Students

PICT704 – Specialised Research Topic in Security 1

2013 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Karl Roberts
karl.roberts@mq.edu.au
Contact via karl.roberts@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit exposes students to significant issues relating to security studies in one of five identified areas. These five areas - policing, intelligence, counter terrorism, cybersecurity and international security - are central to an understanding of security within a rapidly changing global context. The unit challenges students to test the limits of research in a selected area of study and identify effective research methodologies relevant to this area.

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:

  • Identify and create a valid research question
  • Identify literature both academic and professional relevant to the research question
  • Critically evaluate research literature relevant to the research question
  • Write a detailed analytical review of the research literature relevant to the research question drawing appropriate conclusions

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Research proposal 10% End of week 4
Annotated bibliography 30% End of week 7
Essay 60% End of session

Research proposal

Due: End of week 4
Weighting: 10%

300 words. This is a short proposal that details the research question to be considered, argues why it is a question worth consideration and identifies the types of literature to be considered. This will be developped in consultation with the unit convenor. See ilearn for specific due dates.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and create a valid research question
  • Identify literature both academic and professional relevant to the research question

Annotated bibliography

Due: End of week 7
Weighting: 30%

1700 words. Students need to identify six key papers that are relevant to their research question. See ilearn for specific hand in date.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify literature both academic and professional relevant to the research question

Essay

Due: End of session
Weighting: 60%

4000 words. Students need to write an essay that provides a critical review of literature relevant to their research question. See ilearn for due date.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify literature both academic and professional relevant to the research question
  • Critically evaluate research literature relevant to the research question
  • Write a detailed analytical review of the research literature relevant to the research question drawing appropriate conclusions

Delivery and Resources

See the ilearn site for relevant information.

Unit Schedule

See the ilearn pages for the relevant unit schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

See the ilearn site for specific information relevant to the unit.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

UniWISE provides:

  • Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.students.mq.edu.au/support/learning_skills/
  • Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions.
  • The Learning Help Desk is located in the Library foyer (level 2).
  • Online and on-campus orientation events run by Mentors@Macquarie.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/.

IT Help

If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/. 

When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.