This course aims at equipping Honours students with a good understanding of how to conduct research on the Middle East and Central Asia regions and their Diasporas. The course will interrogate some unexamined framings that shape the understanding of the Middle East and Central Asia including debunking the idea of the regions’ ‘exceptionalism’. It encourages a historical, contextualising of the regions and the various trends and forces that have marked social, political and economic developments. The course is designed around six big issues that affect people from the region in their locality and globally. The course is organised to be taught fortnightly with students critically reflecting on each week’s big issue with a research piece to harness their understanding and analytical skills.  

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. articulate a critically engaged understanding of important issues and ideas in the development of modern Middle East politics, Central Asia and their Diasporas;
2. evaluate contested interpretations of history, culture, politics and security including their strengths and weaknesses;
3. apply critical perspectives on cultural, social, political and religious trends in the regions and link them to broader forces such as imperialism, conflict, political economy and the politics of religion and ethnicity;
4. communicate research progress clearly and coherently both orally and in writing; and
5. reflect on conceptual development of own research project.

Required Resources

Course Preliminary Reading

Clark, J. A., & Cavatorta, F. (Eds.) (2018). Political science research in the Middle East and North Africa. Methodological and ethical challenges. Oxford University Press.

Tessler, M. A. et al Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding the Middle East. (Indiana: IUP 1999).

 Tihawi Smith, L. (1999) Decolonising Methodology: Research and Indigenous People. London: Zed Books.

Ahram, A. I. (2018). Comparative area studies and the analytical challenge of diffusion: Explaining outcomes in the Arab Spring and beyond. In A. I. Ahram, P. Köllner, & R. Sil (Eds.), Comparative area studies: Methodological rationales and cross-regional applications (pp. 152–167). Oxford University Press. 

Ahram, A. I. (2019). Break all the borders: Separatism and the reshaping of the Middle East. Oxford University Press. 

Janine A. Clark & Francesco Cavatorta. (Eds.) (2018) Political Science Research in the Middle East and North Africa: Methodological and Ethical Challenges. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018).

Sharabi, H. Neopatriarchy: A Theory of Distorted Change in Arab Society. OUP 1988.

Cummings, S. N. Understanding Central Asia: Politics and Contested Transformations. (Routledge: Abingdon, 2012).

Stephan-Emmrich M. and Schröder, P. eds., Mobilities, Boundaries, and Travelling Ideas: Rethinking Translocality beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2018.

Allam, N., Buttorff, G., & Shalaby, M. (2020, Fall). COVID-19 pandemic compounds challenges facing MENA research. APSA-MENA Politics Newsletter, 3 (2), 5–9. https://apsamenaorg.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/apsa-mena-politics-newsletter-f20.pdf 

Beinin, J., & Vairel, F. (2013). Introduction: The Middle East and North Africa beyond classical social movement theory. In Idem (Ed.), Social movements, mobilization, and contestation in the Middle East and North Africa (2nd ed., pp. 1–29). Stanford University Press.

Fawcett, L. (2017). States and sovereignty in the Middle East: Myths and realities. International Affairs, 93(4), 789–807. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix122

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

·      detailed and structured written comments on the major written papers and essay

