LIBRARY AND LEARNING COMMONS

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Learning Skills Advisors Subject Librarians
Charmaine Botha Sibusisiwe Mgquba
Focus: Focus
Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Social Sciences,
PGD & HDR PGD & HDR
Tel: 011 950 4455 Tel. 011 950 4150
charmaine.botha@monash.edu Sibusisiwe.mgquba@monash.edu
John Small Linda Mbonambi
Focus Focus
Bus Eco, IT, HDR, PGD & FP Bus Eco, IT, HDR, PGD & FP
Tel: 011 950 4248 Tel: 011 950 4032
John.small@monash.edu Linda.mbonambi@monash.edu

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 What do we want to achieve with
an academic assignment?

RSD facets of research

2015 MSA LTD
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Assignment 2
Research Essay
Due date: Wednesday 20 April 2016 before 17h00 on Moodle and Turnitin
Word count: 1500 words

Answer ONE of the following questions:

1.) Compare two failed states (as classified by the 2015 Fragile States Index).
2.) McCormick (2013) classifies Nigeria as a less developed state. Defend OR argue against this
classification.
3.) Discuss the issue of Palestines statehood.
4.) How liberal is Russias democracy?
5.) Compare South Africas political party system with that of China.
6.) Several alternative ideological traditions exist. Discuss two with reference to real world
examples.
7.) How/to what degree are the concepts of multiculturalism and minority rights accommodated in
Frances democracy?
8.) Analyse the use of propaganda and spin in an election campaign of your choice (for example, the
2016 American presidential campaign).
9.) Discuss the rise of social movements in South Africas recent history and answer the question, to
what extent have social movements had an impact on South Africas public policy?
10.) In June 1995 the death penalty was abolished in South Africa by the Constitutional Court. Should
this issue be the responsibility of the legislature, judiciary or executive?
In this essay, you will need to make a clear and logical argument.
Begin by defining the core concept/s fully, identify a framework for discussion (based on your conceptualisation) and
then apply this framework to your case study.

Please make use of the POLITICAL STUDIES/INT STUDIES template on Moodle.

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Additional Instructions
Requirements:

You should use one of the following typefaces: Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria or
Calibri. Set your text to 11 or 12 points, and line spacing to 1.5. Use page margins of
2.54cm. Please include word count at the end of your essay.

Use at least 10 academic sources.

You must use a variety of sources, for example books, academic journal
articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles and valid Internet websites.
It is not acceptable for you to use your textbook or lecture notes (although you can refer to
these for help in getting started with your research) and do not use websites like Wikipedia,
answers.com or essays.com, or similar sites.

Make sure that you use proper referencing in your text (Harvard) as well as a
properly constructed reference list. Refer to the referencing examples on Moodle:
http://monash.edu/library/skills/resources/tutorials/citing/index.html

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Additional instructions
NOTE: -5% per calendar day late! See: http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/policy-
bank/extension-and-late-assessment-submission-procedures/

PLEASE NOTE: Completed assignments MUST BE SUBMITTED ON MOODLE AND VIA

TURNITIN (which can be found at www.turnitin.com) before 5pm on the due date. Students
will be registered on Turnitin by their lecturer and receive an e-mail with login details.
REMEMBER that the turnaround time for resubmission of essays on turnitin is 24 hours so
manage your time properly when you are preparing your work so that you do not miss the
deadline. ALSO ensure that you keep an electronic copy of your letter somewhere safe
e.g. in a cloud like google drive (see Moodle for other examples).

PLAGIARISM WARNING:
If the similarity index (SI) is above 25%, 0% will be given immediately. If the SI is under 25%,
then 1% will be deducted per line of plagiarised text. Please take a moment to familiarise
yourself with the plagiarism policy at: http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-
bank/academic/education/conduct/student-academic-integrity-policy.html

This is an individual assignment, not a group assignment. Collusion will constitute an

immediate fail.

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
Rubric: Letter to the Editor

What is a marking rubric?

AZA1010 Res Ess Poor Developing Average Good Excellent

Most background info is relevant, but Most background info is relevant & All background info is relevant &
Introduction 5% Irrelevant/insufficient background info. Provides some relevant background info.
not insightful. provides insight. provides insight.

