The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)—Humanities and Social Sciences or PhB (HaSS) is a unique and innovative research-focused undergraduate degree for intellectually ambitious students who want to study at the highest level. Every student receives intensive individual attention and is supported by specialist academic mentors. 

The program structure is extremely flexible and courses can be taken from all areas of the University. Guided and advised by your academic mentors, you will help tailor and structure progression through the degree to suit your interests and desired outcomes.

 

Advanced Studies Courses in the Social Sciences and Humanities 1 is a guided reading and literature review course aimed at building students' capacity to undertake and articulate the findings of a research project in a field of their own choosing. Students develop their research paper along with a select cohort of peers, all of whom receive close individual mentoring from the program convener, who helps in particular to frame the research questions, the literature reviewed, and the paper structure.

This is the first of a staged series of Advanced Studies Courses (ASCs) in the Social Sciences and Humanities within the ANU PhB (HaSS) degree. 

Students do multiple ASCs during the PhB (HaSS) degree, each specifically designed to provide a strong research focus customised to each student and a stepping stone to the next level of independence and depth. Students personally select and work closely with a dedicated academic supervisor in a particular discipline or field of study to undertake ASCs. Learning activities and assessment are creatively devised to build transferable skills or achieve specific research outcomes, and may, for example, include:

• Guided primary data collection, analysis, and presentation
• Specially designed courses of fieldwork
• Mass media production, for example web page development or Op-Ed contributions
• Involvement in outreach activities 
• Policy paper drafting and presentations to relevant Australian Government Departments or Units
• Seminars to staff and students 
• Reading courses/ literature surveys 
• Involvement in current research at the University 

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Plan and engage in a guided review of a body of literature, typically relating to a specific region, key debate, or outstanding research problem.
2. Systematically identify concepts relevant to the available evidence and compare the strength of various arguments
3. Discover and critically review a range of information sources pertaining to a specific region or academic discipline
4. Apply appropriate evaluation processes to original data, whether numerical, textual, aural, or visual
5. Understand and apply ethical standards of conduct in the collection and evaluation of data and other resources
6. Communicate research concepts and contexts clearly and effectively both in writing and orally.

Research-Led Teaching

Research-led teaching: Academic guests will outline their approaches to scoping reviews of the literature in their topic and discipline areas. The idea is for students to gain a feel for how to scope project, rather than be told how to scoping project, because there is no one way to scope a project/literature review in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Presentations and workshops on Academic Skills will augment these academic guests' presentations with more abstract recommendations and general approaches.

Additional Course Costs

Book: Mullaney and Rea, Where Research Begins, can be provided on loan by PhB HaSS Convenor.

Required Resources

Book: Mullaney, Thomas S., and Christopher Rea. 2022. Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World). Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo131341275.html.

Website: https://whereresearchbegins.com/

Recommended Resources

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:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

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.

Other Information

Style and Practice

 

Students in BPHB1114 are required to use citation software such as Endnote (or Zotero, etc) and achieve competence with this software by the end of the course. Endnote support and training can be accessed through the library. Endnote (or such) is very useful to organize and keep track of sources, and even functions as a database if you make notes on the readings and include them in the reference. Academic Skills will discuss this in one of their presentations during the course BPHB1114.

 

You may use Author–Date or Footnotes referencing style, as suits you and the main discipline/s that you are involved in. Please do not use Endnotes referencing style. (Please note the difference between Endnote (the citation software) and Endnotes referencing style.)

A potential drawback in using Footnote referencing style is that you will double up on the information: the first citation in the footnotes is full and complete, and there is also a bibliographic reference. This means you may use more of your allowable word length.

 

In each case, a full Bibliography must be provided (that is, even if you are using Footnotes referencing style and thus the full citation appears in the first footnote). The bibliography must list the first names (not just initials, as Harvard) of the authors, all authors must be included in the bibliography, and the year date must immediately follow the author/s.

 

The recommended referencing style is Turabian 9th. Turabian is very similar to Chicago and automatically includes the doi.

