1. Reading Log Book

To facilitate seminar discussion, over the course of the unit students are required to submit five one-page responses to the readings, one each fortnight we meet. Each reading response is marked out of 6. Log book responses should be structured according to the three 'I's – Insight, Interest, and Incomprehension. In your reading response present what you thought was the author’s main insight. Discuss something of particular interest to you. And puzzle out which argments or claims seemed confusing or even incomprehensible that you would like to discuss in the class. Responses should be submitted at the seminar in which the reading is to be discussed. The Reading Log Book mark will be awarded on the basis of the written work.

All readings can be found on the Unit ILearn page.

2. Reflective Writing

Referencing ideas from the readings that we have discussed in the seminars, the task in this 1,300 word piece of writing is to reflect upon your own experiences and processes of learning something. This may be a musical instrument, a sport, craftwork, religion, caring for an animal, a language, becoming a national citizen, or even your own formation in an intellectual discipline. 

This short piece of writing is due on Friday April 24th at the end of Week Seven just after the term break. One copy must be uploaded through TURNITIN on this date.

3. Project Writing Essay

This project writing essay is required to be approximately 2,500 words in length. 

You have a number of options for your essay topic: 

1. Relate, compare, and assess the relevance of the unit's fortnightly readings, either to central concerns of your own discipline, or to your proposed thesis topic. 

Here work out how accounts of learning, enskilment, self-alteration, gender, embodiment, and intersubjectivity  may be usefully applied to your broadly-sketched out thesis topic. In your introduction make sure to identify the major elements of your thesis, and then imagine how the ideas of the readings might apply to them.

2. Investigate how the readings' focus on skill acquisition, intersubjectivity, and person making etc. may support and/or contradict the arguments of Pierre Bourdieu and Nigel Rapport.

Here bring the two short readings from Week 1 on habitus and agency, with their leaning towards either structural theories of society or individual agentic perspectives, into relationship with the themes and arguments of the readings. That is, how does a focus on skill acquisition, intersubjectivity, socialisation, and person making articulate with contested theories of social reproduction and/or individuality?

3. Write your own essay question that requires you to reflect upon and engage with the unit's readings. 

Please send this question to me for 'checking.' 

This essay is due in Week 12, on Friday 29th May. One copy must be uploaded through TURNITIN on this date.

Late Penalty and 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.

FOAR8005 class seminars will be held fortnightly from the first week of the first semester until the end of semester. Depending on student preference, we will meet face-to-face in Weeks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10.The seminar will be devoted to a discussion of course readings, but we will also consider writing tasks and thesis research strategies. 

Students are expected to read the set readings and to participate in discussion.

All readings can be found on the unit iLearn page.