·      verbal comments to individuals and small teams in tutorials

·      verbal and written comments to individuals upon request on issues pertinent to essay research and writing.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Decolonising Reading (Language-Oriented Area Studies) (Karima Laachir) How do we study and read the Middle East and Central Asia post-orientalist fashion? How do we convey the heterogeneity and internal dynamics of these societies, particularly after independence in non-essentialist ways and beyond the rhetoric of ‘exceptionalism’? Can situating the Middle East within world history, with emphasis on comparability to other regions, help overcome the framing of the region as ‘different’, ‘resilient to authoritarianism’ or ‘Islam as the problem’? Decolonising in this instance may mean historicising the Middle East and Central Asia in a way that locate and localise (within the broader themes of world history) histories of colonialism, capitalism, cultural modernity, anticolonial nationalism and postcolonial national regimes, struggles around class, gender, ethnicity, religion as well as political contests over state power. It also requires critical thinking in reading social and political movements/or phenomena in the region in a way that foregrounds historical, cultural, social and economic processes while paying close attention to primary sources and materials. Required Reading Asad, Talal “The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam” in Qui Parle, SPRING/SUMMER 2009, Vol. 17, No. 2 (SPRING/SUMMER 2009), pp. 1-30. Davis, M H. “Decolonization and the Reconfiguration of the Global Order” in Understanding and Teaching the Modern Middle East. Ed. Omnia El Shakry, University of Wisconsin Press. (2020), pp. 85-100. Case study Discussion: Please watch the film (40 minutes): Edward Said on Orientalism, directed by Sut Jhally (Media Education Foundation, 1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVC8EYd_Z_g Further Reading Begum, N and Rima S “Decolonising the Curriculum” in Political Studies Review, 2019, Vol. 17(2) 196–201. Barkawi, T. (2016) “Decolonising war” in European Journal of International Security, 1(2), 199-214. doi:10.1017/eis.2016.7 El Shakry, O. Understanding and Teaching the Modern Middle East. University of Wisconsin Press. (2020). Leon Moosavi: “The decolonial bandwagon and the dangers of intellectual decolonisation”, International Review of Sociology, June 2020. Hamdan, Amani: “Narrative Inquiry as a Decolonising Methodology” in CLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 2009. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mt5893kJournalInterActions Del Sarto, R. A. (2017). “Contentious Borders in the Middle East and North Africa: Context and concepts” International Affairs, 93(4), 767–787. Halliday, F. (1996). Islam and the myth of confrontation: Religion and politics in the Middle East. I.B. Tauris. Hanafi, S., & Arvanitis, R. (2016). Knowledge production in the Arab World: The impossible promise. Routledge. Bellin, E. (2012) “Reconsidering the robustness of authoritarianism in the Middle East: Lessons from the Arab Spring” Comparative Politics, 36(2), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/4150140Derichs, Claudia. Knowledge Production, Area Studies and Global Cooperation (Routledge 2017). Bayat, A. (2013). Life as politics. How ordinary people change the Middle East (2 ed.). Stanford University Press. Busse, J. (ed.) (2021): The Globality of Governmentality. London: Routledge Paul J. Kohlenberg, Nadine Godehardt (eds.) The Multidimensionality of Regions in World Politics. Routledge 2020. Fawcett, L. (2020). International relations and the Middle East: Bringing area studies (back) in. St. Anthony’s International Review, 16(1), 177–183
2	Student-led workshop (1st draft of paper 2)
3	Week 3: Historicising: From Empires to Nation States (Burcu Cevik-Compiegne) Historicising the nation-states by tracing them back to imperial pasts will help bring to light the transformation of these dynamic societies, shifting borders and polities as well as the continuities with the past. More than a mere historical overview of the regions under study, this week aims to interrogate the taken-for-granted classifications of regions by introducing concepts of regional thinking. We will problematise the labels such as “Middle East” and the processes through which these terms became common usage. This will help develop awareness of different knowledge production regimes about our regions. We will also raise methodological and theoretical questions about how we can understand geographical areas in non-essentialising and historically and empirically accurate ways in an effort to acknowledge limitations in our fields and make informed choices about how to position ourselves as researchers vis-à-vis these issues. As case studies, we will analyse historical and contemporary short texts and images about one of the regions (Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia). Required readings: Busse, Jan. "The historical and social embeddedness of the Post-Ottoman space in world society." In The multidimensionality of