Assessment Information
Assessment Task 2: Portfolio
Unit Weighting
90%, but with individual components that make up that (read on below)
Task description
The final assessment comprises a portfolio of work comprised of three (3) pieces of work.
There are two options for what is included in the portfolio.
OPTION ONE:
Your portfolio includes:
A revised version of your essay from Assessment Task 1, which incorporates feedback you have received and demonstrates your skills’ development. 500 words: (20% of total unit grade)
AND
An additional 500-word essay that has not been previously submitted for assessment. 500 words: (30% of total unit grade)
AND
Present an essay attempted or completed by you during the semester for another unit, annotated in Microsoft Word Review mode (you will be instructed on this in class). The annotations should consist of comment bubbles that clearly label key features of an academic essay, including:
relevant introductory background information
an indication of the value or importance of the subject under discussion
a clear thesis that responds to the essay question
clear topics that link to the thesis
key evidence that supports each topic
at least two correctly formatted quotations or paraphrases
concluding summarisation
The essay used for your commentary should be a minimum of 1000 words. You are welcome and encouraged to revise it so that it better demonstrates the features (such those in the list above) of academic writing discussed in this unit. There is no set word limit on the annotations, however they should fulfil the function described above. This piece is worth 40% of total unit grade.
OPTION TWO:
Your portfolio includes:
A revised version of your essay from Assessment Task 1, which incorporates feedback you have received and demonstrates your skills’ development. 500 words. This component counts for 20% of your total unit grade)
AND
An additional 500-word essay that has not be previously submitted for assessment. 500 words. This component counts for 30% of your total unit grade)
AND
A longer essay on a topic selected from the options that will be provided to you. This essay should incorporate and demonstrate your learning in areas of academic writing including style, structure, argument, and evidence. 1500 words. This component counts for 40% of your total unit grade.
Detailed instructions will be made available in the Assessment Information folder in the Contents section of MyLO, including essay question options.
Links to unit’s intended learning outcomes
1, 2, 3, 4
Task length
See ‘Task Description’ above.
Date due
Monday 16th August, by 11.59 pm
Submission method
All assessments for this unit are submitted through MyLO and must be either in Word Document or PDF form.
Assessment criteria
1. Write a complete and coherent introduction.
2. Write in complete, focused and coherent body paragraphs.
3. Write a complete and coherent conclusion.
4. Write in clear and appropriately formal academic English.
5. Deploy evidence from appropriate sources to support your points.
6. Reference sources according to academic standards.
Portfolio Assessment Rubric (MS Word document version)
Please note: If you are repeating this unit, you must not write on any topic that you have previously written for assessment. Assessments will be processed by the Turnitin software, which detects text matching.
ETHICS AND HEALTH
1) If people refuse to be vaccinated against contagious illnesses, should the government be entitled to have them vaccinated against their will?
POLITICS / SOCIOLOGY
1) Young people are often interested in and vocal about political matters, yet they have no formal say in them. Should the voting age in Australia be lowered to sixteen?
HEALTH / HEALTH SCIENCE; PSYCHOLOGY; SOCIETY
1) Given the harms, yet widespread nature, of binge-drinking, should the drinking age in Australia be raised to twenty-one?
2) Depression is common in older adults. Major depression manifests in 2% of those aged over 55, and its prevalence rises as age increases (Kok & Reynolds, 2017). What are the most effective ways of managing depression in older adults?
3) The rise in sedentary lifestyles in both developed and developing countries presents potential public health challenges as the danger of inactivity and too much sitting become more apparent. What can institutions such as schools and employers do to contribute to bettering this situation.
4) Should the public be concerned by the influence of violent video games on those who play them?
5) Are we justified in recommending ‘vaporisers’ or e-cigarettes to habitual smokers as a harm-minimisation strategy?
6) There is increasing interest in the link between exercise and cognitive health into older age. Is there convincing evidence that exercise benefits not only the body but also the ageing brain?
7) Pressure injuries are among the most common problems to arise in intensive care units, placing an addition burden on care and recovery. What are the most common factors associated with pressure injuries, and what can be done to minimise their occurrence?
8) What strategies should be implemented to prevent violence against healthcare workers in emergency departments?
SOCIOLOGY / EDUCATION
1) School uniforms are often criticised for stifling individuality. Are there any positives to school policies that require uniforms? On balance, would such schools be wise to retain or discontinue their uniform policies
2) Is diet quality important to educational/academic performance in school children? If so, in what ways?
3) Mobile phones are often considered by teachers and many parents to be a menace in the classroom, and often banned outright. However, are there any ways in which the use of mobile phones in class can enhance student learning? If so, in what contexts?
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS / MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
1) Consider the effects and interactions arising from Indigenous Australians’ use of social media sites. Identify at least two key trends and discuss the implications of those (either beneficial or detrimental) for Indigenous individuals and/or communities. Some of the topics you might choose to focus on are health, connectedness, identity, protest or advocacy, cyberbullying, dating, or business.
INDIGENOUS STUDIES / SOCIOLOGY
1) Sport plays a significant role in many Australian Indigenous communities, “with rates of participation . . . even higher than those of non-Indigenous Australians” (Hallinan & Judd, 2016). While Australia has a long history of premier Indigenous athletes, what interest and opportunities does sport hold for Indigenous communities at the local and non-professional level?
SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT
1) Antarctica remains relatively unaffected by pollutants stemming from human habitation and industry, yet it is not totally unaffected. Identify the major factors contributing to pollution in Antarctica and comment on their effect on the ecosystem.
ENGLISH / COMMUNICATIONS
1) Identify and discuss at least two key ways that feminism has been reflected in, or influenced, crime fiction. Your answer may consider literature and/or film, and may focus on any era of crime fiction.
2) Lethal infectious diseases, whether caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites, have been a fascination of popular cinema at least since The Plague of Florence (1919), but increased in popularity after The Andromeda Strain (1971). They have encompassed multiple genres, from drama (e.g. Philadelphia [1993], The Cure [1995]), to thrillers (e.g. Outbreak [1995]), to numerous horror films in which virally reanimated corpses prey upon the living. Focusing on any of these genres, and drawing on the research literature, identify at least two key themes common to 'infection cinema'. The topics your essay might consider include the representation of scientific endeavours (and the scientists behind them), government authority, bioterrorism, human nature, STIs including HIV/AIDS, and capitalism/resource allocation (as in several of George Romero’s zombie films).