Assignment (Major Essay)
Due Date: Wednesday, 10 Jan
Weight: 60%
Length: 2,000 words
Each student is required to individually submit a well-researched and clearly written
essay of no more than 2,000 words in response to the following:
In your unit text Heywood introduces you to four competing definitions of politics (see
pages 2-12). Your task is to choose ONE of these definitions and develop an analysis
of the politics of ONE of the social problems (or any other social problem in which you
have a particular interest) listed below:
- Homelessness
- Emissions Trading
- Child Welfare
- Health Care
- Domestic Violence
- Terrorism
- Refugees and Border Security
- Crime and Punishment
- Education
- Social Inequality
- Indigenous Rights
- Human Rights
- Consumer Protection
- Environment
Some suggestions:
- After your introductory paragraph, your analysis should have one paragraph that
discusses the definition of politics that you have adopted. For example, if you intend
to adopt the definition of politics as government then you should provide a brief
paragraph that discusses that particular approach to defining the political.
- Your essay should avoid any attempt to offer an exhaustive descriptive account of
your chosen problem. Rather, you should remain firmly focused on developing an
analysis of the politics (as you have defined it) of your problem. For example, if you
choose to define politics as government then your focus would be on the analysis of
what government has done to deal with the problem. You might give some
consideration to explaining why government has done what it has done, or you could
focus more on the roles and activities played by various social groups and
organisations that have tried to influence government policy. Alternatively, you might
wish to focus on the impact that government actions have had on your chosen social
problem. Similarly, if you chose to define politics as compromise and consensus,
your focus would be on the analysis of how conflicts associated with your chosen
social problem have or have not been resolved. You might spend some time telling
us about the nature of those conflicts, the various interests involved, what different
groups and organisations have tried to do to resolve the conflict, what tactics they
have used, as well as provide some analysis of the results of attempts to resolve the
conflict.
- Your essay should demonstrate an ability to use some of the key concepts that you
have been introduced to this trimester to the political analysis of your chosen
problem. For example, if you choose to define politics as power, you would be
expected to be clear about what you mean by power, and use your definition in a
consistent and clear manner. Similarly, if you use the concepts of state, or legitimacy,
or authority, you would be expected to demonstrate a clear understanding of the
meaning of such terms and to also apply then consistently in your analysis.
- Your essay should demonstrate a capacity to locate relevant empirical material. The
resources and search engines available to you through the Dixson library should be
used. Markers will not look favourably upon a simple reliance on a Google search.
- Your essay should be structured according to the conventions of academic writing. If
you are unsure about what this entails please go to
[http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/aso-online/academic-writing/index.php]. See also
‘Tips on Essay Writing’ on page 19 below.
- Your essay should be referenced accurately and should contain a properly formatted
bibliography of sources. The AGPS Referencing system should be used. Particular
care must be shown toward grammatical expression and spelling.
- You should begin preparations for your final assignment no later than four weeks
before the due date. A special Discussion Forum will be established to deal with any
questions or queries students have about their major essay. Although assignments
must be submitted individually, students are encouraged to engage in a group
discussion via Moodle about how they intend to address the major essay task. The
Unit coordinator will monitor the group discussion and provide advice when
necessary.
- In a Header does the essay contain the unit name, my name, my student number.
- Is typed with at least 1.5 line spacing.
- The typeface for the text is the equivalent of 12 point Times Roman and the typeface in the footnotes is at least 10 point.
- Has page numbers at the top of each page.
- Has a left-hand margin of 3 cm and a right hand margin of 2 cm.
- Includes an introduction that states my main argument clearly and succinctly.
- Has been referenced in accordance with the AGPS referencing system.
- Has a bibliography/or list of references been attached.
