SCO101
Why Do Good?
Group-based Assignment
January 2020 Presentation
SCO101
Group-based Assignment
GROUP-BASED ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is worth 50% of the final mark for SCO101 Why do Good?. This is a groupbased assignment. You should form a group of no more than 5 members from your seminar
group.
This assignment consists of 2 tasks, to be submitted to Canvas on the same day:
Task 1: a 600-word opinion piece worth 30%; and
Task 2: an academic poster worth 20%.
The cut-off date for both tasks is:
2 February 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 1 Weeks 1-3)
23 February 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 1 Weeks 4-6)
Note to Students:
1. Each group is required to upload a single essay and a single infographic. Having more
than 1 submission of your group assignment by different members will affect the similarity
index and your plagiarism report. You should thus elect a group leader to be responsible for
uploading the essay and infographic on behalf of the group.
2. Any members who do not respond to their group and/or fail to contribute to both tasks
will have their GBA considered as “no submission” and will be automatically be
withdrawn from the course.
3. You are to include the following in all your assignments: course code, each member’s names
and SUSS PI No., and submission date.
4. Refer to the Student Handbook for details regarding plagiarism. The University has strict
guidelines and will enforce severe penalties for direct and unacknowledged copying of course
materials or the work of any other authors as this is regarded as cheating. You should not to
include a cover page, university logo, and declaration of independent work as these will
increase your similarity index and affect your plagiarism report.
5. You are strongly encouraged to submit your assignments before the specified deadline. 10
marks will be automatically deducted via the grade-book system for each 24-hour block. There
is strictly no extension of assignment deadlines. Please refer to the Student Handbook for more
details.
6. There are 2 separate assignment links on the Canvas T group-page. Submit your case study
and infographic separately under the correct headings, i.e. GBA01 for opinion piece and
GBA02 for academic poster.
7. You must include in-text citations and a list of references you have consulted in your work.
Do not use footnotes or endnotes.
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS)
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SCO101
Group-based Assignment
Task 1
In this assignment, you are required to write an opinion piece for a newspaper regarding a realworld moral issue in Singapore in no more than 600-words (excluding references).
A good opinion piece shows a good grasp of the key issue on hand, and is able to present a
succinct, accurate, and convincing argument. An example can be found here:
https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/elderly-suicides-why-euthanasia-not-solution
You will be assessed holistically and marks will be awarded for the following tasks:
(a)
Present the relevant information related to the case study in Singapore and identify its
relevant ethical considerations. You should be able to analyse the given information in
this case study and its relationship to broader patterns and trends in the society to gain
important insights.
(30 marks)
(b)
Take a moral stance regarding the case. You should start by making a decision about
the moral ends you want to achieve. Underline this claim.
(10 marks)
(c)
Apply any ethical theories you have learned in this course to form 3 reasons that
support your stance.
(60 marks)
You should word your opinion piece as a single short essay and not in parts. It shall be
submitted to the assignment link “GBA01”. The following rubrics will be used to assess this
assignment.
Tasks
30 – 21 marks
20 – 9 marks
8 – 0 marks
a)
Present relevant
information related to
the case study.
Provides relevant and
thorough details of the case
study which help to clarify
key ethical considerations.
Provides somewhat adequate
details of a case study for
discussion, but also includes
information that is distracting to
the issues on hand.
Provides peripheral information
of case that were distracting
and/or confusing for the key
ethical issues on hand.
Identify relevant
ethical considerations.
Demonstrates perceptive
analysis of ethical issue, and
a clear articulation of ethical
considerations.
Shows an ability to clearly
articulate the ethical issue on
hand and point out relevant
ethical considerations.
Shows confusion about what
constitutes an ethical issue or
ethical considerations.
Analyse given
information and its
relationships to broader
patterns and trends in
the society to gain
important insights for
decision-making.
(Sense-making)
Demonstrates a strong
analytical understanding of
the case study as part of the
broader phenomenon
(patterns and trends) in the
society, providing insights to
aid decision-making.
Shows the ability to make
connections between the case
study and the broader
phenomenon (patterns and
trends) in the society, but
somehow lacks insights that can
aid decision-making.
Does not make a clear
connection between case study
and the broader phenomenon
(patterns and trends) in the
society, and does not present
any insights of the case study.
