Studying in Australia: The Study Abroad Student's Guide to Success

WritingIt is common for subject assessments atMelbourne (especially in the Humanitiesdisciplines) to consist of two or three writtenassignments. You already have experience writingassignments, doing research, and in being ahigh-achieving student. However, as there may befewer assessable assignments to be done, youmay have limited chances to gain feedback andlearn from experience. Being aware of the stylesand organisation of written work in Australia willhelp you.This chapter will give you an understanding ofwhat is expected of you and give you some ideasof the steps in the process of writing a Humanitiesstyleessay.Which assignment question should I choose?It is common practice in Australia to give studentsseveral assignment questions to choose from.Sometimes, making this choice is a difficult task.Some things to think about when choosing atopic:• Choose a topic that is of some interest toyou: it’s easier to write and engage with atopic when you have interest in it.• Choose a topic for which there is enoughresearch information available: you need tobe able to find information on the topic. It maybe interesting, but if you can’t find informationabout it, then it is not a good choice.• “It’s my third selection!”– Choose a topicand stay with it: Take extra time selectinga topic you can write about and stick with it.Chopping and changing topics tends to wastea lot of time and effort.• Don’t wait too long to choose: Yes, takeextra time to make a good choice, but domake a choice – don’t muck around (wastetime). You need to get started plenty of timebefore the submission date.Analysing the assignment questionThe Australian approach to answering an essaystyleassignment question, especially in manyof the Humanities disciplines, involves taking aposition or an opinion on an issue. The essaytopic is often referred to as a ‘question’ (eventhough it may not be one grammatically) for whichyou should provide an ‘answer’.It would have helped a lot if I’dknown what the lecturers andtutors really expected – it wouldhave been a lot more comfortingwhen writing the paper. But it’shard when you only turn in twoor three papers, so you don’tknow until you get the first oneback what they really want.Anna, SpainIn the initial stages, you will be searching forinformation relevant to the topic that will help youto decide what the answer could be from yourperspective. To focus your research, you will needto begin by analysing the essay question.1. Identify the theme of the questionThe theme/s will help you put your question in acontext. It will also give you a starting place in yoursearch for resources.In the question; “Discuss reasons as to why therehas been a minimal increase in the numbersof males taking up primary teaching in the past25 years”; the themes are males and primaryteaching.2. Establish the specific focus of the questionWithin the theme of your essay question a specificarea should be addressed. It is usual to have aquestion that has some conflicting opinions todiscuss. Do you agree or disagree? You mighteven take a modified position where you agree toa point, but have some concerns that you thinkshould be addressed.The specific focus of the question above relatesto the success of initiatives around increasing thenumber of males who choose to become primaryteachers (as opposed to females or males whomake other teaching or career choices). Youwould be expected to analyse some of these andcomment on their success.Studying in Australia: The Study Abroad Student’s Guide to Success25