Designed to build foundational research skills, provide meaningful engagement with digital and hardcopy library resources, and prepare students for a major research essay, this assessment has students use online databases and library collections to locate four scholarly or contemporary sources (a peer reviewed journal article, reference book, edited book chapter, and newspaper article/monograph), one of which they critically analyse. This assessment introduces students to a range of different academic and popular sources, actively teaching skills for differentiating between different academic outputs, as well as assessing resource representation, reliability, and bias. As an exercise in familiarising students with the stylistic conventions of their discipline, the sources must be attributed according to the referencing guidelines offered by the delivering School, or those used within the relevant discipline. Whilst all sources should be relevant to a chosen essay topic, this assessment is not intended to serve as an essay outline or annotated bibliography. Rather, it guides students in developing research skills and performing critical analysis, the latter of which may include a discussion of the source's central arguments, merits and limitations, position within the broader scholarship, and personal reflections on its persuasiveness or rigor. Class time can be dedicated to discussing/interrogating these analysis, the latter of which may include a discussion of the source's central arguments, merits and limitations, position within the broader scholarship, and personal reflections on its persuasiveness or rigor. Class time can be dedicated to discussing/interrogating these sources.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 100-500
- CLASS LEVEL
- First year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Low time
- GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
- Effective communication skills, Critical judgement
- FEATURES
- Online
- TAGS
- scaffolded, critical analysis, essay preparation task, research skills, analysis
Advantages
Scaffolded with a major essay so as to provide early feedback on student learning and support first year students who may lack tertiary educational experience. Teaches important foundation research skills as well and develop capacity for critical thought. Well suited to all first year (gateway) courses as it eases first year transition, builds academic literacies, and inducts students into discipline-specific research cultures and conventions.
Challenges
Off-campus students may find it challenging to schedule visits to on campus libraries. This should be encouraged, but can be made optional so as to provide flexibility (as that component can be a barrier to students completing the task).
Tips for implementation
Make sure to clearly articulate what is required of students for the critical analysis as this may be a written form that is unfamiliar to them. Be prescriptive in terms of what referring styles students are requiredanalysis as this may be a written form that is unfamiliar to them. Be prescriptive in terms of what referring styles students are required to use.
How it supports academic integrity
Tasks are scaffolds and students are able to prepare early for their major assessment. As a result students may be less likely to feel last minute pressure that leads to instances of academic misconduct. Educates students about best practice regarding referencing and plagiarism. In the case of POLS1101, this assessment is paired with a final exam and marks for tutorial participation to ensure that a portion of the courses assessment is identity verified.
Professor Katharine Gelber
k.gelber@uq.edu.au
Katharine Gelber is Head of the School of Political Science and International Studies, and Professor of Politics and Public Policy. Her research is in the field of freedom of speech, and the regulation of public discourse. She has been awarded several ARC, and other, competitive research grants. In November-December 2017, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Global Freedom of Expression Project, Columbia University, New York. In Dec 2017, she jointly hosted, with Prof Susan Brison, a workshop at the Princeton University Center for Human Values on, 'Free Speech and its Discontents'. In 2014, with Prof Luke McNamara, she was awarded the Mayer journal article prize for the best article in the Australian Journal of Political Science in 2013. In 2011 she was invited by the United Nations to be the Australian Expert Witness at a regional meeting examining States' compliance with the free speech and racial hatred provisions of international law. In 2009 she presented the Mitchell Oration in Adelaide on the topic 'Freedom of Speech and its Limits'. She is the author of three monographs (Free Speech After 9/11, OUP 2016; Speech Matters, UQP, 2011, Speaking Back, John Benjamins, 2002), and three edited books (incl. Free Speech in the Digital Age, OUP 2019).
Kath is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia, and a former President of the Australian Political Studies Association and has served on its Executive Committee (2010-2018). She was Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the July 2018 World Congress of the International Political Science Association, Brisbane which brought 2400 political scientists to Brisbane. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Australian Journal of Politics and History. Find out more