RHODES UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
HANDOUT NUMBER 1
GENERAL INFORMATION AND DEPARTMENTAL RULES
This is a very important document.
You should consult it before submitting any assignment to the Department.
February
2013
CONTENTS
1.
STAFF
2.
RULES RELATING TO ESSAYS AND ASSIGNMENTS
3.
TUTORIALS
4.
COMPILATION OF THE YEAR MARK AND FINAL MARK
5.
D.P. CERTIFICATES AND EXAMINATIONS
6.
OTHER INFORMATION
1.
STAFF
The staff members of the Department of Sociology are accommodated in the Old Kaif behind
Selwyn Castle in Prince Alfred Street:
Name
Ms. Tarryn Alexander
Ms. Janet Chisaka
Prof. Michael Drewett
Prof. Kirk Helliker
Prof. Gilton Klerck
Ms. Babalwa Magoqwana
Ms. Claudia MartinezMullen
Prof. Monty Roodt
Ms. Babalwa Sishuta
Prof. Lucien van der Walt
Mrs. Juanita Fuller
Ms. Noluvuyo Madinda
2.
Designation
Lecturer
Lecturer
Associate Professor
Associate Professor and
Head of Department
Associate Professor
Lecturer
Email Address
t.alexander@ru.ac.za
j.chisaka@ru.ac.za
m.drewett@ru.ac.za
k.helliker@ru.ac.za
g.klerck@ru.ac.za
b.magoqwana@ru.ac.za
Lecturer
c.martinezmullen@ru.ac.za
Associate Professor
Lecturer
Professor
Office Administrator
Secretary
m.roodt@ru.ac.za
b.sishuta@ru.ac.za
l.vanderwalt@ru.ac.za
j.fuller@ru.ac.za
noluvuyo.madinda@ru.ac.za
RULES RELATING TO ESSAYS AND ASSIGNMENTS
All courses in the department involve the submission of essays and other assignments. The
writing of these essays and assignments are extremely important and there should be no
misunderstanding concerning requirements.
2.1
Plagiarism
NB:
In preparing your essays you should consult a variety of sources (books, journals, lecture
notes, newspapers and the internet, for example). You should use these sources to support and
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flesh-out your own argument or position with respect to the essay topic. However, it is very
important that you acknowledge the sources of your information correctly. Failure to do this
constitutes PLAGIARISM. This is a very serious offense in academia and can lead to
disciplinary action – even exclusion from the university.
Plagiarism refers to the act of presenting the ideas or words of another person, as your
own.
It includes both WORD-FOR-WORD COPYING and SUMMARIES OF PARAGRAPHS
without acknowledging the author properly. Plagiarism covers this sort of use of material found
in textbooks, journal articles AND on the Internet.
It amounts to literary theft since you are stealing another person’s thoughts.
Stealing or copying an essay from another student or the Internet is also considered to be
plagiarism.
There are different levels of plagiarism and therefore different penalties. Rhodes University has a
common policy regarding plagiarism and the penalties for this offence are in accordance with the
University’s general disciplinary procedures.
Some of the levels of plagiarism are:
One or two sentences plagiarized
These offences might lead to:
A
A mark reduction of 10% per sentence.
A mark reduction (of up to 30% per
block) and the matter referred to the
A block of text (sequence of sentences or whole
B
Departmental Disciplinary Officer, and
paragraph) plagiarized
taken to the Senate Standing
Committee on Plagiarism.
Referred
to
the Departmental
Disciplinary Officer and taken to the
Senate Standing Committee on
C
More than half the assignment plagiarized
Plagiarism; the student given a mark of
zero; the withdrawal of the student’s
DP.
Referred
to
the Departmental
Disciplinary Officer and to the Senate
Standing Committee on Plagiarism; the
D
Repeat offence of B or C
student given a mark of zero; the
withdrawal of the student’s DP and
exclusion from the University.
From this table you can see that the University regards plagiarism in a very serious light. It
constitutes a serious offence. There are therefore two things you need to do to avoid plagiarism:
One is to reference correctly in the body of the essay, the other is to list all your sources in the
bibliography.
You are required to sign a declaration that you are familiar with the requirements regarding
written work in the Department. This declaration forms part of the assignment cover sheet that
will accompany each assignment. A copy of this cover sheet can be found on page 7 of this
Handout.
