SCO117

Differences and Interests in Society

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Tutor-Marked Assignment (TMA01)

July 2022
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TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT (TMA01)

This assignment is worth 50% of the final mark for SCO117

Differences and Interests in Society.

This assignment consists of 1 task: an 800-word essay (100

marks)

The cut-off date for the TMA is:

 ​
TGs with classes in Term 1 Wk 1-3 24 August 2022 Wednesday, 11.55pm.

TGs with classes in Term 1 Wk 4-6 14 September 2022, Wednesday, 11.55pm.

TGs with classes in Term 2 Wk 1-3 19 October 2022, Wednesday, 11.55pm.

TGs with classes in Term 2 Wk 4-6 9 November 2022, Wednesday, 11.55pm.

Note to Students:
1. You are to include the following particulars in your submission: Course Code, Title of the
TMA, SUSS PI No., Your Name(s), and Submission Date.

2. Please refer to the Student Handbook for details regarding plagiarism. The University has
strict guidelines and will enforce severe penalties for direct and unacknowledged copying
of course materials or the work of any other authors as this is regarded as cheating. You
are required to use in-text citations and include a reference list at the end of your essay.
Please do not include a cover page with plagiarism and collusion declaration or use
footnotes and endnotes as this might impact your Turnitin scores.

3. This is an individual assignment. You are required to upload a single essay (TMA) via
your respective seminar group site in Canvas. You are responsible for the timely upload
of your assignment in Canvas.

4. You are strongly encouraged to submit your assignments

before the specified deadline. 10 marks will be
automatically deducted via the grade-book system for each
24-hour block. There is strictly no extension of assignment
deadlines. Please refer to the Student Handbook for more
details.
This assignment requires you to implement a structured
decision-making process to identify inequality. You will be
required to evaluate data relationships to uncover patterns in
the case that conform to the chosen theoretical framework,
and make an informed decision about what morally relevant
inequality is present in the issue identified.

Question 1

Discuss an issue that involves a morally relevant inequality

and its significance to our society.

In your single, 800-word essay, with a 10% buffer

(including in-text citations, but excluding references), you
should:

• Identify an issue in
Southeast Asia which involves inequality and describe the relevant
social, economic and/or political context of this issue. (20 marks)

• Outline the variousfactors that cause this inequality, and examine the ways these
factors harm the people involved. (20 marks)

• Apply either John Rawls' Theory of Justice OR Amartya Sen's Capabilities approach to
further your understanding of this issue, and explain why this issue is significant to
the identified society now. (50 marks)

• Articulate your ideas clearly and grammatically. Include proper in-text citations and
references. (10 marks)

Note to students
1. The issue you choose for TMA01 should not be the same as
the issue examined in your DB01. You should also avoid
repeating the examples discussed in the study guide. You will
unlikely do well if you do so since your response will lack
original effort and ideas.

2. Provide proper in-text citations and references for all

sources you may have used. Any format (MLA, APA, CMS
etc.) is fine as long as you are consistent.

3. It is crucial to be able to articulate your ideas clearly and grammatically, and to

communicate an overarching storyline (CCS Communication) as this will affect your ability
to convey your ideas in your response.

Marking Rubric

Task 17-20 13-16 9-12 5-8 0-4

Identify an • The issue is set • The issue is set • The issue is set • Unclear if issue• Issue is not set in
issue in in Southeast in Southeast in Southeast is set in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia. Asia. Asia. Southeast • Inequality neither
Asia which • Morally • Morally • Morally Asia. identified nor
involves relevant relevant relevant • Morally explained.
inequality and inequality is inequality is inequality is relevant • No social,
describe the identified and identified and identified but inequality is economic and/or
relevant explained explained poorly identified but political context
social, clearly. adequately. explained. not explained. provided.
economic • Excellent and • Adequate • Superficial • Poor
and/or holistic understanding understanding understanding
political understanding of how social, of how social, of how social,
context of this of how social, economic economic economic
issue. economic and/or political and/or political and/or political
and/or political systems affect systems affect systems affect
systems affect the subjects the subjects the subjects
the subjects involved in the involved in the involved in the
involved in the issue. issue. issue.
issue.

Task 17-20 13-16 9-12 5-8 0-4

Examine the • Causes of • Causes of • Causes of • Causes of • No causes of
various
factors that inequality inequality inequality inequality not inequality
cause this clearly clearly clearly clearly identified.
inequality, identified and identified identified but identified. • There is little to
and outline clearly and related to not clearly • There is a poor no
the way these related to the the issue. related to the demonstration demonstration of
factors harm issue. • There is good issue. of how the how the people
the people • demonstratio • There is people involved are
involved. Demonstratio n of how the adequate involved are harmed.
n of how the people demonstration harmed, and
people involved are of how the poor
involved are harmed, and people awareness of
harmed is good involved are how various
insightful, awareness of harmed, and factors
with how various superficial compound the
excellent factors awareness of inequality.
awareness of compound how various
how various the factors
factors inequality. compound the
compound inequality.
the
inequality.
Task 41-50 31-40 21-30 11-20 0-10
Apply either • One framework• One framework• One framework• One framework • No framework
John Rawls' used. used. used. used. used, or
Theory of • Excellent • Good Adequate • Poor or framework
Justice OR understanding understanding understanding superficial mentioned but
Amartya of the of the of the understanding not discussed.
Sen's framework framework framework of the • There is little or
Capabilities chosen. chosen. chosen. framework no
approach to • Application of • Application of • Application of chosen. understanding
further your chosen chosen chosen • Application of of the
understanding framework is framework is framework is chosen framework
of this issue, relevant. The relevant with relevant but framework is chosen.
and explain explanation of minor may be inconsistent or • There is little to
why this issue the issue’s inconsistencies inconsistent very uneven, almost no
is significant significance to in the with some with a poor application of
to the present-day explanation of unclear explanation of the framework
identified society is very the issue’s explanation of the issue’s to explain the
society now. consistent, and significance to the issue’s significance. issue’s
generates present-day significance to • It is unclear if significance.
wider insights society. present-day the discussion • Discussion is
about the society. is relevant to not relevant to
issue’s present-day present-day
significance to society. society.
present-day
society.
Task 9-10 7-8 5-6 3-4 0-2
Articulate • Excellent • Shows good • Shows • Shows poor • Does not
your ideas ability to ability to adequate ability to demonstrate
clearly and implement implement ability to implement ability to
grammaticall structured structured implement structured implement
y. Include decision decision structured decision structured
proper in-text making making decision making decision
citations and processes processes making processes making
references. and analyse and analyse processes and analyse processes and
multiple multiple and analyse multiple analyse
sources of sources of multiple sources of multiple
information, information, sources of information, sources of
in order to in order to information, in order to information, in
present present in order to present order to
relevant relevant present relevant present
details and details and relevant details and relevant details
information information details and information and
about the about the information about the information
issue. issue. about the issue. about the
• All sources are • Most sources issue. • More than half issue.
properly are properly • Some sources of the • Answer is
cited and cited and are properly sources are unclear due to
referenced. referenced. cited and missing or gross
referenced. cited and grammatical
referenced errors.
incorrectly. • No citations or
references for
the sources
used.
 --End of booklet--
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) ​ ​ utor-Marked Assignment – Page 3 of 7
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