Under the Freshman Sociology subject "Critical Analytical Skills"
Passed with Distinction (H2A)
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By Benjamin L., written during Semester 1, 2012
'[You are] required to find one piece of quantitative social science research and one piece of qualitative social science research (quantitative and qualitative broadly defined) and discuss the qualities of this research in relation to the content from the first 2 weeks of the course'
A University of Melbourne Research Proposal (ARC) Assignment
Under the Sophomore Social Science subject "Critical Analytical Skills",
an introduction to qualitative research methods
Passed with High Distinction (H1)
Assignment mark: Distinction (H2A)
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By Benjamin L.C.Y., written during Semester 1, 2012
Tutor's Comments - R. Linden:
Ben, ambitious, well structured, great research, but written like an essay rather than a research proposal - although this does improve as you progress towards the discussion of methods. Nevertheless, it is an insightful and interesting paper.
I read about Emile Durkheim's concept of organic solidarity in a sociology subject I took last semester. It postulates that societies with a high division of labour and specialisation will develop a sense of solidarity based on mutual dependence. Looking at the world today and, for that matter, of yesteryear, I doubt that organic solidarity is a valid concept.
This
informal article is inspired by numerous ideas I have acquired through my Jr.
College and 1st Year University education. It applies epistemology,
anthropology, sociology, and globalisation studies to understand and address
two contemporary problems.
In his book Risk Society,
Ulrich Beck notes that modernisation has produced many hazards and risks
characteristic of the 20th and 21st Century. Two major
problems are especially pertinent today:
1. Climate
Change and
2. Economic
Collapse
These two problems are truly global in scale. Their impact is or will be
felt across the world regardless of borders and their solutions necessarily
involve concerted, multilateral action. The unilateral actions of single
nations or political blocs cannot conclusively solve these problems. However, concerned
voters find it difficult to make informed decisions about these issues due to
its specialist nature. Only select government agencies, NGOs, industry experts and
academic communities possess the technical knowledge to thoroughly assess and
address these problems. Voters’ relative ignorance compromises their ability to
cast sound votes and make informed choices through the democratic process and,
even if they do, such unilateral action does not solve the problem because
concerted multilateral action is lacking. In light of these issues, it seems
that national democratic processes cannot cope with the demands of global
problems.
Under the Freshman Sociology subject "Understanding Society"
Passed with High Distinction (H1)
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By Benjamin L.C.Y., written during Semester 1, 2011
BEST FIRST YEAR ESSAY
Melbourne University Arts Students' Society (M-ASS)
Annual Essay Competition 2011
in conjunction with National Australia Bank (NAB)
Tutor's Comments - Dr. Jackson, I.:
Ben, this essay presents an integrated and nuanced overview of the situation with a strong technique and structure. All the technical aspects are good. If anything, the essay could be strengthened by more explicit use of theory in analysis of the role that stereotyping plays, eg. as explored by Goffman, Mead, Cooley and others, and by investigation of the nature and basis of race and ethnicity as constructions. As it is, it is an elegantly written essay that describes [the] key aspects associated with the topic but it doesn't have much 'bite'; perhaps explicit indication of scenario outcomes via statistics of incarcerations [eg. 'Stolen Generations' in Australia], inter-racial marriages etc., thus to ensure it reads clearly as an academic essay rather than an op-piece. Nevertheless, this essay indicates your deep understanding of issues related to the topic nd its overall location within the academic discipline.
Under the Freshman Arts IDF subject "From Homer to Hollywood"
Passed with High Distinction (H1)
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By Benjamin L.C.Y., written during Semester 1, 2011
Question 8:
"In Homeric and medieval representations of war characters have little consciousness; while in more recent representations of war characters are weighed down by their self-awareness."
Critically analyse this claim by choosing two characters we have studied and discuss how the representation of consciousness has changed over time.
Tutor: Dr. S Young
Ben, your essay shows a great amount of consideration of the topic, and your response is excellent. You show an in depth understanding of how the the conscious mind is depicted in your texts, & your depiction of Hecuba's despair and Rivers' trauma is very effective. You have used evidence to good effect throughout & present a very well crafted response. Well done & best wishes for next semester.
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