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2.2
Rules for referencing
All essays and other assignments submitted to the Department of Sociology must follow the
Harvard system of referencing. (Please note that other departments may use a different system but
you must follow this one when writing sociology essays.)
2.2.1
Quoting
If you copy words directly from another source, you must put the words between quotation
marks and indicate the author’s surname, the date of publication and the page on which the quote
is found, in the sentence. For example:
I tend to agree with Berger (1982:15) when he says that “Sociology is not a practice, but an
attempt to understand”.
OR
It has been argued that “Sociology is not a practice, but an attempt to understand” (Berger,
1982:15).
OR
According to Berger (1982: 35-36) “... people who are interested in human beings only if they
can change, convert or reform them should be warned, for they will find sociology much less
useful than they hoped”.
OR
According to the United Nations (1998:1): “The rapid growth of the world population is a recent
phenomenon in the history of the world”.
Please note that the full stop comes after the closing bracket.
If the text you have downloaded from the Internet has an author, you must indicate the author’s
name in the reference and the bibliography. For example:
According to Schonteich and Louw (2001:1): “Levels of recorded crime in South Africa began to
increase in the mid-1980’s – dramatically so in the early 1990’s”.
2.2.2
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is when you put an idea you got from someone else, in your own words. When
paraphrasing, you do not have to use quotation marks but you must still put the reference next to
the sentence. For example:
It is only in recent times that the world population has started to increase rapidly (United Nations,
1998:1).
Berger (1982:35-36) says that people who study sociology only because they want to change
other people, will be disappointed.
Since the middle of the 1980’s the number of crimes, reported to the South African police, has
been rising (Schonteich & Louw, 2001:1).
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Note: If you are using a specific quote by an author you must include the page number. If you
are paraphrasing the author’s argument in a whole chapter or book you do not need to include
page numbers.
2.3
List of References
The list of references should be located on the last page of your essay. It should include all the
sources (books, internet etc.) you have used (quoted or cited) in the essay.
The authors of the various sources should be listed in alphabetical order. The title, place of
publication and date of publication should be indicated. You will find the date of publication on
the second page of a book next to the small ‘c’ symbol.
Below are some examples of items listed in a list of references. You will notice that the
presentation differs depending on whether your source is a chapter in a book, a book with
multiple authors, the Internet, etc.
If you wish to include books consulted but not quoted you may include them at the end under a
separate heading of “Bibliography”. These must also be in alphabetical order.
If it is an organisation from the Internet:
United Nations, 1998. Revision of the World Population Estimates and Projections.
http://www.popin.org/pop1998/4.htm
If it is an author from the Internet:
Schonteich, M. & Louw, A. 2001. Crime in South Africa: A country and cities profile.
Occasional Paper No 49. Institute for Security Studies.
www.iss.co.za/Pubs/PAPERS/49/Paper%20049.html
If it is a book with one author:
Berger, P.L. 1982. Invitation to sociology. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
If it is a book with two authors:
Schaefer, R.T. & Lamm, R.P. 1992. Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
If it is an edited collection:
Henslin, J.M. (ed) 1993. Down to earth sociology. New York: The Free Press.
If it is a chapter in a book:
Davis, K. 1993. “Extreme Isolation”. In Henslin, J.M. (ed) Down To Earth Sociology.
NewYork: The Free Press.
If it is a thesis:
Manona, C. 1988. “The drift from farms to towns”. PhD Thesis. Grahamstown: Rhodes
University.
If it is an unpublished manuscript:
Nene, S. 1987. “Decision making and power relations within black families: a search for theory
and research programme”. Paper presented at ASSA conference. University of DurbanWestville. July 1988.
5
If it is a journal article:
Jubber, K. 2001. “Mindless versus Mindful sociology: Models of mind in Sociology and the
Social Sciences”. African Sociological Review. Vol. 5(1) pp. 36-54.
Newspaper report
Sunday Times. Johannesburg, 17 October 1982:11.
Personal communication
Smith, P.J. Director, United Nations Population Division. Personal Communication 10\1\2002.
2.4
Presentation of essays
All essays must be prepared on computer.
A spell-check must be run before submission and you must proof-read your essay.
Always keep a copy of your essay. If your essay is misplaced, lost or stolen you will be
required to provide the Department with a copy.
Leave a margin of at least 30mm.
Paragraphs must be clearly separated.
