Students

SSCI1002 – Social Sciences in Action

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and lecturer
Professor Donna Houston
donna.houston@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Email to make an appointment
Lecturer
Professor Lisa Wynn
lisa.wynn@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Email to make an appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

We are influenced by the social sciences every day, often without realising it. Through exposure to influential change makers, case studies, and practical exercises, students will meet the power of social sciences to address social problems at micro and macro scales. The unit examines a range of techniques including policy evaluation, social and environmental impact assessment, group surveys, political advocacy, community organising, powerful storytelling, and inclusive planning that have been used to shape social understandings and create change. Students will apply qualitative and quantitative approaches and learn from expert practitioners and change makers. Students will be aware of the practical and transferrable workforce and change making skills that the social sciences offer to apply in the future.

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: Discuss and analyse examples of how people, organisations and movements use social science approaches to address social issues and enact change.
  • ULO2: Describe the range of social science tools, techniques and methods used to analyse issues and communicate findings in a compelling and persuasive way
  • ULO3: Identify the diverse range of stakeholders involved in creating social change and describe how the social sciences serve to respond to and incorporate their perspectives
  • ULO4: Draft a proposal that addresses a selected social issue using appropriate qualitative and quantitative approaches.

General Assessment Information

The assessment section in iLearn contains assessment guides, marking rubrics and supporting material. The weekly seminars will offer a range of practical exercises linked directly to the preparation of assessment tasks.  

A note about the professional skills reflection presentation task

This task has two components: (1) a 500-word summary to be submitted to Turnitin by the due date and (2) a presentation to be given in class or via a recorded presentation for online flexible students. Please check iLearn for instructions about the in-class presentations and how to record and upload presentations (for online-flexible students). The two components (the summary and the presentation) need to be completed to receive marks for this task.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

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 (including 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 via a Special consideration application that has been submitted online. The Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Critical review 30% No 04/09/2026 Individual Yes Open
Project summary 35% No 06/11/2026 Individual Yes Open
Professional skills reflection 35% No 07/10/2026 Individual Yes Open

Critical review

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 04/09/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Critical review using template provided. 500 words. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss and analyse examples of how people, organisations and movements use social science approaches to address social issues and enact change.
  • Identify the diverse range of stakeholders involved in creating social change and describe how the social sciences serve to respond to and incorporate their perspectives

Project summary

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 06/11/2026
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Project proposal for external body. 1000 words.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the range of social science tools, techniques and methods used to analyse issues and communicate findings in a compelling and persuasive way
  • Draft a proposal that addresses a selected social issue using appropriate qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Professional skills reflection

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 07/10/2026
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

500-word summary and a 5 minute class presentation (or 5 minute recorded presentation for online flexible students) that reflects on uses of social science skills in the workplace.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss and analyse examples of how people, organisations and movements use social science approaches to address social issues and enact change.
  • Describe the range of social science tools, techniques and methods used to analyse issues and communicate findings in a compelling and persuasive way
  • Identify the diverse range of stakeholders involved in creating social change and describe how the social sciences serve to respond to and incorporate their perspectives

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

How will SSCI1002 run?

Weekly sessions include a 1.5 hour lecture-seminar (seminar 1) and a 1.5 hour practical-group seminar (seminar 2).

The lecture seminar will be held at 11am to 12:30pm on Wednedays in 01CC 109 Groupwork Lecture Space (Central Courtyard) and the practical group seminar will be held at 1:30 to 3:00pm on Wednesdays in 12SW 204 Tutorial Room.  Please check the timetable prior to attending the first class for any changes.

The lecture-seminar will include a mix of lectures, case studies and activities to consolidate knowledge.  The practical-group seminar, will be run in a tutorial format where the focus will be on practical activities and skills development.  The workshop-seminar will include student presentations.

Required and recommended resources

There is no required textbook for SSCI1002. Required readings are online available via the Internet and/or Leganto (see below).

Technology used

The following technologies are used in this unit...

Email

Make sure that you regularly check your student email for correspondence with teaching staff and unit announcements.

iLearn

Important information about the weekly schedule, course readings and assessment are all available on the course iLearn page. If you do not have access, please contact IT help. You are required to check iLearn and your student email regularly for course updates and information.

Turnitin

All written assessments need to be submitted online via Turnitin only. A link to Turnitin will be available via the Assessments tab on the iLearn page. Please contact the convenor if you cannot find it (do not leave it until the day of the assessment). 

Feedback will be made available online via Turnitin. It will take four forms (in no particular order): specific comments in the text of your paper; overall comments; a score on a qualitative rubric (that cannot be used to calculate your mark numerically); and a numeric score out of 100. Once you have received your assignment back, please make sure that you have access to these forms of feedback. 

ECHO Active Learning Platform

Recordings of the lectorials will be made available via the ECHO Active Learning Platform. These recordings will not necessarily cover the entire session and will become available after the session is held (typically within 24 hours). 

Leganto

Leganto is the electronic system for accessing unit readings that can be accessed via the iLearn page. Readings are allocated via topic. As well as the required readings for each topic, you will find recommended and optional readings. The required readings are available in pdf or electronic format. If you are not able to access the readings, please contact the unit convenor via email.

Unit Schedule

  1. Introduction 
  2. Why social sciences matter
  3. Researching social and cultural domains
  4. The qualitative-quantitative nexus
  5. Performativity of knowledge
  6. Storytelling for social change
  7. Ethnographic research methods
  8. Activism and politics in social research
  9. Community organising and advocacy
  10. Understanding social and environmental impacts
  11. Working with messy realities
  12. Ideas for changing the world
  13. Social sciences in action

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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.05 of the Handbook