regions in world politics, pp. 75-93. Routledge, 2020. Culcasi, Karen. "Constructing and naturalizing the Middle East." Geographical Review 100, no. 4 (2010): 583-597. Further reading: Bilgin, Pinar. "The persistence of the “Middle East” as a geopolitical invention of security:“Denial of coevalness”." In The Multidimensionality of Regions in World Politics, pp. 114-130. Routledge, 2020. Fawaz, Leila Tarazi, Leila Fawaz, Christopher Alan Bayly, and Robert Ilbert, eds. Modernity and Culture: from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. Columbia University Press, 2002. Kursun, Ali Murat. "Deconstructing the Sykes-Picot myth: Frontiers, boundaries, borders and the evolution of Ottoman territoriality." All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace 9, no. 1 (2020): 83-104.	Paper 1 (10%) due on 13 March 2022 at 11.59 pm
4	Student-led workshop (1st draft of paper 2)
5	Week 5: Authoritarianism: Evolving Social Contracts (State-Society Relations) Kirill Nourzhanov The social contract is a key concept in social science literature focusing on state–society relations. It refers to a complex of explicit and implicit agreements between all relevant societal units and the sovereign (i.e. the government or any other actor in power), defining their rights and obligations towards each other. The analysis of social contracts is crucial for the understanding of authoritarian political systems in the Middle East and Central Asia. It tackles issues such as: 1/ how the state and societal groups negotiate and deliver on their ends of the bargain; 2/ how some groups benefit disproportionately in the political, social and economic sense while others become marginalised; and 3/ who and why demands a new social contract, and under what circumstances such demands may lead to civil conflict. State fragility, displacement and open rebellion can arise from social contracts losing inclusivity. Importantly, the concept also takes into account how foreign intervention and international cooperation may affect state-society relations by reinforcing the position of the sovereign or enabling disaffected societal groups. Required reading: Amirah El-Haddad. "Redefining the social contract in the wake of the Arab Spring: The experiences of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia", World Development, Vol, 127 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104774 Kirill Nourzhanov. “State-Society Dynamics and Authoritarian Stability in Central Asia”, in Amin Saikal, ed. Weak States, Strong Societies: Power and Authority in the New World Order. London: I.B. Tauris, 2015, pp. 123-148. Further reading: Joel S. Migdal. State in Society: Studying How States and Societies Transform and Constitute One Another. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, Ch. 3. Ellen Lust. "Layered Authority and Social Institutions: Reconsidering State-Centric Theory and Development Policy", International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2018, pp. 333-336. Maximilian Benner. A New Arab Social Contract? Cham: Springer, 2020. Paul Stronski and Russell Zanca. "Societal Change Afoot in Central Asia", Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, October 2019 https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/18/societal-change-afoot-in-central-asia-pub-80086 Dylan O’Driscoll, Amal Bourhrous, Meray Maddah and Shivan Fazil. Protest and State–Society Relations in the Middle East and North Africa. SIPRI Policy Paper No. 56, 2020 https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/sipripp56.pdf Maurizio Bussolo, María E. Dávalos, Vito Peragine, and Ramya Sundaram. Toward a New Social Contract: Taking On Distributional Tensions in Europe and Central Asia. Washington DC: The World Bank, 2019. Acharya, A., & Buzan, B. (2019). The making of global international relations: Origins and evolution of IR at its centenary. Cambridge University Press. [Crossref], [Google Scholar] Abboud, S., Dahi, O. S., Hazbun, W., Grove, N. S., Pison Hindawi, C., Mouawad, J., & Hermez, S. (2018). “Towards a beirut school of critical security studies”. Critical Studies on Security, 6(3), 273–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/21624887.2018.1522174 [Taylor & Francis Online], [Google Scholar] Busse, J. / Bank, A. (ed) (2021): “Facing the Facts on Tremulous Grounds: Analysing Social and Political Dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa a Decade after the Arab Uprisings”, Special Issue, Mediterranean Politics.	Paper 2 (10%) due on 27 March 2022 at 11.59 pm
6	Student-led workshop (1st draft of paper 3)
