How to get the most out of SOC295

SOC295 Work and Employment has a simple and easy to follow structure. It is based on the idea of learning in three ways: reading about, listening to, discussing and writing about key ideas, topics and concepts. Every week follows this pattern with a clear focus on a key question.

1. READING: The reading(s) provide you with essential information around the key question. Do the readings before you come to the lectures.
2. LISTENING: Every lecture identifies and addresses a key question in relation to work and employment.
3. WRITING: Once you have done the reading(s) and listened to the lecture, it is time to discuss with other students (online or in the on campus tutorials) how to write an answer to the key question. Finally, in the writing tasks you articulate in your own words how the key question can be answered using the course material.

The assessments in SOC295 build on linking these three components of the course. Following those three steps will enable you to do well in SOC295.

How to submit the assignments

The writing tasks 1 and 2 have to be submitted via the turnitin links on iLearn by 11.59pm on the due date. You can submit your assignment only ONCE! Please do not panic if you (for whatever reason) submit your assignment a few minutes late. We will not deduct marks for that. Your grades will be made available on gradebook on iLearn too, but remain subject to change until the end of the course and depend on your overall performance in the course.

Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

How to deal with difficulties

The first rule is let your tutor know asap. The sooner we know, the sooner we can help. In particular there is little we can do to help you once the due date of assignments has passed.

The second rule is, please bring your questions to the tutorials / discussion boards and ask your tutor before you individually email us. Often others have the same questions about referencing or contents related questions. Generally, the advice is to ask as early as possible and not avoid asking.

For issues affecting your performance, but which are unrelated to the course contents and prevent your from participating in tutorials or from submitting assignments or from completing the unit, please let us know and visit www.ask.mq.edu.au where you can submit the appropriate application including the required documentation. This is essential to grant you extensions in particular beyond the end of semester if required.

IMPORTANT: If this is a unit you need to complete you degree, in particular if you are in our last semester or an international student, please ensure from the start that you perform well so that you pass. If you have trouble following in the tutorials or are at risk of failing the unit after the first assignment, ask your tutor what you can do to improve and make sure you pass. 

All lectures will be recorded and will be available through iLearn. The readings used in this course are available through a link on iLearn. 

Online tutorials are also being delivered through iLearn.

Lecture slides are only available as part of the ECHO recordings and not as a separate file. Files for note taking during the lectures will be made available through iLearn.

Should you encounter any IT problems, please contact IT directly via One Help.

Most of your questions will have been answered in the lectures, the course guide or by your tutor, so PLEASE look there before asking simple questions to everyone on iLearn and listen and read carefully.

Please understand that we will not be able to answer individual and repetitive questions if the information is either available in the unit guide or has been provided during the lectures and tutorials. Please also read our answers to others on iLearn since you might have exactly the same questions. Again, if the question has been posted and answered before, we will not answer again.

Thank you for your understanding!

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA SOC295 (writing tasks)

The following is only an indication and cannot be strictly applied to your assessment. It should, however, give you an idea of what the requirements are.

Knowledge: Understanding of key question and ideas, key points / concepts, components of lecture topic and their interrelationships (e.g. sociological timeline).

Application: Ability to explain and engage with sociological ideas and frameworks presented in the relevant week in a critically reflective way / in own words.

Presentation: The extent to which the work has been written and presented in a manner consistent with academic standards.

HD

Knowledge: Your assignment shows an insightful, comprehensive, and satisfactory engagement with the course contents. You convey an advanced understanding of the complexities of knowledge crucial to the chosen week. The work systematically and critically addresses the key question. There is evidence of an excellent understanding of the inter-relationships between theoretical concepts and ideas. You show how they relate to questions of work and employment and the idea of a work society.

Application: Your assignment demonstrates a capacity to use course material to critically reflect on work and employment in your own words. You show the ability to select the relevant knowledge, define concepts clearly and correctly. You demonstrate the ability to apply the weekly material to the overarching questions of differentiation and integration.

Presentation: The work has been written and presented to an exemplary academic standard. You use the reading in a clear and meaningful way to back up your points. Your reference style is in line with academic writing standards.

