Overview
Debates in the Discipline is the second of the two coursework units in the BA Honours course. The two coursework units provide discipline-context research training for the two subsequent dissertation units. You will acquire advanced research skills in your chosen discipline. Particulars of the learning materials and assessment will be negotiated with relevant staff in the academic discipline. You will engage with the trends, debates and gaps in the literature relevant to a specific Humanities or Arts discipline. In some cases, the output from this unit will be a guided literature review – for others, a guided reflection on creating an artefact creation accompanied by an exegesis or another discipline-specific document.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2021
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Analyse advanced specialist knowledge for a selected discipline
- Evaluate discipline relevant problems and the critical debates surrounding them
- Communicate knowledge synthesis according to a discipline-specific framework.
n/a
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 0% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 0% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- CQU Library hosted Literature Databases
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.hewson@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 08 Mar 2021Module/Topic
Scaffold the assessment.
Chapter
Learning material covers:
- The knowledge synthesis process; examines literature review types and discipline alternates.
- A generic assessment guide and marking standards.
Student supervisor to guide discipline-specific practices in synthesising knowledge (such as a literature review).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 15 Mar 2021Module/Topic
The Theory and Practice of Critical Thinking.
Chapter
Learning material includes:
- A range of resources suited to exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of critical evaluation.
- Knowledge synthesis skills - note-taking, databases, journals, other scholarly sources, reference schemes et al.
- The purpose of a literature review (or discipline-specific alternates) and the various types.
- Consistent writing practices.
Student supervisor to provide a reading list that covers:
- The academic discipline: concepts, tropes, luminaries, past and current debates, future direction.
- A 'starter' reading list that addresses the embryonic research aim and question of HONS28001.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Output: an agreement on the literature review format and reference scheme.
Week 3
Begin Date: 22 Mar 2021Module/Topic
Engage with the debates in the discipline.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 29 Mar 2021Module/Topic
Engage with the debates in the discipline.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
According to supervisor guidance, some students may submit an annotated bibliography.
Week 5
Begin Date: 05 Apr 2021Module/Topic
Engage with the debates in the discipline.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 19 Apr 2021Module/Topic
Engage with the debates in the discipline.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Supervisor review/feedback on output.
Week 7
Begin Date: 26 Apr 2021Module/Topic
Write the draft literature review (or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 03 May 2021Module/Topic
Write the draft literature review (or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 10 May 2021Module/Topic
Write the draft literature review (or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Discussion with the supervisor on the evolution of the HONS28001 'Project Proposal' research aim and research question as a result of the formal literature review.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 17 May 2021Module/Topic
Edit the draft literature review (or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Supervisor review/feedback on output.
Week 11
Begin Date: 24 May 2021Module/Topic
Edit the draft literature review (or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Supervisor review/feedback on output – revise the connection with the Research Project Proposal of HONS28001.
Week 12
Begin Date: 31 May 2021Module/Topic
Complete Knowledge Synthesis Output (the literature review or discipline alternate).
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submit Knowledge Synthesis Output.
The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) course combines research training and a dissertation to provide graduates with advanced knowledge of the underlying principles and concepts in one or more disciplines as well as practical knowledge of research principles and methods.
With supervisor guidance in HONS28002, you will establish the boundaries of the current discipline conversation with a literature review, which will allow you to complete the HONS28001 research project proposal.
HONS28002 is designed to provide you with skills to absorb the literature on which you will contribute to knowledge or master a creative talent. You will work with your supervisor to synthesise the debates within a specific discipline.
Recommended textbooks:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/detail.action?docID=4785166
Booth, Wayne C (et.al) 2016, The Craft of Research, 4th edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/the-essential-guide-to-doing-your-research-project/book249279
O'Leary, Zina 2017, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, 3rd edn, SAGE Publications, London.
1 Written Assessment
Writing a literature review is a complicated task since they come in different types and sizes! Being steeped in the 'debates of the discipline' is the springboard from which your research project begins a journey.
Further, several concepts and processes of critical evaluation need to be considered when examining the body of knowledge related to your research project. Importantly the literature review is crucial to identifying the research questions and how research methods are used to achieve the planned results.
Your literature review becomes a chapter of your Honours Dissertation. You should note that the final form of the literature review in your Honours Dissertation will probably be modified by the progress of the two research units HONS28003 and HONS28004. Further, the early reading of the related literature will inform and help complete the project proposal of HONS28001.
Your literature review (or discipline-specific equivalent) should be around 4,000 words and contain:
- A literature review/ rationale that demonstrates the currency of the topic.
- A critical analysis of relevant primary texts.
- A rationale for the proposed research methodology.
- In some cases, applicable conceptual modelling or mind mapping.
The structure, design and format of the literature review will be informed by discussion with your supervisor to account for discipline specifics.
This writing task is a pass/fail grade.
Week 12 Monday (31 May 2021) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week Monday (14 June 2021)
Ten days from submission.
Element |
Pass/ Fail |
| A literature review/ rationale that demonstrates the currency of the topic. | |
| A critical analysis of relevant primary texts. | |
| A rationale for the proposed research methodology. | |
| If applicable, conceptual modelling or mind mapping. |
- Analyse advanced specialist knowledge for a selected discipline
- Evaluate discipline relevant problems and the critical debates surrounding them
- Communicate knowledge synthesis according to a discipline-specific framework.
- Knowledge
- Communication
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