Some terms/concepts are used

Accuracyofkeyterms/ Key terms/concepts used in wrong Most terms/concepts are used inaccurately Minor inaccuracies and/or insufficient No inaccuracies; sufficient explanation of
inaccurately and/or are insufficiently
context and/or insufficiently explained. and/or are insufficiently explained. explanation of terms/concepts terms/concepts.
conceptualisation 15% explained.

Arguments& applicationofcon Most parts are clear, but repetitive OR Most parts are clear and most are well All parts are identifiable - original & well
Unclear and/or undeveloped. Most parts are undeveloped and repetitive.
only briefly developed. developed. developed.
20%

Mostly supports & elaborates but Relevant and supportive, with obvious Always relevant and adds insights
Evidence 10% Unrelated or confusing. Major weaknesses; no insights.
lacking insight. insights. beyond the obvious

Essay adheres to specific layout

No adherence to specific layout Some adherence to specific layout Essay adheres to most of the specific Essay adheres to specific layout
Layout requirements 5% requirements requirements but many errors layout requirements. requirements.
requirements and is professional and
exceptionally neat in presentation.

Minimal interpretation and analysis; need Interpretation attempted; somewhat Accurate interpretation, but lacks some Complete/accurate and insightful
Widersignific 10% No interpretation attempted.
more supporting info. inaccurate and lacking insight. insight interpretation.

Fails to identify conclusions, or the key

Summarizes and suggests solutions, but Summarizes, identifies & briefly Summarizes, identifies & fully discusses
relationships; does not summarize key Only summarizes without suggesting
Conclusion 5% points; or concludes on undiscussed conclusions.
with unimportant or superficial discusses conclusions (some relevant conclusions, considering all relevant
evidence. evidence). evidence.
points.

Utilizes appropriate terminology & varies

Sentences are awkward, fragmented Tries to utilize appropriate terminology,
Utilizes appropriate terminology & varies sentence length and structure to
Written expression 5% and/or confusing; and/or quotes used Incomplete sentences. and tries to vary sentence length and
sentence length and structure. produce a clear and outstanding piece of
incorrectly. structure.
writing.

Frequent spelling/editing and typing Careless spelling and/or grammatical Reasonable spelling or grammatical
Spellandgramm 5% errors. errors. errors.
Minor spelling or grammatical errors. No spelling or grammatical errors

Used effectively, but the style/format is

Evidence of in-text references, but not cited Used effectively; format needs minor
References 10% No in-text references.
correctly or regularly.
incorrect OR some passages are not
attention.
Used effectively & in the correct format.
referenced.

Required number, but no variety or variety More than required number and good More than required number and
Srces-var&no. 5% Not the required number or no variety.
but not the required amount.
Required number and average variety.
variety. excellent variety.

Some sources not listed/cited format Majority of sources listed/cited, but not in All sources are listed, but format needs All sources listed; format needs minor All sources are correctly listed, in the
Reference List 5% and entirely incorrect. the correct format. attention. attention. correct format.

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Analysing your question

Begin by identifying the key concepts e.g.

the topic/content areas
Identify the directive words e.g. analyse,
discuss, etc.
Note any limitations e.g. scope, time
period, field of study, area
Format of the assignment (essay, report,
review, poster, annotated bib etc)

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Directive words

COMPARE Identify characteristics or qualities that resemble each other. Emphasise similarities and also
mention differences where appropriate.
CONTRAST Stress the dissimilarities and differences between concepts, ideas, qualities, events, problems,
other writers findings, things, events, or theories
DISCUSS Examine, analyse carefully, and give reasons for and against. Be complete and give details,
usually with a view to assessing how satisfactory something is. You may write about an issue
from two or more viewpoints and give balanced support and examples for each viewpoint.
Then make a judgement about how satisfactory each viewpoint is based on the evidence you
gave. Be sure to cover all aspects why, how, when, where, who etc
DESCRIBE Recount, characterise, outline, and relate in sequence. Write about the features of something
in a logical manner. Do not give your opinion or explain why it is the way it is.
EXPLAIN Clarify, interpret, and elaborate on the material presented. Give reasons for differences of
opinion or results, and try to analyse causes. You need to explore a variety of reasons for
something. Make sure you give enough detail to clarify, to interpret or to analyse causes as
relevant.
STATE (LIST) Present the main points in a brief and clear sequence, usually omitting details or examples,
without explanation.
CRITICALLY Often, rather than asking you to criticise, assignments add critically to another direction
word: critically analyse, critically examine, etc. This means analysing, examining etc. in a

questioning way: How does this work? Why is it like this? What are its strengths and
weaknesses?

