| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Chris Houston
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
"Admission to Graduate Diploma of Research OR Bachelor of Philosophy."
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit will introduce students to research in the Social Sciences, including the cognate disciplines of Education, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography and Planning, Politics and International Relations, and Security Studies and Criminology, exploring what characterises research in these disciplines. Students will encounter and learn to critically evaluate the key concepts, questions and issues that have shaped and/or are currently shaping research in these disciplines. This unit will equip students to analyse the disciplines’ key literature and identify the important theoretical approaches, methods, arguments and ethical considerations that characterise research within this area. This unit will prepare students to position their own developing research ideas within a disciplinary context as they prepare for future independent research projects. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
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.
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project integrating theory and methods | 40% | No | At seminar | Individual | No | Open AI |
| Reflective writing on research | 30% | No | 24/04/2026 | Individual | No | Open AI |
| Reading log book | 30% | No | 29/05/2026 | Individual | No | Open AI |
Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 54 hours
Due: At seminar
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI
A project task integrating insights on theory and methods in their discipline
Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: 24/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI
Reflective writing task critically engaging with research in their discipline
Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: 29/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI
Regular submissions to an online log book based on required reading
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.
3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
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.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
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 2026.01R of the Handbook