Footnotes are used for explaining or elaborating on a sentence or concept used in the body of an
essay. They should not be used as references.
At lecturers’ discretion, essays may need to be submitted via Turnitin.
2.4.1
Cover page
The cover page of every essay must contain the following information:
*
Name of student
*
Student number
*
Course
*
Name of lecturer
*
Title of essay
This should not be in question form and words such as “discuss”, “explain” or “analyse”
should be avoided. For example, "Marx’s Theory of Class" NOT "Discuss Marx’s
Theory of Class".
*
Name of tutor and tutorial group (if first year)
*
Date
*
A signed declaration that the work is your own and that you have referenced
properly
6
Required format of cover page
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
YOUR OWN NAME
Your student number
Course: ……………………………
Lecturer: the name of your lecturer
Assignment title: ……………………………………………….
Due date: ……………………………………………………….
Tutor: the name of your tutor (if first year)
Tutorial group: number of tutorial group
Declaration:
1. I am thoroughly familiar with both the university’s policy and this
department’s guidelines on plagiarism.
2. I know that copying directly from either printed (books, journals
or papers) or electronic sources (the Internet) and using this
material in assignments is dishonest, and that it is also wrong to
use another student’s work and pretend that it is my own.
3. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work
with the intention of passing if off as his or her own work.
4. This assignment is my own work.
5. I am fully aware that departments compile a register of plagiarism
offenders, and that this is circulated throughout the university.
6. I understand that I am liable to lose my DP if I plagiarise.
Signature………………….……..
2.4.2
Date ………………………….
Late essays
Due dates are often set for at least a week before the end of a course to minimise interference
with the preparation for examinations and to prevent the overlapping of work activities between
courses. It is therefore essential that you submit essays on time.
Late essays (and other written assignments) will be penalised in the following manner:
*
minus 5% if handed in within 24 hours of the due date
*
minus 10% per day if handed in within 5 days of the due date
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*
0% if handed in 5 days after the due date. Such essays will, however, count for D.P
purposes, but will make no contribution to the year mark.
*
Essays not submitted will result in a loss of D.P. (see point 5 below).
2.4.3
Application for an extension for the submission of an essay, assignment or project
If a student cannot submit an essay on time or cannot sit for a test, the Department must be
informed of the reason in writing at least three days prior to the due date or test. Such an
application does not automatically exempt a student from the essay or test. The Department
reserves the right to grant or refuse an application for exemption and/or extension on the basis of
the information available. Applications should be handed to the lecturer involved in the course.
In the case of illness, a valid medical certificate is essential.
Students should note that leave of absence from the university does not, per se, constitute an
adequate excuse for failure to submit an essay by the due date.
2.4.4
The submission of essays
There are six wooden boxes fixed to the wall of the entrance to the Department of Sociology –
adjacent to Steve Biko seminar room. Completed essays must be placed in the relevant box
before 16h00 (4.00pm) on the due date. They should not be placed in the Administrator's office
or pushed under any doors. Any essay submitted in this manner (e.g. under a door) may be
considered to have not been submitted by the due date.
3.
TUTORIALS
Tutorial attendance is obligatory for Sociology I as well as for those parts of other courses where
tutorial sessions are held. Please check the notice board for times, venues and tutorial groups.
Students are obliged to attend the tutorial session to which they have been assigned. In the case
of a clash with another course the tutorial group may be changed. Students needing to change
tutorial groups must do so through the Secretary or Office Administrator.
4. COMPILATION OF YEAR MARK AND FINAL MARK
Sociology I
The year mark is made up as follows:
Class record:
June examination (write off):
November examination:
Sociology II
Class record: 30% consisting of:
- Essays/tests
Exams: 70% consisting of:
- June examination (write off):
- November examination:
30%
35%
35%
30%
35%
35%
8
Sociology III
Class record:
Exams: 80% consisting of:
- June examination (write off):
- November examination:
- Research Project:
20%
32%
32%
16%
Industrial and Economic Sociology II - same as Sociology II.
Industrial and Economic Sociology III - same as Sociology III.
5.
EXAMINATIONS AND DULY PERFORMED CERTIFICATES (D.P.)
5.1
Examinations
Examinations are written in June and November. The June examination is a write-off, which
means that you will not be tested on that section of the work in the November examination.