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY Find more on the share drive
 Key concepts
Limitations
Directive words Unpacking the assignment brief
Format

1.) Compare two failed states (as classified by the 2015 Fragile States Index).
2.) McCormick (2013) classifies Nigeria as a less developed state. Defend OR argue
against this classification.
3.) Discuss the issue of Palestines statehood.
4.) How (explain/ explore) liberal is Russias democracy?
5.) Compare South Africas political party system with that of China.
6.) Several alternative ideological traditions exist. Discuss two with reference to real
world examples.
7.) How/to what degree (explain/ explore) are the concepts of multiculturalism and
minority rights accommodated in Frances democracy?
8.) Analyse the use of propaganda and spin in an election campaign of your choice (for
example, the 2016 American presidential campaign).
9.) Discuss the rise of social movements in South Africas recent history and answer the
question, to what extent have social movements had an impact on South Africas public
policy?
10.) In June 1995 the death penalty was abolished in South Africa by the Constitutional
Court. Should this issue be the responsibility of the legislature, judiciary or executive?
(Discuss)

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Planning your essay
What is a comparative essay?
A comparative essay asks that you compare at least two (possibly more) items. These
items will differ depending on the assignment.
Although the assignment may say compare, the assumption is that you will consider
both the similarities and differences; in other words, you will compare and contrast.
Develop a list of similarities and differences
Make sure you know the basis for comparison
The grounds for comparison anticipates the comparative nature of your thesis.
The thesis depends on how the two things you've chosen to compare actually relate
to one another. Do they extend, corroborate, complicate, contradict, correct, or
debate one another
You need to make the relationship between A and B clear in your thesis. This
relationship is at the heart of any compare-and-contrast paper.
Develop a thesis based on the relative weight of similarities and
differences
decide whether the similarities on the whole outweigh the differences or vice versa.
- E.g. : Although Darwin and Lamarck came to different conclusions about whether
acquired traits can be inherited, they shared the key distinction of recognizing that
2015 MSA LTD
species evolve over time.
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Planning your essay
Come up with a structure for your essay
Alternating method: Point-by-point pattern
the alternating system because it generally does a better job of highlighting similarities
and differences by juxtaposing your points about A and B. It also tends to produce a
more tightly integrated and analytical paper. Consider the alternating method if you are
able to identify clearly related points between A and B.
Be aware, however, that the point-by- point scheme can come off as a ping-pong game.
You can avoid this effect by grouping more than one point together, thereby cutting
down on the number of times you alternate from A to B.
Block method: Subject-by-subject pattern
you discuss all of A, then all of B.

Linking of A and B
All argumentative papers require you to link each point in the argument back to the
thesis. Without such links, your reader will be unable to see how new sections
logically and systematically advance your argument
To make these links, use transitional expressions of comparison and contrast
(similarly, moreover, likewise, on the contrary, conversely, on the other hand) and
contrastive vocabulary
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Find Witnesses
Once you have identified the content area you will
need to examine, you will need to consider what kinds
of resources are required (books, journals, websites,
statistics, etc.) and set about acquiring them.
Look at your reading list, use the reference lists of
these books and journals, and identify what will be
required.
Remember you will need to evaluate the worth of
these resources, so read critically.
Decide what kind of supporting information will be
necessary, and set about organising your resources to
achieve your goal. Often books are good for big
picture information, while journals are often good for
supporting details.
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Library resources
Resource Name Keywords Results Comments
SEARCH
Library Catalogue Main key concept (e.g.) Physical Book(s) in SA libarary SA has limited books in this area at least
one or two versus large number of students
Physical Books (lecturer needs to reserve)
Electronic Books
E-Books (EBL) Do a secondary search within the book of your Everyone can use the same e-book at
sub-key concept the same time

DATA BASES Keywords Results Comments

(S) > Main key concept(e.g.)
Africa and South African research Articles relevant to
SA e Publications and publications SA and Africa
(E) Journal articles / Books/ available
Expanded Academic Theses/ Web pages

(G) > Main key concept (e.g.) Examples of relevant articles in Large number of articles
Global Issues in Contexr journals and other resources as well available international
(P) > (these are interdisciplinary
Proquest databases)
(G) >
Google Scholar (Monash)

Main key concept (e.g.)