7	Week 7: Political Economy (Jessie Moritz) In this session, we draw from a sub-discipline of Political Science, Political Economy, to investigate interactions between economic development, social classes, and political structures in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We examine the intellectual origins of Political Economy and analyse recent attempts to address the legacy of colonialism and issues of representation, eurocentrism, and ideology in in the contemporary literature. How do the Political Economy texts we read as students impact the questions and observations we then go on to make about the region? Where does MENA fit into broader debates around the ‘universal’ assertions of Political Economy? How can we avoid the ‘ghettoisation’ of the region (for instance, relegating the study of MENA to research on oil, conflict, and refugees) within Political Economy? In addition, how can we pursue research design that meaningfully engages with local MENA knowledge on these issues? The session includes a detailed overview of canonical debates in contemporary MENA Political Economy – such as the impact of different economic development approaches on class, the relationship between natural resources and conflict, and Islamic alternatives to conventional finance. We then step back to analyse the trajectory of Political Economy itself by evaluating how a seminal textbook – A Political Economy of the Middle East – treats the MENA region. Finally, we examine a critical approach to a major political economy debate on the MENA region: the relationship between neoliberal economic development and the social and political unrest that spread across much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. Required reading: Max Ajl, Bassam Haddad, and Zeinab Abul-Magd, “State, Market, and Class: Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia,” in Joel Beinin, Bassam Haddad, and Sherene Seikaly, Eds., A Critical Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa (Redwood City: Stanford University Press, 2021) pp. 46-67. Hannes Baumann, “Avatars of Eurocentrism in international political economy textbooks: The case of the Middle East and North Africa,” Politics (2021) pp. 1-15. Additional Recommended reading: To gain a sense of major contemporary debates in the literature, please read the chapter abstracts only from Melani Cammett, Ishac Diwan, Alan Richards, John Waterbury, A Political Economy of the Middle East 4th Ed. (New York: Routledge, 2019). Abstracts available online here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780429492600/political-economy-middle-east-melani-cammett-ishac-diwan-alan-richards-john-waterbury On the literature: Erin A Snyder, “International Political Economy and the New Middle East,” PS: Political Science & Politics 50:3 (July 2017) 664-667. Markets and protests: Nicola Phillips, “Power and Inequality in the Global Political Economy,” International Affairs 93:2 (2017) 429-444. Harrigan, J., El-Said, H. and Wang, C. (2006), “The Economic and Political Determinants of IMF and World Bank Lending in the Middle East and North Africa” World Development vol. 34, no. 2, pp.247-270, February 2006. Tim Eaton, Christine Cheng, Renad Mansour, Peter Salisbury, Jihad Yazigi, and Lina Khatib, “Conflict Economies in the Middle East and North Africa,” Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme Report (June 2019). Matteo Capasso, “The war and the economy: the gradual destruction of Libya,” Review of African Political Economy 47:166 (2020) 545-567. Erika Weinthal and Jeannie Sowers, “Targeting Infrastructure and Livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza,” International Affairs 95:2 (2019) 319-340. Sustainable development & natural resources: Andrew M Linke and Brett Reuther, “Weather, Wheat, and War: Security implications of climate variability for conflict in Syria,” Journal of Peace Research 58:1 (2021) 114-131. Tobias Ide, Anders Kristensen and Henrikas Bartusevicius, “First comes the river, then comes the conflict? A qualitative comparative analysis of flood-related political unrest,” Journal of Peace Research 58:1 (2021) 83-97. Jessie Moritz, “Rentier Political Economy in the Oil Monarchies,” in Mehran Kamrava (ed.), The Routledge Handbook for Persian Gulf Politics (Routledge, 2020). Islam and Political Economy: Timur Kuran, “Why the Middle East is Economically Underdeveloped: Historical Mechanisms of Institutional Stagnation,” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 18:3 (2004) 71-90. Sevket Pamuk, “Political Power and Institutional Change: Lessons from the Middle East,” Economic History of Developing Regions 27:sup1 (2012) 41-56.	Paper 3 (10%) due on 24 April 2022 at 11.59 pm
8	Student-led workshop (1st draft of paper 4)
9	Week 9: Intersectionality (Religion, Ethnicity, Gender) (Alam Saleh) Following previous interrelated sessions, this week we continue to critically analyse the intersectional nature of Middle Eastern states and societies. The multi-layered and complex nature of interwoven religious, ethnic and gender-based identities in the region will be explored. We deconstruct seemingly a priori assumptions, preconceptions and generalisations which often simplify and reify real societal complexities in the Middle East. The session analyses and dissects mainstream theoretical approaches to understanding the region, and offers other critical perspectives, such as post-colonialism and subaltern realism, which can enrich our comprehension of Middle Eastern states, societies, and identities. We study how states and societies have adopted both linear and blended narratives to build their respective nation states, constructing identities that often fuse ostensibly opposed ideas. These