In this task, you will address the following topic by answering this question:
Topic: Exploring ‘place’ to understand the experience of ‘community’ in communities
Assessment Focus/Question: Using the sociological concept ‘community’ learned throughout this subject, please use Required Reading 19 to:
1. Show your learning of how community develops, fails to develop, or changes over time related to ‘place’ by locating 5 published sociology journal articles or book chapters that advance knowledge beyond that presented in SOC308 learning materials.
2. Next, ‘explain’ the sociological research about how ‘place’ affects the experience of ‘community’ differently in ‘communities’ by applying key insights to ‘make sense’ of a ‘real world issue’ of your choice in EITHER a specific urban or rural location.
3. Please continue discussing the ‘real-world issue’ you have chosen by using 5 Required Readings not assessed as part of Assessment 1, 2 Supplementary Readings of your choice from the Study Schedule that correspond to Required Readings 7-20, and the 5 Sociology Publications you found.
Step-by-step Instructions:
1. Please start by reading ‘Required Readings’ 7-20 in the Study Schedule.
2. Create a time management plan that will enable you to complete the research and writing necessary to submit this assessment item on time. Please plan to book an appointment with a CSU Academic Skills team member to inquire what CSU university-level learning support opportunities are available should you feel you require individualised writing assistance and/or have received feedback on Assessment 1 that you require development of your academic writing skills.
3. Review the Required and Supplemental readings and write out explanations of ‘community’, and ‘place’ in your own words, thinking of some examples to learn about these concepts and theory.
4. Review the Required and Supplemental readings whilst thinking ‘critically’ about what ‘place’ means and how it might relate to or explain the experience of ‘community’ (Learning Outcome 4) and ‘real world cases of issues that occur in communities’ (Learning Outcome 5). Then, select the ‘required readings’ you will use (not those assessed in Assessment 1) and 2 Supplementary Readings that you will academically reference (using APA 7th Edition format) and use to write this assessment.
5. Next, choose the focus of your assessment. This assessment is flexibly designed as the precise content will relate to your library research and chosen ‘real world issue’. The goal of
your assessment ‘focus’ is to show your achievement of Learning Outcome 4 (be able to explain sociological research about communities clearly in writing). The specific theory/
concepts we’re using this session must relate to ‘place’ to ‘think critically’ about ‘community’. Here, in Step 5, we need to think about ‘what’ we’ll focus upon to do this. Each reading offers lots of ideas related to specific locations.
6. As you conduct your independent library searching to complete this assignment, this may help you zero in on one ‘real-world issue’ that occurs in communities (Learning Outcome 5) to evidence and articulate your learning of community analysis. Please ONLY include academic, peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters for this assessment.
7. What demonstrates ‘critical’ thinking/writing is clear articulation of what the theory and research literature offers your assessment topic – this is the ‘analysis’ part of ‘community
analysis’ you are undertaking. To achieve this, try to identify some of the limitations, strengths, biases, and insights about the ‘real world’ issues with experiencing ‘community’
that social groups/individuals in ‘communities’ experience, rather than providing a ‘factual’/descriptive account of what each reference states and listing issues.
9. You are strongly encouraged to create a writing outline for your assignment before commencing. This will provide ample time for you to seek academic writing skills support and reflect upon this assessment as you encounter and complete our subject. Please note the teaching team are unable to review or provide feedback about your chosen topic/outline, as Assessment 2 must be an expression of your independent ideas and work.
10. Finally, to keep ‘on track’ for on-time submission, please plan to have a full first draft written by early May. This will support your calm and considered review of your
assignment considering the marking rubric, possibly consulting CSU Academic Skills, Library, or other academic skills support staff, well in advance of the due date, allowing you to benefit from applying insights gained towards the end of the session from optional learning activities (i.e. peer engagement with the academic forum discussion and/or review of lectures/tutorials), making final perfections to your assessment during the last two weeks of the teaching session.
Assessment 2’s presentation requirements are:
11pt Times New Roman font
1.5 spacing
APA 7th Edition formatting for all in-text citations and the Reference List
No headings/footers/endnotes or sub-headings
Write a short introduction paragraph and a concluding paragraph
Writing format is one continuous essay using ‘full’ paragraphs (3-6 sentences) and complete sentences (check for phrases, grammatical/spelling/punctuation mistakes)
Maximum 10% direct quotes allowed (i.e. under 120 words)
Include your name, CSU ID number, SOC308 and Assessment 2 and session
Include a word count (maximum words = 1500 including in-text citations and excluding the Reference List; Assessment exceeding 1600 / below 1400 will be ineligible to pass
Submit one Word document (no other format) via EASTS; submission of alternative forms will result in your assignment being returned without marking, with late penalties applied if subsequent submissions exceed the due time/date