 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	IDEAS & SCOPING THE PROJECT	Students briefly present ideas on topic/literature for review in class discussion; Groups of four will summarise one chapter Academic Guests: Surveying the literature for a new research project
2	APPROACHES	Academic Guests: Scoping literature advice
3	TOPIC, SCOPE, & JUSTIFICATION	Pairs within groups present each other’s topic, scope, and justification to the class.  Disciplinarity+: Multi-, Inter-, Trans- general class discussion Class of ’21 Guest Presenter
4	DISCIPLINARITY+	S2-01 PhB Research Seminar.
5	PROPOSAL	Academic Skills Workshop I: Peer Review Each group presents a synthesis of the common or important dilemmas, solutions, realisations, etc that they came up against in discussions.  Reading peers’ literature review proposals
6	OPENINGS #1 & RESEARCH ETHICS	Inspired by Great Openings What are research ethics?
7	OPENINGS #2	The Work of Great Openings Academic Skills Workshop II: Writing & Structuring
8	NO CLASS	Full draft of Literature Review to be submitted
9	PEER REVIEW & EDITING	Academic Skills Workshop III: Peer Review & Editing
10	OPTIONAL WALK-TALK	Informal Group Reflection and Review
11	FINDINGS & FUTURE RESEARCH	Three Minute Review, 3MR

Tutorial Registration

CAP Student Centre should automatically enrol you in this class if you are a first year Bachelor of Philosophy student.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
In-class participation in group work	20 %	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Literature Review Proposal/Scoping Document	0 %	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Final Literature Review	80 %	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
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• 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.

Participation

Students are expected to attend and participate in all weekly classes. When attendance is not possible, students are expected to keep up with the work and to contact the lecturer with any questions in a timely manner. Participation will be graded on the basis of individual contribution to class activities, including asking and responding to questions that arise during each session.

Assessment Task 1

In-class participation in group work

Students are expected to participate in class activities such as presentation of group ideas on topic/literature for review, summarising chapters and reviewing peers' literature review proposals.

Assessment Task 2

Literature Review Proposal/Scoping Document

600–1000 words. Due Week 5. Not graded.

This is a hurdle requirement: it is not formally graded but is a mandatory element of the overall assessment. In-class oral feedback will be provided in Week 5 and convenor’s written annotations to the submission will be returned to students in Week 6. Individual appointments with the convenor will be available as required. 

The Proposal should:

i.         Include an appropriate working title (with optional subtitle).

ii.          Identify and establish the importance of the topic/area of study.

iii.         Define and justify the scope of the review.

iv.         Define key terms (brief discussion of differences in usage of terminology in the literature, if appropriate).

v.          Describe literature search strategies, both conducted so far and planned; noting the types of literature/texts that will and will not be considered.

vi.         Propose a structure or outline for the review, with reference to terms laid out in the literature review guides written by Efron, Randolph, and others you may find.

Note: depending on the field and topic, 25 strong references may be sufficient for the final literature review. A six page journal article is quite clearly a different proposition to 250 page book. Regardless, you will likely need to read/survey many more articles than you include in the bibliography of your final submission. In your proposal, you may (but need not) choose to include sources that are representative of poor quality or inappropriate work that is not to be included in the final literature review. 

Assessment Task 3

Final Literature Review

4500 words, inclusive of footnotes but not inclusive of the bibliography. Due Week 11.

This is a formally graded assessment task worth 80% of total course grade.

The final literature review may have the following elements:

i.         A Title (with optional subtitle) that:

a.     Accurately describes the field of the review.

b.    May pose a question.

c.     May hint at debates, implications, and future research recommendations (a, b, or c in the Conclusion [iv]).

ii.          An Introduction that:

a.     Identifies and establishes the importance of the topic/area of study.

b.    Defines and justifies the scope of the review.

c.     Defines the key terms (brief discussion of differences in usage of terminology in the literature, if appropriate).

d.    Describes the types of literature/texts included and excluded, and justifies the decision.

iii.         A Body that:

a.     Includes a critical discussion of key research in the field and discusses findings (both congruent and conflicting).

b.    Explicates the any key debates in the field and the arguments for and against.

c.     Identifies gaps in the literature.

iv.          A Conclusion that:

a.     Identifies directions for future research.

b.    Argues for one or other of the sides of a debate being more convincing (especially if new evidence has come to light), if appropriate to the topic chosen.

c.     Discusses implications for practice, if appropriate to the topic chosen.

d.    And/or other purposes as outlined in Efron 2018, pages 4–5, selected appropriate to the topic chosen.

e.     The scoring rubric will be based on that used by Dr Meaghan Stacey, School of Education, UNSW, 2020. Further guidance on what to aim for in a literature review can be gained from Boote and Beile’s scoring rubric in Randolph (2009, 12; from Boote and Beile 2005, 8). 

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:

• 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.

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.

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 all ANU students