identity-building ‘projects’ have balanced and managed binary contradictions, such as those between Islamism and secularism, ethnicity and nationalism, and traditional gender roles and feminism, to legitimise states and achieve a degree of cohesion in the citizenry. We will engage with the politicisation and securitisation of these factors in different parts of the region. Case Study Discussion: Are intense ethno-religious and sub-societal divisions peculiar to the Middle East? What about racial politics, nationalism, gender segregation/discrimination, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia in other regions? Critically discuss, using examples, whether the ethno-religious divisions in the Middle East are different to those of other regions? Consider the significant roles of Islam and Islamism and the effects of international powers and their interests in the region in asking yourselves what differentiates the Middle East’s societal divisions from those found elsewhere. Required Reading Makdisi, U. (2020). Understanding Sectarianism as a Global Problem. In O. El Shakry (Ed.), Understanding and Teaching the Modern Middle East (pp. 117–131). University of Wisconsin Press. King-Irani, L. “Kinship, Class, and Ethnicity” in Jillian Schwedler (ed). Understanding the Contemporary Middle East (Understanding: Introductions to the States and Regions of the Contemporary World). 5th edition. Lynne Rienner. (2019) Further reading: J. Schwedler. “Religion and Politics in the Middle East” in Jillian Schwedler (ed). Understanding the Contemporary Middle East (Understanding: Introductions to the States and Regions of the Contemporary World). 5th edition. Lynne Rienner. (2019) Chapters 10, 11 and 12. Moghadam, Valentine M. “Pensée 1: States, Gender, and Intersectionality.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 40, no. 1 (2008): 16–18. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30069648. Umut Erel & Necla Acik (2020) Enacting intersectional multilayered citizenship: Kurdish women’s politics, Gender, Place & Culture, 27:4, 479-501, DOI: 10.1080/0966369X.2019.1596883 Maia Carter Hallward, Hania Bekdash Muellers, Women’s Leadership in Oman: An Intersectional and Transnational Perspective, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 27, Issue 2, Summer 2020, Pages 361–384	Paper 4 (10%) due on 8 May 2022 at 11.59 pm
10	Student-led workshop (1st draft of paper 5)
11	Week 11: Civil Society Activism (Raihan) This week explores civil society activism in the region. We will examine formal and informal civil society groups that shape socio-economic and socio-political development in MENA states. The groups include communal associations, interest groups and state-led groups often described as GONGOs (Government-Owned Non-Government Organisations). We will analyse the roles that civil society activism plays in the region, especially in response to the changing social, economic and political conditions, and how these diverse civil society groups navigate and mediate relations with the state. We will also assess the limitations and challenges facing civil society activism in authoritarian and ‘liberal’ autocratic settings. The session will take into consideration the international dimension including the support of, and real or imagined interference by, external donors. The session aims to deconstruct conventional theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding civil society activism, especially the extent to which the existing discourse on civil society is applicable to the global south generally and the MENA region specifically. Required reading Palash Kamruzzaman, “Introduction” in Civil Society in the Global South, edited by Palash Kamruzzaman (New York: Routledge, 2019). Ibrahim Natil, “The power of civil society: young leaders’ engagement in non-violent actions” in The Power of Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa Peace-building, Change, and Development, edited by Ibrahim Natil, Chiara Pierobon, and Lilian Tauber (New York: Routledge, 2019). Further reading Nadje Ali, “Gender and Civil Society in the Middle East”, International Feminist Journal of Politics, 5:2, 216-232, (2003) DOI: 10.1080/1461674032000080576 Zaid Eyadat, “Rethinking Arab civil society: Arab Revolutions and reconceptualization of civil society” in Religion and Civil Society in the Arab World: In the Vortex of Globalisation and Tradition, edited by Tania Haddad and Elie Al Hindy (New York Routledge, 2019). Janine Clarke, “Relations between professional associations and the state in Jordan” in Civil Society Activism under Authoritarian Rule: A Comparative Perspective, edited by Francesco Cavatorta (New York: Routledge, 2013).	Paper 5 (10%) due on 22 May 2022 at 11.59 pm
12	Student-led workshop (Preliminary discussion on essay)	Assessment 3 (40%) due on 13/06/2022 at 23.59.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
In-class participation	10 %	*	*	1,2,4
Reflective Papers, 5 papers in total, 1000 word per paper	50 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,5
Essay (4000 words)	40 %	13/06/2022	27/06/2022	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

