ACC100: Assessment 3 – Essay

Due: Friday 7 February 2020, 5:00pm (AEDT)

Word Count: 1600 words (+/- 10%)

Weighting: 40%

Format: Word document with a standard font (such as Calibri, Times New Roman or Arial),
standard size text (10-12 point) and 1.5-line spacing.

Referencing: Minimum of eight (8) sources in Deakin Harvard style; at least six (6) must be academic
sources.
- The reference list is not included in the word count; in-text citations are included.
- The reference list must be placed at the end of your essay and should only include
sources that you have directly referred to in your work (through in-text citations).

Submission: Upload to the Assessment 3 dropbox on the unit’s cloud site. To do this, go to:
Assessment > Assignments > Assessment 3: Essay
Upon successful submission, you will receive an automated email confirmation to your
Deakin student email account.

Overview: This assessment is designed to build upon the academic skills learnt through the first
assessment (finding sources, referencing and critical analysis). It is intended to further
your capacity as University students by developing your critical thinking and writing
skills, and engagement with academic theory / concepts.

Essay Topic:

Drawing from examples, explain how [academic theory/concept] is useful to understand participatory
digital media culture.

Instructions:

Step 1: You will need to select an academic theory / concept from the unit, from the below list, to focus
on in your essay:
Public Sphere Surveillance Society
Media Effects Semiotics
Network Society Creative Industries
Ideology Gamification

The theory/concept you choose needs to be applied in your essay to help you explore an area of
participatory media culture (through examples). Whichever theory/concept you select will connect with
other concepts and ideas that we have explored in the unit. We encourage you to highlight these
connections in your essay (remember to define or explain all academic terminology, using references),
while maintaining focus on one theory/concept in particular.
Step 2: You will need to narrow the scope of your essay by selecting a specific area of participatory
media culture to help you find examples. Potential digital participatory practices to explore include (but
are not limited to):
Social movements and activism
Citizen journalism
Memes
Influencers and advertising
Gaming culture
Once you have narrowed your area of interest, you will need to find a couple of specific examples to use
as evidence in your essay.

Step 3: You will then need to apply the academic concept/theory to your selected examples to discuss
them in depth – that is, discuss how the theory/concept helps in understanding the examples as a
form(s) of participatory media culture.

You must construct a critical academic argument in your essay that connects what we have covered in
the unit (theories and concepts) with your own observations (examples) about digital media culture.
This means that you will need to prove or argue a point through the logical and rigorous use of evidence
(academic sources, plus examples).

You are to use academic conventions in terms of writing style, referencing, and the overall structure of a
research essay. The essay will need an introduction, body and conclusion, and each paragraph should
have a topic sentence to help guide the reader. The writing should be clear, concise and persuasive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same academic theory/concept from my first assessment?

Yes, but you will need to go into much greater depth when using it in the essay.

Can I use a different academic theory/concept from the list given in the instructions?

If another topic from the unit has peaked your interest, we are open to you using a different
theory/concept for your essay. However, please check the theory/concept with your tutor before
commencing your work.

Can I explore a different digital media participatory practice that is not listed in the instructions?

Yes, absolutely – if you are unsure whether your chosen practice is suitable, confirm with your tutor
before commencing your work.

What does ‘participatory digital media culture’ mean? And what about ‘participatory practices’?

Participatory digital media culture is a term used to describe the changing ways in which digital
technologies enable individuals to become producers of media content (rather than simply consumers
of broadcast media messages). Participatory practices refers to the specific ways in which individuals
produce this digital content (for example, through social media, YouTube videos, blogs, community
news websites, etc.). For more background on these terms, see the weeks 6 and 9 study guides.
How many examples do I need?

It is better to cover fewer examples in greater depth than it is to use too many and run out of space to
properly discuss them. Two or three examples is all you need – don’t forget to cite them in Harvard
style.

Do examples count as references?

Yes – you will need to correctly cite all examples you discuss (both in-text and in your reference list).

However, the majority of your references should be academic sources.

What is an academic source?

Academic sources are peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters or books. The ‘Finding Sources’
document in the general assessment folder provides advice on how to locate academic (and other)
sources. Some easy ways to identify whether a source is an academic text include checking to see if the
author(s) has a university affiliation and whether the text itself has a reference list.

Can I use articles from the weekly topics as references?

Yes, absolutely! Draw from the readings to develop and support your ideas, but you will also need to
demonstrate that you are capable of independent research by including other relevant academic
sources.

DO NOT cite or reference the weekly study guides or slides (these are not considered academic sources
as they have not been peer-reviewed) – use the study guides and slides to locate academic ideas and
texts (tip: there is a reference list at the end of each week’s slides).

What do you mean by construct a ‘critical academic argument’?

This means you need to use your critical thinking skills (from assessment 1, see the week 5 assessment
building exercise for a refresher) to rationally analyse the topic and challenge ideas. A critical academic
argument requires you to:

 develop a position on a topic through consideration of different sides of the debate (offering a
balanced view); and
 construct an academic argument in your discussion, which includes an idea / position (thesis)
supported by reasons (evidence / references).

How strict is the word count?

You have a plus or minus 10% (160 words) leeway with the word count. An important part of academic
writing is learning to articulate your ideas within the limits of the task requirements. Marks will be
deducted for any essay that is outside of the 10% leeway.
I’m not sure how to write an essay – can you help?

Yes, we will be providing advice on how to plan and structure essays in seminars and on the cloud site.

Deakin also has a range of study support services available to both campus and cloud students that can
assist with developing academic writing. In particular, Language & Learning Advisers and Writing
Mentors can help you to understand assessment tasks and provide feedback on drafts of your work.

The tutors will answer any questions you have about the assessment, but they cannot provide feedback
on drafts of your work.

I need an extension, what do I do?

Read the ‘Extensions and Late Submissions’ document in the general assessment folder on the unit’s
cloud site – you will need to complete an extension request form (available in the document) and email
it with supporting documentation to the Unit Chair.

Extensions will only be granted with a genuine reason and documentation (medical certificate, police
report, letter from a counsellor etc.) – requests on the basis of having multiple assessments due, being
busy with work, having computer / internet problems, or your dog ate your homework, will not be
granted.

Under University policy, late submissions incur a penalty of 5% of the available marks per day for up to
five days late (after this time, assessments will not be accepted).

I’m having issues uploading my assessment to the dropbox on the cloud site, what do I do?

It is for this reason that assessments should not be left to the last minute!

Contact Deakin’s IT support on 1800 463 888 (within Australia) or +61 3 5227 8888 (internationally) for
assistance. They are available from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, and 11am to 5pm on weekends.

Keep screenshots of the problems you have encountered.

I have a different question…

Ask your tutor or post them on the Assessment 3 discussion forum.