D

Knowledge: Your assignment shows a comprehensive and satisfactory treatment of all the task requirements. You convey a good understanding of the complexities of knowledge crucial to the chosen week. While you demonstrate a good understanding of the inter-relationships between different knowledge components, some definitions remain vague and need to be formulated more systematically and clearly.

Application: Your assignment demonstrates some capacity to critically reflect on and identify the crucial aspect of a work society from this week. You show some ability to select the relevant knowledge and apply it to the overarching questions of differentiation and integration. Some crucial points are missing though and you need to answer the key question in a more integrated, precise and systematic fashion.

Presentation: The work has been written and presented to an acceptable academic standard. The way you use the reading to back up your points can be improved by making the connection between quote / reference and your point clearer. There are minor issues with your referencing style / formatting. Please have a look at, for example, The Journal of Sociology to see how it needs to be done.

Credit

Knowledge: Your assignment fulfills the required tasks only partially. You convey an incomplete understanding of the complexities of knowledge crucial to the chosen week. You mainly summarise the lecture material and rely too much on the lecture components. Some definitions are missing or wrong, remain vague and need to be formulated more systematically and precisely.

Application: Your assignment demonstrates only some capacity to critically reflect on and identify the crucial aspect of a work society from this week. Some relevant knowledge/concepts are missing and you do not engage with the overarching questions of differentiation and integration. You need to answer the key question in a more integrated, precise and systematic fashion by identifying the key components of the chosen week.

Presentation: The presentation and writing style of your assignment needs attention. Please make sure that you get some proofreading for your final assignment. The way you use the reading to back up your points is deficient and needs to be improved by making the connection between quote / reference and your point. Your referencing style / formatting does not fulfill academic standards. Please have a look at, for example, The Journal of Sociology to see how it needs to be done.

Pass

Knowledge: Your assignment barely fulfills the required tasks. You convey an incomplete understanding or even misunderstand the complexities of knowledge crucial to the chosen week. The key question remains mainly unanswered and you do not engage enough with the course material. Relevant components and definitions are missing or wrong, remain vague and need to be included systematically and clearly.

Application: Your assignment demonstrates very little capacity to critically reflect on and identify the crucial aspect of a work society from this week. Most relevant knowledge is either missing or misunderstood. You do not engage with the overarching questions of differentiation and integration. You need to answer the key question in an integrated and systematic fashion.

Presentation: The presentation and writing style of your assignment needs attention. Please make sure that you get some proofreading for your final assignment. You do not use the reading to back up your points and the connection between quote / reference /reading remains unclear. Your referencing style / formatting does not fulfill academic standards. Please have a look at, for example, The Journal of Sociology to see how it needs to be done and contact the Learning and Teaching Centre at the University.

Fail

Knowledge: You fail to address the task requirements in a satisfactory manner. The work conveys little evidence or understanding of the knowledge relevant to the chosen week. Your assignment fails to demonstrate a satisfactory grasp of the field of knowledge covered in the unit.

Application: Your assignment conveys very little evidence of the capacity to recognise when or how to engage with different contents from the chosen week. You do not reflect effectively and critically on the key aspect of work and employment from this week. Few connections are appropriately drawn between relevant concepts or aspects of work societies like integration and differentiation to which they are to be applied.

Presentation: Your assignment demonstrates little understanding or appreciation of standards required for academic writing. Improvements in terms of clarity, grammar, spelling, quotations, referencing or presentation are required to achieve an acceptable standard. Please have a look at, for example, The Journal of Sociology to see how it needs to be done or contact the Learning and Teaching Centre at university for assistance.

As an external student in SOC295 you are required to listen to the lectures online via iLearn and do the weekly readings.

Your tutorial is the weekly online discussion forum. What on campus students do in classes on campus, you do in the discussion forum. That is you will engage in the weekly topic to discuss the main points and concepts which are crucial for your assignments. It is your responsibility to "attend" online regularly. The online engagement is the foundation for the two writing tasks. From experience students who engage in discussions are doing much better in the assignments.