CULT3018 Perspectives in Criminology
Assignment 2: Essay

After you have read this information, go to the Assignment 2 Q&A discussion board to ask any questions and see what your peers are saying about this assignment.

Assignment Overview

To pass this subject of study, you must achieve an aggregated grade of at least 50%. Although this assignment is not a mandatory submission, completing this assignment will give you the best chance of achieving this minimum requirement.

This assignment is an essay that builds upon Assignment 1: Annotated bibliography. Using the resources included in the annotated bibliography, you will critically discuss and answer your selected essay question.

This assignment supports Subject Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3

Use of generative artificial intelligence

In this assessment task, you will not be able to meet the learning outcomes related to critical analysis, reflection and the application of knowledge to learning materials in this subject by using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Working with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in assessment or improperly obtaining answers from a third party, including generative AI, to questions in an examination or other form of assessment may lead to sanctions under the Student Misconduct Rule (Western Sydney University, 2023). Use of generative AI tools may be detected. More information is available on the Library web page Turnitin's AI writing detector (Library Study Smart, 2023). 

Assignment Details

Work your way through the following steps to meet the requirements of this assignment.

Step 1: Review your annotated bibliography and plan further research

In Assignment 1: Annotated bibliography, you selected one of the following five topics to focus your research on.

▢ How has globalisation impacted criminal justice in Australia?

▢ In what ways does environmental crime cause harm on a mass scale? Cite one to three examples.

▢ Should torture be dealt with through the traditional criminal justice system (i.e. police, courts, prisons)?

▢ How is terrorism defined and governed in Australia? Is this a fair approach?

▢ Are international bodies (i.e. the United Nations and International Criminal Court) necessary to deal with crime?

▢ What are the advantages and disadvantages of an international approach?

Review the resources in your annotated bibliography and identify areas in your literature that you wish to explore further, or require further supporting literature.

Step 2: Prepare and expand on your research

You must relate your writing to your specific chosen topic. If you require assistance in structuring your essay so that it appropriately addresses your essay topic, refer to your OLA or go to the Assignment 2 Q&A discussion board.

At least ten academic sources must be included in your essay (six of which were included in your annotated bibliography). This is the minimum number of resources required to pass this assignment—it is highly recommended that you engage with as many relevant texts as possible. Use the Western Sydney University LibraryLinks to an external site. (n.d.a) to find credible, current and peer-reviewed articles and texts. Sources such as Wikipedia are not accepted as academic sources.

Step 3: Structure your essay

Ensure that you include the following items in your essay:

▢ You must have a title and indicate which of the assigned questions you have selected.

▢ You must include an introduction that outlines the purpose and objectives of your assignment, including answering the following questions:

▢ What is your topic (briefly outline)?

▢ What is the purpose of your essay?

▢ What is/are your main argument/s?

Structure is an extremely important part of writing. It not only includes your writing and sentence structure, but also the narrative flow of your work—it is most often one of the key problems and can be avoided if you plan your writing carefully. It is essential to organise topics, issues and arguments and present them as a logical and coherent subject.

▢ Conclusion: Your essay needs to have some closure that is based on your previous arguments.

▢ Academic analysis: Your opinion/argument is an essential part of your writing but should be supported with references where possible.

Your paragraphs need to be linked to one another.

Critical engagement with the theory and literature is a must if you want higher grades. Move beyond superficial claims and tell me why certain phenomena exist and how theory relates to your discussion.

You must include a reference list that adheres to the Harvard WesternSydU referencing style guide (PDF 199 KB)Links to an external site. (Western Sydney University Library 2019).

Note: The reference list is not included in the word count. 

Assignment tip

View the marking guide under 'Assignment criteria' to see a detailed breakdown of how your work will be assessed. This is an excellent place to start your preparations for this assignment.

Refer back to the marking guide frequently to make sure you are meeting the requirements.

Supporting resources

As you’re finalising your draft, don’t forget that the Assignment Feedback Tool is available 24/7 to help you refine your grammar, referencing, writing style, and more. For more details, see the Assignments and support page in your Welcome Module.