Academic Literacy – Australian Higher Education
Description:
In 2019, Wayne Martin (Former Chief Justice of WA) gave a speech in which he stated that in Australian, “[w]e pride ourselves on being the land of the ‘fair go’. We describe ourselves as a meritocracy and like to think that those who have ability will prosper to the extent of that ability, and that everybody will be given the opportunity to realise the full extent of their potential.” He follows by asking, “So, how closely does this image correspond to reality?”
For this essay, you are to consider these comments and answer the question: Is higher education in Australia meritocratic? Choose one demographic and one pattern from the lists below and use statistics, academic sources and research to explore this issue. In answering this question, you must use theory to explain why the pattern you have identified is occurring.
Demographics you may choose are: **Please choose ‘Gender’ with the view Australia is not meritocratic in higher education
- Socio-economic Status
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Rural / urban
Patterns you may identify may be:
- Overall numbers of enrolments
- Type of university
- Type of course
Gender statistics:
Further Guidance
In essay 1 we want you to demonstrate that you can make an informed, academic argument. This is the marking criteria which your essay will be marked against and this is similar to the criteria expected for most academic essays (see rubric below).
This short essay should be around 900 words (please do your best to keep within 10% of this either way. Failure to do so may impact on your grade. This 900 does not include references but does include citations). Please make your essay is a word document, with size 12 font Times New Roman or Arial, 1.5 or double line spaced, and please make the first page of your essay this cover sheet linked here Download here.
Please do not change the essay question. Remember to include a title, but there is no need to use subheadings in a short essay; clear paragraphs and \’signposting\’ should do this for you.
Please note that your essay will need to have appropriate referencing for every claim / point you make, there should be no unsubstantiated claims. We are reluctant to dictate the number of references, but you will probably need at least 5 or 6 academic references to develop your argument. You can choose from either the list provided below, but you must also do your own independent library research (using the library skills outlined in week 3). We will have discussed the different types of sources in week 3 and what constitutes an ‘academic’ source and finding independent resources which directly support or evidence the points that you are making will strengthen your work.
In this essay you must:
- Use the statistics from the Australian Government report ‘Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Acceptances’, and/or the ABS Gender Indicators report. Please note that in lesson 2 an old version of this report is discussed; however, it makes more sense for you to use the statistics from the most recent report (2018) for your essay,
- Use sociological or psychological theory relevant to analysing the phenomenon.
- Use at least one empirical study (secondary source, probably a journal article) which has researched the exact case you are looking at, preferably in Australia,
- Use at least 5 or 6 academic references (to clarify what constitutes an academic source see Lessons 3 and 4, websites and newspapers do not count).
- Follow the conventions of an academic essay in terms of structure, evidence and referencing.
- Use APA OR Harvard referencing.
- Follow an essay skeleton plan for structure.