rural livelihoods in the global south (f8017s) - University of Sussex

More documents

Recommendations

Info

that everyone living in the countryside in the Third World was a farmer. So then after the class I read xxxx and yyy and here is a summary of these different articles, and what I thought of them:...” As you can tell, critical reflection on what you have read and heard is required, particularly in the ways in which it reflects back upon your ideas and preconceptions. There is of course such a thing as a bad Diary entry. These can range from a ‘non-entry’ to an illinformed rant. So, do not do the following: “This week we talked about stuff we were asked to read in our small groups. I only got halfway through the thing we were given to read because it was such badly written rubbish – why do academics use such overcomplicated language? (Probably to justify their existence). As far as I could tell the seminar was about what ‘rural livelihoods’ are: pretty obvious I’d have thought – what people living in the countryside do for a living. All pretty straightforward stuff, and I can’t see what all the fuss is about. I’ve tried to summarize what happened in the seminar but frankly it was just a talking-shop...” The Learning Diary is a more autobiographical account than perhaps you are used to, but it does require you to be both rigorous and open-minded in your writing. If you think something is not especially useful then say this in a constructive way. Honesty is also key here: an honesty to admit that you do not understand something for instance is far more acceptable here than it would be in an essay. Keep your own thinking in central position rather than constantly relating and uncritically reproducing the thoughts of various authors. Of course the fact that the Learning Diary carries 100% of the assessment might well mitigate against some of the above statements – how honest can you be about your feelings about lectures and seminars? Please be assured that the Diary will be graded for coverage, structure, creativity, overall presentation and sense of personal development, rather than for false compliments (for which Sussex students are not well known). Early in the module, and by request later on, you will be able to view particularly successful Learning Diaries as well as some problematic ones. You will note that some of the most successful diaries are those that follow a particular focus throughout and use new perspectives and ideas presented each week to add to the understanding of that focus. It is also possible however to produce a first class Learning Diary that does not work through a particular example. The official word limit on the diary is 7,000 words. This limit excludes notes from lectures/seminars and additional material such as newspaper articles, reviews of TV programmes etc. Because this is not an essay or dissertation the official word limit should be viewed as a guideline only and you will not be penalised for overshooting it. Rural Livelihoods in the Global South, 2013 - F8017 22
Rural Livelihoods in the Global South Learning Diary feedback sheet Learning Diary Marking Principles So that you are aware of how we will assess the Learning Diary, set out below is a breakdown of the main elements that we will be looking for. An absolute percentage value in given for each element along with a brief description of what is being assessed. This is intended to answer any worries you might have regarding how it is one can assess such a different form of assessment. This breakdown has been used very successfully before. Theoretically (and practically) it is possible to get a much higher overall percentage mark here than in an essay because of the way in which absolute values are given to each element. But it also works the other way! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Structure of diary (max. 10%) Clearly the overall structure of the Diary is set out by the module structure itself, but the ways in which you integrate other materials (articles, observations, photographs etc.) are, by definition, structural. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Originality/Creativity (max. 25%) An important feature reflected in the relative weight given to it. Remember, to get the top grades in any form of assessment you must be both creative and original. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Critical reflection on sources and their use (max. 20%) This assesses how you have dealt with the various sources that you have encountered (lectures, seminars, academic and non-academic sources) and how you have developed a critical awareness of their relative merits. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Presentation and use of illustrative material (max. 15%) No Blue Peter badges for best cutter and paster here, rather, we are assessing your editorial ability and the ways in which you make the connections between the illustrative materials and the key issues raised on the module. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Writing quality (max. 10%) Not a key element by any means in terms of grammar, spelling and sentence construction, but the Learning Diary must be readable and well edited. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Development of student reflection on own learning (max. 20%) Obviously one of our main goals in setting the Learning Diary as a form of assessment was to encourage you to do just this. This is set out in more detail above, but in short, it concerns the ways in which your knowledge and thoughts about the key issues have developed throughout the term. Rural Livelihoods in the Global South, 2013 - F8017 23
Page 1 and 2: THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX Department
Page 3 and 4: develop and strengthen a wide range
Page 5 and 6: Davis, B. (2010) ‘A Cross-Country
Page 7 and 8: Week 4: Rural livelihoods and chang
Page 9 and 10: Core readings (to be divided in cla
Page 11 and 12: Web resources http://www.steps-cent
Page 13 and 14: Week 7: Globalisation: trade and wo
Page 15 and 16: Core readings (to be divided in cla
Page 17 and 18: Bebbington, A.J. (2004) NGOs and un
Page 19 and 20: *Brockington and Sullivan ‘Qualit
Page 21: Supplementary material (text and/or
Page 25 and 26: 70+ Marks in this range are indicat
Page 27: 6. In case of multiple assessments

rural livelihoods in the global south (f8017s) - University of Sussex

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?