Underpinned by a 'students as scholars' teaching pedagogy, this assessment sees students develop a research topic of personal interests and that aligns with the broader research agendas of the coordinating staff or that of the School (In the case of LAWS5213 students choose a topic related to the human trafficking and irregular migration). Students then produce a 30-minute oral presentation (in which they outline their topic, initial findings, research challenges etc.) and an extended research essay where they provide an in-depth analysis of their chosen issue. This assessment (and the associated learning environment) has been successfully administered in UQ's Trafficking in Persons Working Group; an interdisciplinary research environment between UQ's School of Law and The School of Political Science coordinated by Professor Dr Andreas Schloenhardt and Dr Melissa Curley. In this context, students learn the value of interdisciplinary responses to social problems, how to work effectively across disciplines, and gain an insight into the specific conceptual frameworks that disciplinary knowledge can bring to these problems. This working group was explicitly designed to foster a pedagogical method that aligns with the teaching-research nexus, where students operate as scholars engaged in research and inquiry. This assessment provides opportunities for students to contribute to peer learning, as well as to the broader field of study - in LAWS5213 several student essays have been developed into jointly authored research outputs between students and coordinating staff.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 10-20
- CLASS LEVEL
- Third year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Medium time
- GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
- In-depth knowledge in the field(s) studied, Effective communication skills
- CONDITIONS
- Work-related, Sequence
- FEATURES
- Authentic
Advantages
Allow a space for upper level undergrads to learn in a research-led (interdisciplinary) learning environment, prepares students wishing to pursue post-graduate pathways, and develops meaningful relationships between students and teachers. Provides an in-depth knowledge in the field (through extended engagement with a topic of disciplinary relevance) and enhances communication skills (develops the ability to sequence and communicate complex material orally, and develops capabilities longform written expression) – both core UQ graduate attributes. This assessment is widely transferable to upper level HaSS courses where students benefit from research-led learning environments. It is well suited to courses that deal with complex interdisciplinary policy issues, international problems, or emerging research areas (such as climate change, irregular migration, energy security etc.).
Challenges
Students may struggle initially with developing their own research topic with broad parameters – make sure to scaffold the assessment with learning activities that explicitly address ow to conduct research to break research process into manageable tasks so that students don't feel overwhelmed.
Tips for implementation
In the context of LAWS5213, student acceptance into the course is determined via application (involving a statement of interest and student GPA); this ensures a platform of mutual learning and increases the likelihood of high level student outputs. When this assessment is being delivered as part of an interdisciplinary working environment it is useful to have co-facilitators from each of the involved disciplines.
How it supports academic integrity
The presentation component of this assessment is observed and therefore identity verified. This assessment takes place within a learning environment where student progress is monitored and discussed amongst peers and staff. Additionally, the ability of students to choose their own topic encourages students to produce original research by instilling students with a sense of ownership and personalisation in relation to the assessment.
Dr Melissa Curley
m.curley@uq.edu.au
Senior Lecturer in International Relations. Her research and teaching interests include Southeast Asian politics and international relations, Cambodian politics and post-conflict reconstruction, and non-traditional security in East Asia (including trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, pandemic disease and child protection issues). Dr. Curley co-facilitated the UQ Working Group on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in the T.C Bernie School of Law (http://www.law.uq.edu.au/humantrafficking) from 2012-2016. She has published in internationally peer reviewed journals including: Review of International Studies, The Journal of Law and Society, Australian Journal of Human Rights, and Australian Journal of International Affairs, amongst others. Her most recent book is Migration and Security in Asia (Routledge 2008) with S.L. Wong. Before joining the School in January 2006, Dr. Curley was a researcher in the China-ASEAN project at the Centre of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong, where she also coordinated a consultancy project on Southeast Asian affairs for the Hong Kong Government's Central Policy Unit. She holds a Ph.D in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University in the UK, and BA(Hons) in Government from UQ.
In 2015, Dr Curley joined the Executive Advisory Board of Bravehearts, an Australian not-for profit organisation that aims to educate, empower and protect Australian children from sexual assault, and in 2016 was made a Paul Harris Fellow, in recognition of her services to The Rotary Foundation. In 2020 she gained Fellowship status with the Higher Education Academy (UK). Find out more