In-class participation

Students will be assessed based on their ability to express perspectives and to draw conclusions from lectures and reading material. Participation is important for the cross-fertilisation of ideas and also to encourage both independence of thought and clarity of expression. Students must read the assigned required readings each week before coming to class to allow for a productive discussion and a good understanding of the week’s topic.

Assessment Task 2

Reflective Papers, 5 papers in total, 1000 word per paper

The Reflective Papers aim at enhancing the students’ critical engagement with the course material. Students are encouraged to focus on one or more aspects of the fortnightly themes and use a case study related to their Honours thesis or one of their Honours thesis research questions to analyse the material and present it critically and coherently.  In the process, they will learn the transferable skill of writing critical 'reports' succinctly on a particular topic. The Papers will be assessed according to the students’ ability to synthesise and evaluate specific readings and information provided in the lectures and in the fortnightly readings. Attention will be paid to the cogency and concision with which arguments are framed and presented as well as to the amount of independent research conducted by the students. 

Word limit: 1000 words per paper (with an accepted 10% leeway).

Value: 50% of final grade.

Requirements: Essays are to be submitted via Turnitin, preferably as a Word document. Essays should be presented in a standard font of no less than 11 point type, and with double spacing.

Estimated return date: one week after submission

Rubric

	F	P	C	D	HD
The question has been fully answered
Key terms are defined and understood
The argument is logical and consistent
The points are comprehensively addressed
The paper is well structured
A good range of quality sources are used
Sources are well utilized to support the argument
Referencing/bibliography are consistent & accurate
The paper is of a high technical quality
The writing style is sophisticated

Assessment Task 3

Essay (4000 words)

The essay tests students’ ability to research a topic and to present a quality, cogent argument in response to the question. Questions are based on the material covered in the course and in relation to the student’s area of interest and Honours thesis. Essays are marked against criteria that include how directly the question is answered, the cogency with which an argument is presented and framed, the depth of research, and technical quality.  Students can use the essay to develop their Honours thesis proposal or an aspect of it to help them explore their research area in more in depth. Students will be also expected to demonstrate, and will be assessed on, engagement with relevant theoretical or conceptual approaches and debates. 

Word limit: 4000 words (with an accepted 10% leeway).

Value: 50% of final grade.

Requirements: Essays are to be submitted via Turnitin, preferably as a Word document. Essays should be presented in a standard font of no less than 11-point type, and with double spacing.

Estimated return date: Two to three weeks after submission.

Rubric

	F	P	C	D	HD
A solid question has been fully developed
Key terms are defined and understood
The argument is logical and consistent
The points are comprehensively addressed
The essay is well structured
A good range of quality sources are used
Sources are well utilised to support the argument
Referencing/bibliography are consistent & accurate
The essay is of a high technical quality
The writing style is sophisticated

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request it in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Marked essays will be available on Wattle after the release date.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

There are no provisions for resubmission of essays in this course.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students