Syllabus 14 template .au



First year units: Aboriginal Studies: generic argumentative essay

Developed by Dr Kristyn Harman, Moira Cordiner and Pauline Marsh

This criteria sheet is a generic one for all year one units in Aboriginal studies.

Synopsis of the task and its context

Each student selects from a series of topics and prepares essays in these first year units, ranging from 1000 to 1500 words (weighting 35%). Each topic is usually a short statement, comment or observation from a cited source that requires interpretation based on application of knowledge. Students are required to take a position on their chosen topic by presenting an argument supported by evidence. The table below is an example of how the outcomes for one first year unit (HAB103 Colonised land: Indigenous Australian history) have been matched to the generic essay criteria.

Match between learning outcomes and criteria for the task

|Learning outcomes (from HAB103) |Task specific criteria |

|1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the following: |1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the topic |

|complexity and diversity of Australian Indigenous societies and cultures; | |

|key debates in the generation and interpretation of knowledge about Indigenous cultures and | |

|societies; and | |

|contact history since 1788, past government policies, and Aboriginal responses. | |

|2. Take a position on straightforward topics, and defend the position by presenting an argument from|2. Take a position on a given topic, and defend the position by presenting an argument from |

|one perspective, supported by evidence. |one perspective, supported by evidence. |

|3. Communicate in academic writing: |3. Communicate in academic writing: |

|structure of essay |structure of essay |

|adhere to conventions of written English (word choice, grammar, punctuation and spelling) |adhere to conventions of written English (word choice, grammar, punctuation and spelling) |

|acknowledge sources and adhere to referencing conventions as per Riawunna Style Guide |acknowledge sources and adhere to referencing conventions as per Riawunna Style Guide |

|adhere to presentation requirements & word limit |adhere to presentation requirements & word limit |

|HAB103 Assignment Two |

|Criteria |HD |DN |CR |PP |NN |

| |In your essay you: |In your essay you: |In your essay you: |In your essay you: |You: |

| |correctly interpreting the question | |

| |briefly introducing the topic by placing it in a relevant wider context (the big picture) |briefly introducing the topic | |

| |identifying the key issues or |identifying the key issues or |identifying the key issues or |identifying some of the key issues or | |

| |implications |implications |implications |implications | |

| |explaining these in detail to reveal |explaining these in some detail to |explaining these to reveal that you: |partly explaining these to reveal that | |

| |that you: |reveal that you: | |you: | |

| |read widely beyond the unit reader |read beyond the unit reader |read beyond the unit reader |did some reading beyond the unit reader| |

| |made a judicious selection of relevant |made a mostly judicious selection of |selected relevant material |selected some relevant material | |

| |material |relevant material | | | |

| |can apply relevant theories or debates |are familiar with relevant theories or |mentioned some relevant theories or | | |

| |to the topic |debates |debates | | |

| |where applicable, taking into account different perspectives on the topic | | |

|Take a position on a topic, and |took a position on the topic and explicitly stated how you are going to argue |took a position that had to be inferred by the reader, rather than stating it |presented material loosely related to|

|defend the position by presenting |it |explicitly |the topic rather than taking a |

|an argument, supported by evidence | | |position, and relied heavily on unit |

|from: | | |reader and/or lecture notes |

|your unit reader | | | |

|scholarly sources | | | |

|other relevant sources | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| |objectively and insightfully defended |objectively defended the position |objectively defended the position |mostly objectively defended your | |

| |the position through: |through: |through: |position through: | |

| |presenting a compelling argument by: |presenting a convincing argument by: |presenting an argument by: |presenting an argument by: | |

| |integrating valid points linking them |integrating valid points and mostly |making valid points and tenuously |making valid points | |

| |explicitly to features of the argument |linking them explicitly to features of |linking some of them to features of the| | |

| | |the argument |argument | | |

| |strongly supporting these points with a|supporting these points with an |supporting these points with some |mostly supporting these points with | |

| |thorough analysis of a range of |analysis of a range of evidence from |analysis of evidence from relevant |evidence from relevant sources | |

| |evidence from relevant sources |relevant sources |sources | | |

| |highlighting interrelationships between| | | | |

| |these points | | | | |

|Criteria |HD |DN |CR |PP |NN |

|Communicate in academic writing: |persuasively and effectively |effectively communicated by: |communicated by: |communicated by: |communicated by: |

| |communicated by: | | | | |

|structure the essay | | | | | |

|adhere to conventions of written | | | | | |

|English (word choice, grammar, | | | | | |

|punctuation and spelling) | | | | | |

|acknowledge sources and adhere to | | | | | |

|referencing conventions as per | | | | | |

|Riawunna Style Guide | | | | | |

|adhere to presentation requirements| | | | | |

|& word limit | | | | | |

| |logically structuring the content to create a concise and cohesive essay |structuring the content to create a |partially structuring the content into |partially structuring the content |

| | |mostly cohesive essay |loosely-linked rudimentary paragraphs | |

| |expressing your ideas clearly and |expressing your ideas clearly and |expressing most ideas clearly and with |presenting most ideas clearly | |

| |fluently by skilful use of vocabulary |mostly with fluency |some fluency | | |

| |presenting a balanced proportion of |mostly presenting a balanced proportion| | | |

| |argument, analysis and evidence |of argument, analysis and evidence | | | |

| |using formal academic language and dispassionate tone |used occasional informal and/or emotive language |

| |consistently adhering to the conventions of English with few or no errors |adhering to most of the conventions of English |used some conventions of English such|

| | | |that meaning had to be inferred by |

| | | |the reader |

| |acknowledging all sources throughout the essay |acknowledging most sources throughout the essay |mentioning some sources |

| |accurately adhering to most of the required referencing conventions, in both |adhering to most of the required referencing conventions, in both the text and |using own style of referencing or |

| |the text and the reference list |the reference list |omitting references |

| |adhering to the word limit and presentation requirements |adhering to the word limit and most |adhering to some presentation |

| | |presentation requirements |requirements |

|Comments and grade: |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download