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ECHL213 Background and Assignment Guide S XXXXXXXXXX
Points to consider
ECHL213 is fully online and requires independent study. For many students the
approach allows for the unit to be completed at their own pace and from the location
of their choosing. You do not need to be in Sydney to complete the unit.
The requirement for independent study, high weighting on essays for assessment
and the short timeframe of S3 can be a problem for students who:
• Need a weekly structure to keep on task;
• Have difficulties with essay writing;
• Will have difficulties with internet access over the December-January period;
• Are seeking factual content rather than evaluation of arguments and research-
ased evidence;
• Have difficulty searching for and accessing journal articles through the
Macquarie University Li
ary.
The
ief duration of S3 means it is difficult to acquire skills e.g. by attending an
essay writing workshop, before each assessment is due. It also means there is
limited opportunity to benefit from feedback for other ECHL213 assignments. You
will need to start working on Essay 2 well before you receive feedback on Essay 1,
for example.
If you believe you may struggle with the content/assessment of ECHL213, you are
advised to seek academic advice from your department of enrolment and find a more
suitable S3 option.
Background Details and Definitions
The name of this unit can lead to confusion. Some students expect to learn about
visual images of children. In ECHL213, a
oader approach to ‘images’ is taken.
Consistent with academic use of ‘images of childhood’ ECHL213 provides an
opportunity to consider how ideas, opinions of others and theories about children
have an impact on opportunities for children. For example, if the image of children is
one that involves innocence and vulnerability, then those who hold that image are
likely to endorse policies and institutions that have a focus on protecting children.
The definition of children is anyone between birth and less than 18 years of age.
Support and Online Messages
Some of the best support comes from the student community. Please feel free to
engage in open discussion on the iLearn site. It is important to remember that some
students are close to completion of their degrees and others are in their first year.
There is also a wide range of discipline backgrounds – we have almost every Faculty
epresented in ECHL213. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other.
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It’s important that discussions on iLearn are respectful. If you start a conversation,
choose an appropriate subject line so the conversation topic is clear to others. This
helps e.g. when people are deciding what to read or searching for information they
saw in a post. Avoid responding with an unrelated issue. Start a new conversation if
you are seeking to discuss a new issue. Remember that stress can be contagious.
Messages with subjects such as ‘HELP’ (or anything else in caps lock) can be
annoying to others in the group and messages about the stresses of study can help
the author, but are not helpful to the group.
We are unable to read essay drafts but Shirley Wyver will look at lists of references
sent to her through dialogue no later than 10 December. If you would prefer to
discuss rather than co
espond by dialogue, send a message (via dialogue) to
Shirley Wyver to organise a time for a phone or face-to-face discussion.
Assignment submission and return of grades
• The quiz will be submitted online through iLearn.
• Essays will be submitted through Turnitin (available on iLearn).
• Grades will be awarded rather than marks.
• Resubmission of assignments is not available.
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Assessment overview
Quiz 1 (practice open no later than quiz 9 Dec, actual quiz 14 Dec)
Please note that the unit guide
https:
unitguides.mq.edu.au/unit_offerings/103760/unit_guide refers to 2 readings. A
decision was made to reduce this to one reading as the reading is quite lengthy. The
eading is ‘The Convention on the Rights of the Child at a Crossroads’. A PDF is
available from iLearn. Make sure you use the iLearn version to ensure you have the
co
ect version. The quiz includes 20 multiple choice items. Ensure you you’re your
quiz available during the quiz as reference material.
The practice quiz is optional and will not attract marks.
Essays
Essay 1 (Due 20 December – 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Essay Topic: Gender stereotypes and media.
This essay is about how children form images of their own gender. There are many
influences on children’s formation of stereotypical images of gender. In this essay,
you will focus on media influences. Media includes films, television, advertisements,
internet content, gaming. There are many images that are potentially influenced by
media. These include: body type, attractiveness, behaviour, emotional expression,
strength/frailty, interests and ho
ies. To manage the essay, focus on one or two of
these stereotypical images.