WEBSITEs
See Library Guide

2015 MSA LTD 14

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 The essay/letter structure
Can be seen as a diamond with the introduction and conclusion at the top and bottom and the
body paragraphs fitting into the middle of the diamond in a series of smaller diamond shapes.

Connect to
next paragraph
and main idea

Your
own
voice

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY 1
 Body paragraphs
Paragraph element Purpose

1. Topic This sentence starts by referring to the thesis/your argument. It

Sentence continues to include the main point of this paragraph (your voice)

2. Additional This explains further the point made in the topic sentence. (your voice)
Information

3. Evidence These are essential to justify your point. Your evidence comes from
sentences your research and may include examples, data, quotes, statistics,
graphics and illustrations. All supporting evidence must be from
authoritative sources and cited in your essay. (quote or paraphrase
reference /witness voice)

4. Concluding Again, this sentence links the main thesis of the essay with the main
sentence point of the paragraph. (your voice) and links to the next paragraph

2015 MSA LTD

CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY

1

Compare the changes in these sentences from informal to academic style.
Informal writing
When I look at the situation in
emergency wards, with many staff
leaving, it's hard not to worry
about how many doctors will be
available to treat patients in the
future.
It's so obvious that people were
given jobs just because they were
male or female. I don't think that is
an acceptable approach and is even
against the law.
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
ACADEMIC WRITING
Academic writing
If we consider the situation in
emergency wards, with increasingly
low staff retention rates, there are
concerns about the capacity of
hospitals to maintain adequate
doctor to patient ratios.
It appears that in a number of
instances jobs were assigned on the
basis of gender. Given the current
anti-discrimination laws, this raises
serious concerns.
1
 MORE TIPS
Objective writing: In general, academic writing aims to be objective in its
expression of ideas. Therefore specific reference to personal opinions, or to
yourself as the performer of actions, is usually avoided. .
Expressing opinions
Personal 'Objective'
In my opinion It has been argued that
I believe that Some writers claim
In my view Clearly,
It is clear that
There is little doubt that
Avoiding too much reference to yourself as agent in your writing
(Passive vs active voice)
Agent or performer No agent or performer

I undertook the study The study was undertaken

I propose to It is proposed to
In this essay I will examine This essay examines
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 What do you need to remember?
You will notice that, in general, in academic writing we:

minimise the use of the personal I in the text: avoid writing

'When I look; I don't think this is an acceptable approach
(avoid this by using passive voice E.g. This is not thought (considered)
to be an acceptable approach)
use formal verbs, and fewer verb phrases (verb + preposition),
use consider rather than look at
use impersonal expressions: there are, this raises
use more nouns than verbs: concerns, rather than to worry
avoid emotional expressions, such as it's so obvious ( it
appears is preferable); just because ( assigned on the basis of is
preferable)
aim for concise, often abstract expression, e.g. gender, rather
than male or female.

http://www.monash.edu/lls/llonline/writing/general/academic/index.xml
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY

1
 Acknowledging your resources:
Citing and referencing
NB NB NB : if you cite and reference correctly, you will not plagiarize
Ways to cite and reference:
1. MANUALLY (DO the library on-line tutorial 15minutes):
http://monash.edu/library/skills/resources/tutorials/citing/
USE the library guide:
http://guides.lib.monash.edu/citing-referencing
http://guides.lib.monash.edu/citing-referencingUsing MICRO-SOFT
WORD REFERENCING (but you still need to have the manual
referencing background knowledge)
2. Using ENDNOTE (but you still need to have the manual referencing
background knowledge)

Referencing resources:
Monash Library Website, Moodle and Libguides
https://www.monash.edu/library/skills/resources/tutorials
2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 Additional resources on Referencing

Monash Share Drive

- Library > Charmaine Learning skills >

Referencing

Lib Guides
Moodle

2015 MSA LTD

2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
 ASK for HELP
For
assistance
with learning, writing or communicating
your findings,
contact
a learning skills advisor
in
the library

2015 MSA LTD

2015 MSA LTD
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY
CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY