Part One
Title: Short Essays
Due Date: 5pm Friday -‐ Week 4, Week 7, Week 10.
Assessment Value: Worth 40% of final mark for the unit (10% for short essay 1, 15% each for short essays 2 and 3).
Length: Short Essay #1: minimum 500 words.
Short Essay #2: minimum 750 words
Short Essay #3: minimum 1,000 words
Task:
Write a short essay in weeks 4, 7 and 10 (3 in total). Each short essay should be a critical discussion/summary based on the lecture and readings for the previous weeks. Each submission should:
- contain an introductory paragraph including a proposition/thesis statement
- define, from the readings/lecture, a key concept in your own words using at least one example from the media and another text
- introduce 3-‐5 key points which relate to the proposition with examples and references
- use correct referencing (both in-‐text and end-‐text)
* you must include additional references to the set readings.
Assessment criteria/Marking key:
Content
- Proposition/Thesis statement clearly stated and argued.
- Clear understanding of the main ideas in the text
- Some critical engagement with the ideas presented
Formatting
- Correct referencing including paraphrasing of ideas
- Clearly written expression (including spelling, paragraphs, connectives)
Resources:
- Set readings
- Independent research
Learning outcomes from the unit outline:
- Discuss the interactions between media and their social and cultural contexts.
- Discuss the concepts of the individual, ideology and the social subject.
Background:
This assessment is designed to encourage you to:
- engage in reading the set texts;
- attend tutorials and to engage in group interaction;
- develop an understanding of contemporary theories of communication and media as presented in the reading;
- apply theoretic concepts to selected media examples;
- facilitate effective reading and note taking practices
- develop skills in clear, concise written expression;
- use correct referencing conventions, as outlined in the ECU Referencing Guide (available from the ECU Bookshop or on-‐line).
Part Two
Title: Tutorial Leadership (Group Presentation) Due Date: Tutorial Weeks 3 -‐12
Assessment Value: Worth 20% of final mark for the unit (see the Assignment section on the unit’s Blackboard portal for a copy of the marking key).
Length: Presentation: 15 minutes (not including discussion)
Task:
In groups of two to three members you will be asked to conduct a tutorial. Your tutor will allocate you a set week. Select an aspect of the topic that you can develop research and discuss. You need to:
- prepare a short summary of the set readings
- include at least three additional academic references (journal articles or books) with examples to support the topic of the week.
- highlight the key points that each author/text is stating.
- initiate a class discussion and/or activity based on the topic following the presentation.
The oral summary should be presented to class in the following format and should not exceed 15 minutes:
You must follow this format:
- Title
- Proposition (argument)
- Key ideas and concepts (3-‐4 main points)
- Present examples to support the ideas…