Students are to answer ONE of the following essay questions: 1. 'Home is where the heart is'. Drawing on sociological understandings of local and global modes of belonging make an argument for or against this proposition. 2. In contemporary society, identity is increasingly viewed as neither singular nor fixed. Instead commentators argue for the existence of plural identities, which are fluid, influenced by globalisation, and subject to change. Do you agree? Why/why not? 3. How significant is social class to identity today? Critically discuss with reference to Australia and the United Kingdom. 4. Is age alone sufficient to understanding youth identities and young peoples' social practices? Why/why not? Assignment Guidelines: 1) Choose one of the essay questions/topics listed above. Make sure you know what it is asking! 2) Start your research by referring to the set readings and additional resources listed in this learning guide. Keep in mind though that it is not compulsory for students to utilise these resources. In fact, students are expected to undertake some amount of independent research. Thus, you may like to seek additional materials as follows: a. Academic: Library books and journals can be accessed using the library databases. b. Institutional: Organisational websites (e.g. The Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, United Nations etc.) may provide useful information. Keep in mind though that blogs, social networking sites, Wikipedia etc. are not considered to be academic sources. In many cases the information on these sites has not been subject to peer evaluation and/or the accuracy of the material presented therein cannot be verified. For this reason, internet sources in particular should be carefully evaluated. c. Media: Various media (e.g. magazines, websites, newspapers, television media, and films) can be used as empirical examples. However, in a theoretical essay these should be used only sparingly to help illustrate your points in original, creative and reflective ways. As with academic and institutional sources these must be appropriately referenced. 3) As you read be sure to take comprehensive notes which will help you make sense of the topic. When you take notes remember to identify someone else's ideas or thoughts with accurate referencing so as to avoid plagiarism when it comes time to writing up. 4) Everyone has a different approach to essay writing but you need to ensure that you undertake some level of planning. Noting key points and the order in which you will address them will help you develop a logical argument. If you keep referring back to them as you write, your list of key points can also help you ensure that you are being consistent and not wavering from your argument. 5) Begin writing your essay! As you do so, keep in mind that better essays are those that develop a strong line of argument, which is well structured and balances description and critical analysis. Good questions to ask yourself are: • 'Does this point relate to the main ideas I want to get across or does it distract the reader'? • 'Does the point I am making answer the question?Does it relate to the point before and after it, and if so how?' • 'So what?What is the significance of this point?Why am I writing about it?' • 'How can I prove my point?''What sources can I use to support my argument?' • 'Do I agree with the perspective presented in the source that I am discussing?Why/whynot?' • 'How does the perspective of the author that I am discussing compare/contrast with some of the others?' 'What is unique/interesting about what this author has to say?' 6) Leave plenty of time to allow for editing your work. Ideally this should include running a spelling and grammar check, reading the essay in full and having somebody else read your work. It is amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can pick up! 7) Make sure that you write the question you have answered and your name at the top of the first page of your assignment. Submit your assignment to turnitin ONLY. References / Readings: Each of the questions relate to topics covered in weeks 1­7. As a starting point, students are encouraged to utilise the set readings relevant to their chosen question, as well as the suggested readings listed in Section 6.2 Expectations based on the level of the unit and previous units and assignments: At a minimum, students are expected to: • Answer all components of the question and follow the academic protocols for essay writing. • Refer to AT LEAST 5 academic sources (two of which should fall outside the scope of the set readings) in developing/supporting their argument. • Ensure that their essays are logically structured, coherent and free of spelling and grammatical errors. • Ensure that essays are correctly referenced and free from plagiarism. Students must attempt this assessment in order to pass this unit. Failure to submit an essay will result in the award of an Absent Fail grade, irrespective of whether or not the student has achieved an overall mark of 50%. Marking Criteria and Standards:. Week 1 : Understanding Identity: No readings Week 2: Belonging: an introduction Dempsey, K 2002, 'Community: its character and meaning', in P Beilharz & T Hogan (eds), Social self, global culture, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, pp. 140-52. Woodward, K 2004, 'Questions of identity', in Questioning identity: gender, class, ethnicity, Routledge, London, pp. 6-41. Week 3: Localised connections: home, neighbourhood & the family Huggan, I 2004, 'There is no word for home', in Belonging, Bantam, Milsons Point, NSW, pp. 1-22 White, NW & White, PB 2007, 'Home and away: tourists in a connected world', Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 88-104. Week 4: Nation States and National Identity Anderson, B 2010, 'The nation and the origins of the national consciousness', in M Guibernau & G Rex (eds), The ethnicity reader: nationalism, multiculturalism and migration, 2nd edn, Polity Press, Oxford, pp. 56-63. Hawkins, M 2006, 'One world culture? Nation-states, imagined communities, and the question of culture', in Global structures, local cultures, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic., pp. 82-102. Week 5: Ethnicity and Race Hage, G 2000, 'Evil white nationalists 1: the function of the hand in the execution of nationalist practices', in White nation: fantasies of white supremacy in a multicultural society, Pluto Press, Sydney, pp. 27-47. Hawkins, M 2014, 'Global ethnicities, local racisms', in Global structures, local cultures, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Australia, pp. 95-115. Week 6: Youth Subcultures Butcher, M & Thomas, M 2006, 'Ingenious: emerging hybrid youth cultures in Western Sydney', in P Nilan & C Feixa (eds), Global youth?: hybrid identities, plural worlds, Routledge, New York, pp. 53-71. White, R & Wyn, J 2004, 'Youth identity & culture', in Youth and society: exploring the social dynamics of youth experience, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp. 184-202. Week 7: Social class Pini, B, McDonald, P, & Mayes, R 2012, 'Class contestations and Australia's resource boom: the emergence of the "cashed-up bogan"', Sociology, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 142-58. Savage, M, Bagnall, G & Loghurst, B 2001, 'Ordinary, ambivalent, defensive: class identity in the northwest of England', Sociology, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 875-92.