5.2
Duly Performed Certificate (D.P)
Students are not automatically (i.e. by virtue of enrolment) eligible to write the November
examination. You must first obtain a D.P. Certificate.
A student shall not be admitted to an examination unless the Department has
certified that he/she has satisfactorily performed the assigned work
In order to obtain a DP Certificate, students must qualify in the following way:
-
attend lectures;
attend at least 80% of tutorials;
submit all tutorial assignments (where applicable) on time;
submit all essays and projects on time;
write all tests;
write the June examination.
The Head of Department may in consultation with the Year Coordinator, refuse a student a D.P.
if their June exam mark and class mark is so low that it is impossible for them to pass.
6.
OTHER INFORMATION
Written assignments constitute the most important part of your work in this Department. This
section deals with some of the terms we use when we phrase questions or essay topics. When
evaluating written work we are guided by schedules such as those contained in this section.
6.1
Outline
Terms used in essays/tutorials and examinations
Give the main characteristics of the topic without great detail.
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Describe
Give an account of: enumerate the immediate characteristic features in greater
detail than outlining.
Discuss
“Discuss” from a Latin root meaning "to shake out in different directions" or
"throwing ideas around." To set out the various aspects.
Elaborate
Show the meaning of; by expanding and developing.
Illustrate
Make clear by giving specific examples and comparisons.
Compare
Disclose the points of difference and resemblance; merely describing or
outlining.
Explain
Make meaning clear; simplify, interpret.
Critically
examine/
Evaluate
Demonstrate the validity of the statement or the reverse, supporting your
argument by quoting authorities.
Analyse
The highest form of sociological endeavour! To break down the structure of a
social phenomenon or the meaning of a concept into its component parts and
to determine the relationship between these components so as to bring to light
the underlying or essential features. Further, to reconstruct these components,
their relationships and essential features theoretically, in such a way as to
make their meaning clear.
10
6.2
Guide for the assessment of written work
Essay Assessment Sheet:
Name:
Course:
Mark:
Rating Scale:
5
4
3
2
1
INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY
Interpretation of title and introduction
5
4
3
2
1
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ESSAY
Logical development
5
4
3
2
1
Relative weight of sub-sections
5
4
3
2
1
Insight and originality
5
4
3
2
1
Subject relevance
5
4
3
2
1
Depth in which topic is covered
5
4
3
2
1
Use of evidence/examples
5
4
3
2
1
Understanding of topic
5
4
3
2
1
Constructive critical analysis
5
4
3
2
1
CONCLUSION TO THE ESSAY
5
4
3
2
1
REFERENCING
Acknowledgement of sources
5
4
3
2
1
Number and variety of sources used
5
4
3
2
1
Style of referencing
5
4
3
2
1
OTHER FEATURES
Legibility
5
4
3
2
1
Spelling/typing errors
5
4
3
2
1
Grammar and Syntax
5
4
3
2
1
Fluent style
5
4
3
2
1
Length
5
4
3
2
1
Rating scale
5
4
3
2
1
Excellent
Very good
Satisfactory
Needs some more work
Needs much more work
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ESSAY ASSESSMENT: WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN
'Interpretation of title and introduction'
Excellent/Very good
Introduction shows a sound grasp of the question and provides a clear outline of the scope of the essay.
Satisfactory
Introduction rambles and scope of essay not defined.
Needs more/much more work
Launches straight in with no attempt to introduce and define the topic. Questions may have been misunderstood.
'Logical development'
Excellent/Very good
Develops a logical argument and expounds ideas clearly.
Satisfactory
Could be better organised by sequencing some of the material more appropriately.
Needs more/much more work
Fails to develop a clear theme or line of argument.
'Relative weight of sub-sections
Excellent/Very good
A well balanced essay with all necessary areas covered adequately.
Satisfactory
Some important areas not covered sufficiently.
Needs more/much more work
Some or many important issues/areas completely ignored.
'Insight and originality'
Excellent/Very good
Shows clear and independent understanding of issues.
Satisfactory
Shows some understanding of important issues but needs more thought.
Needs more/much more work
Shows little understanding of issues and little sign of time and thought given to the question.
'Subject relevance'
Excellent/Very good
Essay thoroughly answers the question.
Satisfactory
Essay answers the question in a general way.
Needs more/much more work
Essay is very vague or unrelated to question.