Essay question: Does media contribute to children’s formation of stereotypical
images of their own gender?
Your argument should be based on evidence from at least 10 journal articles or book
chapters. At least 5 of these need to be empirical studies examining media and the
development of children’s stereotypical images of gender. Other references may be
eviews or examinations of relevant theory.
Recommended references (you are not required to use these references in your
essay):
Coyne, S. M., Linder, J. R., Rasmussen, E. E., Nelson, D. A., & Birkbeck, V. (2016).
Pretty as a princess: Longitudinal effects of engagement with Disney
princesses on gender stereotypes, body esteem, and prosocial behavior in
children. Child development, 87(6), XXXXXXXXXX.
Kirsch, A. C., & Murnen, S. K. (2015). “Hot” girls and “cool dudes”: Examining the
prevalence of the heterosexual script in American children’s television
media. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 4(1), 18.
Martin, R XXXXXXXXXXGender and emotion stereotypes in children’s television. Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 61(3), XXXXXXXXXX.
https:
unitguides.mq.edu.au/unit_offerings/103760/unit_guide
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Essay 2 (Due 20 January – 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Essay Topic: Images of obesity in children.
To maintain your pace in ECHL213, you should start your second essay before you
eceive feedback from your first essay. We cannot guarantee you will receive your
first essay grade and comments before submitting your second essay. Even if you
do receive the marks before, it will be too late for you to use the feedback for major
changes to your work.
Essay question: Are there any negative images of children who are obese? Support
your case with cu
ent evidence.
Note, this appears to be a yes/no question, but it is fine to conclude that the findings
are mixed if that’s your reading of the research. Or you could also identify that some
groups hold stronge
different negative images compared to other groups. Try to
develop an argument that allows you to critically engage with a cohesive set of
studies.
Recommended references (you are not required to use these references in your
essay):
Ha
iger, J., Trammell, J., Wick, M., & Luedke, M XXXXXXXXXXGender and age
differences in pre‐schoolers’ weight bias beliefs and behavioural
intentions. British Journal of Developmental Psychology.
Lydecker, J. A., O’Brien, E., & Grilo, C. M XXXXXXXXXXParents have both implicit and
explicit biases against children with obesity. Journal of Behavioral
Medicine, 41(6), XXXXXXXXXX.
Pont, S. J., Puhl, R., Cook, S. R., & Slusser, W XXXXXXXXXXStigma experienced by
children and adolescents with obesity. Pediatrics, 140(6), e XXXXXXXXXX.
Marking Criteria (both essays)
1. The referencing style used is stated in your assignment file name. The
eferencing style selected is used consistently and co
ectly.
2. The essay includes a clear introduction and conclusion.
3. At least 10 high quality references have been included. The references are
from high quality journals or edited books. The recommended references can
e included in the 10 references.
4. It is clear that all references in the reference list
ibliography have been read
in detail and used effectively in the essay.
5. There is an attempt to integrate the ideas from the references used rather
than just listing the different points made.
6. There is evidence of critical evaluation.
7. Spelling and grammar have been checked and are acceptable.
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8. The essay is entirely in the author’s own words. *There are no quotes.
9. Evidence is used to support all points made.
10. The argument developed is coherent/logical.
11. It is clear that the essay topic has been addressed throughout. There are no
sections of the essay that are off-topic.
*Each year questions are asked about this requirement. It isn’t a mistake. You need to
explain in your own words so we can understand what you know.
Additional Points
You will submit your essays through Turnitin. You can submit your essay ahead of
time to check the Turnitin report. So that we can determine which essays are final
submissions and which ones are submitted for checking, please put Draft as the first
word in your filename if the submission is to check the Turnitin report and Final if it is
your final submission. That will help us get ahead with marking as we will know we
can mark any ‘Final’ documents.
Use a referencing style that you are familiar with e.g. if you have mainly used
Harvard for other units, then use Harvard for your essays. Ensure you include the
name of the referencing system in your assignment file name