For this assessment, students are required to write short essay responses for two of the available three questions. Students are expected to submit compositions that answer the questions while showcasing knowledge of the course concepts, application of relevant evidence, and appropriate academic writing. ESSAY QUESTIONS Students should select two of the following questions, drawn from the course content delivered in Modules 1-6 inclusive: 1) In what ways does the media misrepresent the nature of crime? 2) Violent crime can be a source of concern, but is it the most frequently occurring type of crime in society? 3) Is the risk of being a victim of violent crime evenly distributed throughout society?
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSESSMENT 2 – TAKE HOME EXAM 1013CCJ: Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice Griffith University ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW For this assessment, students are required to write short essay responses for two of the available three questions. Students are expected to submit compositions that answer the questions while showcasing knowledge of the course concepts, application of relevant evidence, and appropriate academic writing. ESSAY QUESTIONS Students should select two of the following questions, drawn from the course content delivered in Modules 1-6 inclusive: 1) In what ways does the media misrepresent the nature of crime? 2) Violent crime can be a source of concern, but is it the most frequently occurring type of crime in society? 3) Is the risk of being a victim of violent crime evenly distributed throughout society? Note: As a general guide, students should have a minimum of 5 empirical references. While it is possible to pass the assessment using only the course readings, students who incorporate additional information from appropriate academic sources will be rewarded. SHORT ESSAY FORMAT The two short essays should be submitted as one document; this document will include a title page, essay response 1, essay response 2, and a list of cited references (these may be in one collated list at the end of the document, or in shorter lists accompanying each essay response). The title page should include the student’s name and s-number, the course code and number, the tutor’s name and tutorial enrolment, and the assessment name and due date. Students should write in typical essay style; that is, each essay response should contain a brief introduction, a body with supporting evidence, and a succinct conclusion. Each short essay should be approximately 750 words, +/- 10% (the word count should exclude the title page and the reference list; in-text citations are included in the word count). The document should be formatted according to APA (American Psychological Association) stipulations, including 2.54 cm margins, double spacing with no additional breaks, 12-pitch Times New Roman font, in-text citations, and a list of included references (11-point Arial font is also accepted, as is 1.5-line spacing). Students should ensure that their final composition is free from spelling and grammatical errors, enhances readability, is logically defensible, and wholly responds to the question selected. ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION The take home exam is due no later than 8:55 a.m. AEST on Monday, 30 April, 2018. Assignments will be submitted through Turnitin (via the course Learning@Griffith site). Assignments received after this time will be deemed late unless an extension has been granted through the School. If you are unable to submit your assignment by the due date, you need to apply for an extension as set out in point 5.4 of the Course Profile. Assignments submitted beyond the due date without an approved extension will be penalized with a reduction of 10% per working day; any assessment received later than five days beyond the due date without an approved extension will be awarded zero marks. Your assessment must be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard; hard copy and email submissions will not be accepted. To submit your assignment electronically, log into the course Blackboard site using your Learning@Griffith username and password, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for the assessment. By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. You should consult with the University’s policies and guidelines relating to academic integrity and plagiarism as referenced in point 6.1 of the Course Profile. ASSESSMENT MARKING Each short essay response is worth 20 marks, for a total of 40 marks possible. This assessment is weighted as 40% of students’ final mark in the course. Students’ performance on the minor essay will be assessed according to the marking criteria included on the following page. 1013CCJ Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice ASSESSMENT 2: TAKE HOME EXAM Marking Criteria Criteria Excellent Very Good Good Poor Unsatisfactory Structure & Argument •Introduction synthesises relevant literature, summarises the problem and the argument • Essay directly addresses the question • Breaks question into parts and responds to each • Follows a set plan • Mounts a coherent and logical argument • Does not just rely on description • Integrates information from various sources • Supports argument with refs/evidence • Conclusion summarises issues & argument /5 marks Meets all criteria to a consistently high standard. Strong argument & structure. Excellent use of sources. Focuses precisely on the question asked and deals with all aspects of it. Meets most criteria well. Good argument & use of sources, but may need stronger links and integration between sections. Good effort on most criteria. Good attempt at argument, but may lack cohesion. May be too much reliance on quotations, rather than conveying points in the student’s own words. May omit/ not deal well with part of question. May be generalisations. Makes attempt, but likely to be confusing, contain repetitions, lacks an obvious plan, has strings of quotes not properly integrated into the argument. Likely to omit parts of the question. May have some irrelevant material/generalisations. Fails to mount any reasonable argument. Lacking in structure and cohesion. No reference to sources, or unintegrated references. Contains much irrelevant material, relies heavily on generalisations. Content • Explains/defines all relevant key terms and concepts • Provides concise overview of the topic • Refers to sufficient range of key references and sources to show understanding of topic • Draws explicit links with key literature • Uses relevant examples /5 marks Meets all criteria to a consistently high standard. Shows excellent understanding of all aspects of the topic, key concepts and theory. Meets most criteria well. Canvasses main points and demonstrates good understanding of key concepts and theory. Good effort on most criteria. May omit or not demonstrate knowledge of some relevant issues or theory. Content may not be balanced. Makes attempt, but may be omissions or errors. Definitions may be confused. Lack of reference to relevant terms/concepts. May be insufficient use of key sources. Fails to demonstrate familiarity with topic, theory and key concepts. No understanding shown of background info or key sources. No or inadequate research shown. Referencing • Provides in-text referencing for all arguments, assertions & evidence • Appropriately paraphrases source material • Provides a complete list of references • Uses correct APA style /5 marks Meets all criteria well. Consistent in-text referencing. Good paraphrasing. Complete, properly set out list of refs. Uses APA style. Meets most criteria well. Generally good referencing & good list of refs. May be some minor errors. Uses APA style. Good effort, but refs need to appear appropriately in text (not tacked on to end of paras). May be some unsupported assertions. Referencing needs work. Too many unsupported assertions. Inconsistent in-text referencing. Errors in list of refs. No or inadequate in- text referencing. Poor list of refs. Relies on unsupported assertions. Borderline plagiarism. Presentation • Clear and readable in formatting and presentation • Clear and readable in terms of written expression, including adequate spelling, grammar, proper use of sentences and paragraphs, and academic style • Conforms with word length requirements /5 marks Meets all criteria. Excellent standard of expression and presentation.