'Depth in which topic is covered'
Excellent/Very good
Issues are covered in great detail and with considerable thought.
Satisfactory
Topic is given adequate treatment although issues are covered superficially in places.
Needs more/much more work
Topic is not covered adequately: there is a complete lack of depth and detail. Very superficial.
'Use of evidence/examples'
Excellent/Very good
Regular and accurate use of relevant evidence/examples.
Satisfactory
An adequate appeal to relevant evidence/examples.
Needs more/much more work
Little or inaccurate appeal to relevant evidence/inappropriate use of evidence/examples.
'Understanding of topic'
Excellent/Very good
Well argued. All main issues explored and evaluated and conclusion justified.
Satisfactory
Most main issues explored. Some analysis and critical evaluation.
Needs more/much more work
Work is descriptive, accepting and/or one-sided with little analysis or criticism.
'Constructive critical analysis'
Excellent/Very good
Well presented argument in which theories are given careful consideration and rigorous analysis.
Satisfactory
An adequate argument although theories are not given equal nor adequate consideration. Analysis is superficial.
Needs more/much more work
Lack of argument. Treatment of theories is descriptive rather than analytical. Lacks rigour.
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`Acknowledgement of sources'
Excellent/Very good
All sources are clearly referenced.
Satisfactory
Sources are generally referenced although occasional plagiarism is a problem.
Needs more/much more work
Complete or almost complete lack of referencing. Unacceptable level of plagiarism.
'Number and variety of sources'
Excellent/Very good
Critical and wide-range use of relevant literature.
Satisfactory
Likely sources and material covered.
Needs more/much more work
Little evidence of supportive reading. Inadequate preparation.
'Style of referencing'
Excellent/Very good
Correct style of referencing.
Satisfactory
Generally correct style of referencing although not entirely. (See Handout No. 1)
Needs more/much more work
Incorrect style of referencing. (See Handout No. 1)
'Legibility'
Excellent/Very good
Very clear, no problems.
Satisfactory
Typing errors detract from otherwise clear presentation.
Needs more/much more work
Typing is inundated with mistakes. Proof-reading crucial. In future type your essay with care.
‘Spelling/typing errors’
Excellent/Very good
No problems
Satisfactory
A few spelling/typing errors, greater care required.
Needs more/much more work
Too many intrusive spelling/typing errors, indicating serious problem with spelling/typing.
'Grammar and Syntax'
Excellent/Very good
No problems.
Satisfactory
Generally, clear although at times incorrect words/tense etc. used.
Needs more/much more work
Some serious grammatical problems which make your essay difficult to read/understand.
‘Fluent Style’
Excellent/Very Good
Very easy to read/fluent
Satisfactory
Generally easy to read although not always fluent.
Needs more/much more work
Very difficult to follow style is not fluent.
Conclusion to the essay
Excellent/Very good
Good concluding section which draws together the various important points made.
Satisfactory
Rather brief and formalised conclusion.
Need more/much more work
The essay ends abruptly and/or simply rephrases the introduction.
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6.3
I
IIa
IIb
III
F1
F2
F3
Marking schedule: examinations and tests
__________
87
Outstanding coverage of relevant and background material.
Excellent mastery of material and critical argumentation
82
Sound understanding
Organisation, overall presentation, style, linguistic fluency, etc
77
Creative and original
__________
Competent coverage of relevant and background material
72
Fair integration
Evidence of insight and adequate originality
Satisfactory organization
__________
67
Satisfactory coverage of relevant material
Moderate integration and comprehension
Lacking mastery but arguments having some critical depth
Satisfactory to moderate organization
62
Some originality (but not sufficient)
__________
57
Adequate coverage of relevant material
Arguments lacking clarity, lacking theoretical insight
Omissions with areas of confusion and even errors
Tendency towards repetition of lectures
Just enough comprehension indicated to pass
52
Limited organisation of material
__________
Relevant material, but not enough to warrant a pass
Level of argument poor
47
Errors and omissions
Not well organised, conceptual misunderstandings
No analysis
__________
42
Little relevant material
Insufficient, weak argument
Narrow, simplistic, confused
Poorly organised, conceptual misunderstandings
Insufficient, muddled, disorganised
Major errors and omissions
37
Weak argument
__________
27
Very little relevant material
Predominantly irrelevant or muddled
17
Severe misunderstandings and errors
0
No organisation
__________
14