‘Home is where the heart is’. Drawing on sociological understandings of local and global modes of belonging make an argument for or against this proposition.

THE guidelines!

2) You NEED TO seek additional materials as follows:

a. Academic: Library books and journals can be accessed using the library databases.

b. Institutional: Organisational websites (e.g. The Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, United Nations etc.) may provide useful
information. Keep in mind though that blogs, social networking sites, Wikipedia etc. are not
considered to be academic sources. In many cases the information on these sites has not been
subject to peer evaluation and/or the accuracy of the material presented therein cannot be verified.
For this reason, internet sources in particular should be carefully evaluated.

c. Media: Various media (e.g. magazines, websites, newspapers, television media, and films) can be used as empirical examples. However, in a theoretical essay these should be used only sparingly to help illustrate your points in original, creative and reflective ways. As with academic and
institutional sources these must be appropriately referenced.

3) As you read be sure to take comprehensive notes which will help you make sense of the topic.
When you take notes remember to identify someone else’s ideas or thoughts with accurate
referencing so as to avoid plagiarism when it comes time to writing up.

4) Everyone has a different approach to essay writing but you need to ensure that you undertake
some level of planning. Noting key points and the order in which you will address them will help you
develop a logical argument. If you keep referring back to them as you write, your list of key points
can also help you ensure that you are being consistent and not wavering from your argument.
5) Begin writing your essay! As you do so, keep in mind that better essays are those that develop a
strong line of argument, which is well structured and balances description and critical analysis. Good
questions to ask yourself are:
• ‘Does this point relate to the main ideas I want to get across or does it distract the reader’?
• ‘Does the point I am making answer the question? Does it relate to the point before and after
it, and if so how?
• ‘So what? What is the significance of this point? Why am I writing about it?’
• ‘How can I prove my point?’ ‘What sources can I use to support my argument?’
• ‘Do I agree with the perspective presented in the source that I am discussing? Why/why not?’
• ‘How does the perspective of the author that I am discussing compare/contrast with some of
the others?’ ‘What is unique/interesting about what this author has to say?’