Does Gender-Warmth Affects Child Custody Decisions?

Paper 1: Research design paper (15%) (1000 – 1500 words each)

Paper 1: Research Design (Formative Assessment Task) Due: Thursday 19 March 2020 Weighting: 15% Word limit: 1000-1500 words In this assignment you will take the first step towards developing your major research essay (Paper 3)*. Identify a research puzzle of interest to you in political science, public policy or international relations that can effectively be studied using qualitative methods. Using the academic literature, justify this line of inquiry and outline your case(s), identify sources of evidence, and justify your methodological approach. If appropriate, identify what you think the outcome of the study might be, given what is known in the literature. Note: if you choose an IR field, do consider whether you can access sufficient qualitative resources. Assessment Task In the following assignment outline and justify: 1. Research Puzzle a. Provide a description of your Research puzzle and why it’s important or interesting 2. Literature review a. What is your research topic about? b. What do we know about this topic (in Australia and in comparative countries)? c. Are there competing ideas about your research puzzle? 3. Expectations/ Hypothesis a. Identify what you are trying to explain or explore b. Given what you’ve read in the literature, outline what your expectations (or even a hypothesis) are? i. Your topic may not lend itself to setting out a specific expectation, instead you should justify why 4. Method, Case selection and justification a. What methods b. What is/are your case(s) – why have you chosen this case/ these c. What data sources are you using? d. Why are you using these methods e. What might be the limitations Online Submission: ALL Assignments are submitted using the course Wattle site. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalized at the rate of 5 marks of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date. *You can change your topic for paper 3 after the submission of this assignment, but only after a meeting with me.

Assessment attributes Levels of Attainment Developing Functional Proficient Advanced Fail Pass Credit Distinction High Distinction Knowledge & Understanding (15%) Limited understanding of required concepts and knowledge. Inaccurate reproduction of text and lectures. Cannot discuss concepts in their own words. Displays knowledge, even Encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, and can reproduce accurately required facts and definitions. Has adequate breadth, but limited depth of understanding of basic concepts and evidence. Exhibits breadth and depth of understanding of concepts used in the course. Can use terminology accurately in new contexts, and can use evidence to support claims. Demonstrated the capacity to transform ideas in the literature so that they can express them appropriately in their own words. Presents evidence consistent with norms in the discipline. Exhibits accurate breadth and depth of understanding of concepts in the course. Can use terminology accurately in new contexts and consistently supports claims with evidence. Ideas are transformed so that they are expressed appropriately in their own words. Demonstrates an appreciation of the limits of their own understanding. Can generate and justify principles, protocols and hypotheses. Exhibits accurate and elaborated breath and depth of understanding of concepts in the course. Knows how particular facts came to be and consistently supports claims with evidence. Demonstrates an appreciation of the limitations and temporary nature of conceptual knowledge in the discipline or field. Can generate and justify principles, protocols and hypotheses and reflect on their implications for the literature. Analysis (40%) Personal and anecdotal. Descriptive and anecdotal with limited use of theoretical frameworks. Rule based, derived largely from authority (texts, teachers, authority figures). Limited capacity to identify the complex factors within a larger idea or context. Limited capacity to synthesise a number ideas into a larger argument. Can recognise competing explanations and can identify the relative merits and limitations of an argument or position. Can break large ideas, situations or problems down into components and explain each using the theoretical ideas and concepts of the discipline. Can synthesise a number of concepts or factors into a larger argument. Can evaluate the salience & limitations of evidence and arguments. Uses principles to formulate a position or an argument. Can articulate the limited nature of their argument. Analysis is coherent and cohesive and draws on theoretical ideas and concepts of the discipline. Can synthesise a number of concepts or factors into a larger argument. Can evaluate the salience & limitations of evidence and arguments from one or more standpoints. Uses principles to formulate a position or an argument. Can articulate the limited nature of their argument and, where appropriate, can challenge to boundaries of disciplinary understanding or engage reflectively with the discipline’s evidence and literature. Analysis is sophisticated with a balance of theory and personal reflection/ interpretation. Capable of generalising from personal reflection on theoretical ideas or real life evidence to formulate principles and evaluate the efficacy of ideas from a number of standpoints. Use of Academic Conventions (10%) Absence or inaccurate use of referencing and citation conventions. Basic referencing accurate and use of a bibliography and or reference list. Sometimes lacks consistency, or has errors, but is a reasonable acknowledgment of the sources of information. Presents evidence but may have errors or is not consistent with academic best practice in the discipline. Use of academic conventions such as referencing and citation is accurate, mostly consistent and appropriate for the discipline. Presents evidence consistent with norms in the discipline, with some inconsistencies. Use of academic conventions such as referencing and citation is accurate, consistent and appropriate for the discipline. Presents evidence consistent with norms in the discipline. Use of academic conventions such as referencing and citation is accurate, consistent and appropriate for the discipline. Presents evidence consistent with norms in the discipline and best practice. Able to adapt the approach to different disciplinary conventions. Use of academic writing, organisation and presentation (35%) Does not demonstrate an understanding of what is expected. E.g. many spell errors, incomplete sentences, poorly punctuated, written in note form. etc Adheres to most basic expectations regarding the formatting and presentation of work. E.g., titles name on work, introduction, conclusion, and reference list. Has correct sections for reports, case notes etc. Spell checked & grammatically correct. Adheres to most expectations and conventions with all expected attributes present. Writing style is mostly coherent and flows from one section to another. Some translation and interpretation of the conventions to suit personal style and the specific execution of the task. Adheres to all expectations and conventions with all expected attributes present. Writing style is coherent and flows from one section to another and displays the capacity to translate and interpreted of the conventions to suit personal style and the specific execution of the task. All expectations and conventions with all expected attributes present. Writing style is coherent, well-crafted and displays the capacity to translate and interpreted of the conventions to suit personal style and the specific execution of the task. A unique, but appropriate, presentation of work.