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS)
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SCO101
Group-based Assignment
Tasks
70 – 52 marks
51 – 34 marks
33 – 17 marks
16 – 0 marks
Make a decision and
take a moral stance on
the issue.
(decision-making)
Articulates a precise
position on the issue
in an ambiguous
setting using a
structured process of
reasons-and-claim,
and limited sources of
available information
from the case study to
achieve the intended
moral ends.
Articulates a vague
position on the issue
in an ambiguous
setting using a
structured process of
reasons-and-claim,
albeit loosely at times,
with the available
information from the
case study to achieve
the intended moral
ends.
Position on the issue
is confused or lacking,
demonstrating weak
decision-making. The
reasons-and-claim
structure is loosely
formed, and achieves
the intended moral
ends only indirectly.
There is a lack of
position on the issue,
demonstrating that a
decision is not reached.
The reasons-and-claim
structure is unclear and
the intended moral end
is unclear.
Demonstrates a good
grasp of the chosen
theory and provides
correct application of
its mechanics to the
case study thoroughly
for all 3 reasons in
support of the stance.
Provides insights into
the theory, some
beyond those covered
in this course.
Demonstrates a
reasonable knowledge
of the chosen theory
and is able to apply to
the case study
adequately although
not thoroughly for all
3 reasons in support
of the stance.
Demonstrates a bare
minimum
understanding of the
chosen theory and is
able to apply to the
case study, although
not thoroughly and
with some mistakes.
Provides 2 or less
reasons to support the
stance.
Demonstrates a lack of
understanding of the
chosen theory except
for its key principle.
Provides only 2 or less
reasons to support the
stance.
b)
c)
Apply any moral
theories covered in
this course to develop
3 reasons to support
moral stance regarding
this case study.
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS)
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SCO101
Group-based Assignment
Task 2
You are required to present task 1 using an academic poster, and include objections to your
arguments in your opinion piece.
1. Prepare an academic poster covering the details in task 1 in this sequence:
(a) Present the case study in task 1 and identify the relevant ethical considerations. Make a
decision about the moral ends you want to achieve and take a moral stance.
(b) Demonstrate clear ethical reasoning by articulating your 3 arguments in your opinion
piece succinctly.
(c) Discuss constraints to your 3 arguments by presenting objections to them. You should
counter these objections as much as you can.
2. Prepare your academic poster using a power point slide in portrait (with A2 dimensions:
width 42cm, height 59.4cm) and submit it to canvas as a power point file. This power point
file will be subjected to turnitin for plagiarism score and should thus include in-text citations
and references. A template is found on the assignment page for your adaptation.
3. You can watch a short tutorial on how you can create an academic poster here:
Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WnhoIbfcoM
Video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwMFhyH7_5g
4. The following rubrics will be used:
a)
Tasks
Present the case study
and identify relevant
ethical considerations
(25 marks)
25 – 17 marks
Case study is presented
clearly with relevant
ethical considerations
adequately fleshed out.
16 – 8 marks
Case study is sufficiently
clear, with some slips in
the understanding of
what constitutes ethical
considerations.
Argument is relevant
and somewhat coherent,
although there are some
slips and inaccuracy.
7 – 0 marks
Case study has missing
relevant details and there
is confusion as to what
constitutes an ethical
issue.
There is no clear stand
and the application of
the theory is incorrect.
b) Demonstrate clear
ethical reasoning by
articulating your 3
arguments.
(communication)
(25 marks)
Argument is coherent
and insightful.
c)
Counter-arguments
presented are well
thought out and are able
to defeat the objections.
Counter-arguments are
relevant and well
presented.
Counter-arguments are
not directly relevant to
the arguments presented
in case study.
Appropriate choice of
format, main ideas are
clear and easily
identified.
Format is simple and
ideas are mostly clear,
but with some slips.
Layout is confusing and
disrupts the flow of key
ideas of the case study.
Graphics used is simple
and mostly aid
understanding.
Lacks graphics or uses
distracting graphics that
hinders easy read.
Discuss constraints to
argument (25 marks)
Layout/flow/graphics
(25 marks)
Graphics used enhance
the content and aid
understanding.
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS)
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SCO101
Group-based Assignment
5. This academic poster (Task 2) must be submitted on the same date as the opinion piece
(Task 1) through Canvas under the assignment link titled “GBA02”.
--- END OF ASSIGNMENT ---
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS)
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