variety of materials and data sources to develop experience and capacity in managing complex social inquiries.
  • Propose a topic of enquiry and determine the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to address the topic in a reflexive, ethical and evidence-based manner.
  • Apply advanced qualitative and quantitative social scientific skills and knowledges to undertake mixed methods inquiry.
  • Communicate proposals, findings and outcomes to a variety of audiences

Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: in week 12 classes
Weighting: 20%

 

Group presentation reflecting on research methods and processes

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Appraise and use a variety of materials and data sources to develop experience and capacity in managing complex social inquiries.
  • Propose a topic of enquiry and determine the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to address the topic in a reflexive, ethical and evidence-based manner.
  • Apply advanced qualitative and quantitative social scientific skills and knowledges to undertake mixed methods inquiry.
  • Communicate proposals, findings and outcomes to a variety of audiences

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

Greetings - welcome to our new 3rd year social sciences unit, SSCI 3002, that focuses on mixed methods social research and report writing. 

I-learn provides a comprehensive outline of the contents and assessment task for this Unit.

Our classes will be held on ZOOM on Wednesdays in the scheduled weeks (see Unit Schedule below) between 1pm and 5pm. 

We hope you enjoy working with us.

Shaun Wilson and Young Lee

Unit Schedule

Session  Content Staff

week 1: Wednesday 30 July (on Zoom) 

Mixed Methods Research: Design and Report Writing

Shaun and Young

week 2: Wednesday 6 August 

Interview Questionnaire: Design and Drafting week 2

Shaun

week 4: Wednesday 20 August 

Survey Questionnaire: Design and Drafting

Young

week 6: Monday 15 August 

Qualitative Data Analysis

Shaun

week 8: Wednesday 3 Sept

Quantitative Data Analysis

Young

week 10: Wednesday 15 Oct

Mixed Methods: Techniques and Report Write-up

Shaun and Young

week 12: Wednesday 29 Oct

Presentations

Shaun and Young
     

 

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 2025.04 of the Handbook