Civil Society: Politics and Policy (8716.2)

Required texts

There is no set text for this unit. All relevant readings will be provided via Canvas.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Students are expected to participate in all tutorials (on campus) and to do the required readings before the commencement of each class.  Students are expected to undertake the necessary reading and research for written assignments. While there is no mark for participation, past experience proves that students who do not participate adequately are most at risk of failing the unit. Students who are unable to attend on campus classes should consider attempting this unit at a time when they can prioritise their on campus attendance.

Required IT skills

Students are to submit all work via Canvas. It is the student's responsibility to keep a back-up of their work. Technical problems such as poor internet connections or Canvas login issues will not be regarded as reasons for extensions. The ability to back-up one's work and manage one's network access are key skills in the modern workplace.

Work placement, internships or practicums

Work placements or internships are not available for this unit.

Additional information

Authority of the Unit Outline: This unit outline is a formal document and it is the student's responsibility to read the document in its entirety. Students can avoid incorrectly submitting assessment items and other issues which may affect the student's grade simply by reading this document. If you have any questions about the unit outline, ask your lecturer or tutor.

Where to Submit Assignments: All assignments are to be submitted online via the unit Canvas site using the space provided only. Assignments submitted elsewhere or in any other file format will not be considered as submitted and will attract a mark of zero. Students are responsible for ensuring they have Canvas access during the semester. Inability to access the internet will not be considered as grounds for an extension. 

By submitting assignments to the Canvas site, students are making the following declaration:

I certify that:

• the attached assignment is my own work and no part of this work has been written for me by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised by the lecturer/s concerned;
• material drawn from other sources has been fully acknowledged as to author/creator, source and other bibliographic details according to unit-specific requirements for referencing; and
• no part of this work has been submitted for assessment in any other unit in this or another Faculty except where authorised by the lecturer/s concerned.

Writing and Referencing Style: Each assignment has a different writing and referencing style. Refer to the samples provided. Further guidance will be provided in class. All words taken from any source must be presented within quotation marks and acknowledged with an appropriate reference. Students are not to use lecture notes or tutorial discussions as references for assessment items – students must undertake their own study and reference the main source. Use of lecture and tutorial discussions as references is unacceptable and will contribute to a lower mark for the relevant assessment item. Students are expected to look for material which is additional to the lectures, tutorials and Canvas in preparing their assessment items, and over-reliance on the readings or the poor quality internet sources may reduce the marks awarded.

Assessment Criteria: Assessment criteria are outlined in lectures, tutorials, online discussions and on the unit website. Sample essays at each grade level are provided to assist students to grasp the relevant standards. Marking rubric will be used to mark assignments and the details of the rubrics are available on the Canvas site. Additional information relating to assessment is outlined below:

Grade Descriptors:

High Distinction: Work of outstanding quality on the learning outcomes of the unit, which may be demonstrated in areas such as criticism, logical argument, and interpretation of materials or use of methodology. This grade may also be given to recognise particular originality or creativity, provided the work follows academic conventions and is of a high academic standard.

Distinction: Work of very good quality on the learning outcomes of the unit, demonstrating a sound grasp of content, together with efficient organisation and selectivity.

Credit: Work of good quality showing more than satisfactory achievement on the learning outcomes of the unit, or work of very good quality on some of the learning outcomes of the unit.

Pass: Work shows a satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes of the unit.

Fail: Work showing an unsatisfactory achievement of one or more learning outcomes of the unit.

Additional Criteria: In addition to the above, criteria used to assess your work will include:

• Evidence of reading relevant material, including different points of view.
• Evidence of understanding the essay question.
• Discussion and critical analysis of relevant concepts, theories and issues.
• Logical arrangement of material relevant to the question asked, reflecting understanding of the issues and the relationships between elements of the unit.
• Use of relevant facts or empirical information to develop and substantiate critical analysis and argument.
• Clarity and correctness of writing (for example grammar, punctuation including use of capital letters and spelling). 
• Proper referencing, acknowledgement and citation of sources - students must use a recognised Author/Date system of referencing. A list of references actually cited in the essay is required, presented in alphabetical order by author surname. Do not number or bullet-point the reference list as this will result in a lower mark.

Moderation Procedures: All written assignments are independently moderated in this unit. When a mark or grade is awarded that places the student in jeopardy of a Fail in the whole unit, more than one member of academic staff will be involved in the decision.

Obtaining Advice on Assignments: Advice on written assignments can be obtained from academic staff for specific advice on structure and content – do not expect the lecturer or tutors to read a draft of your essay. Students are strongly encouraged to use the University's "YourTutor" program, the Study Skills centre, or the UC Library for additional assistance (details are provided on the University website and in the unit Canvas site).

Announcements on Canvas: Announcements made on Canvas are deemed to be made to the whole group. The lecturer and tutors will not provide individual notices or materials to students who have failed to attend scheduled classes or read discussion forums. Such information may be available on the unit website, but ultimately it is the student's responsibility to attend tutorials or keep abreast of material provided online.

Late Assignments and Extensions Procedures: Late submissions will be penalised at the rate of 5% of the available marks per day, including weekends. For example, an assignment that is worth 40% of the overall assessment, which is two days late and would have received a mark of 20/40 if it had been submitted on time, will be reduced to 16/40.

Unless appropriate documentary evidence is provided, marks will be deducted for late submissions of all assessment items. All requests for extensions must be made to the lecturer via email before the submission time and must include scanned copies of the signed assignment extension request form and the relevant evidence.

Sending an email to the lecturer just before the submission deadline does not constitute the granting of an extension. Extensions will only be considered if medical certificates, letters from counsellors or other appropriate documentation are submitted with the signed request form. Generally, assignment extensions will not be accepted after the submission deadline.

Students are to keep copies of their assignments: Students are to keep a separate copy of all assessment items that are submitted. This is the student's responsibility and failure to do so will not constitute grounds for reassessment in any circumstances.

Individual work and plagiarism: No tolerance: Work by students' suspected of containing plagiarised content will be submitted to the Associate Dean (Education) of the Faculty for immediate investigation. It is taken for granted that assessment items give evidence of background reading, intelligent criticism, keen observation and the development of a line of argument to support any particular stance adopted.  It is also assumed that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, each assignment is entirely the work of the individual submitting it and is produced specifically for the unit AND the relevant semester in question. Submitting assignments or parts of assignments which have already been submitted for other units and/or semesters will therefore constitute plagiarism for the purposes of assessment in this unit. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any item of assessment found to contain plagiarism by the Associate Dean (Education) may attract a sanction including a fail grade for the assessment item or the whole unit.

Good scholarship necessarily requires building on and borrowing from the work of others but this use must be acknowledged.  Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values of respect for knowledge, scholarship and other scholars. Presenting another person's ideas or arguments by reproducing, paraphrasing, summarising or other altered forms without acknowledgement is plagiarism. Plagiarism includes submitting work prepared by another author, including another student, as your own and includes the use of an assignment you have previously submitted for another unit or a previous attempt at this unit. Students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module before attempting any assessment in this unit.

• Semester 1, 2018, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (177980)
• Semester 1, 2017, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (166911)
• Semester 1, 2016, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (154269)
• Semester 1, 2015, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (145967)