All victims of crime are afforded equal recognition in society’. Critically discuss this statement in relation to a crime type of your choice

Instructions

You must include an introduction which outlines the purpose and objectives of your assignment, including answering the following questions: o What is your topic (briefly outline)? o What is the purpose of your essay? o What is/are your main argument/s? o What crime type are you focusing on?

Assessment Task:
Select one of the following questions to respond to:

1) ‘All victims of crime are afforded equal recognition in society’. Critically discuss this statement in relation to a crime type of your choice.

OR
2) ‘Crime is a major and growing social problem’. Critically discuss this statement in

relation to a crime type of your choice.

Tips and guidance for writing an essay:

1. Preparation and research:

• You need to relate your writing to the specific question provided in the Course Outline. You cannot make your own topic. If you are struggling with the questions, contact your course convenor.
• You are expected, as university students, to go to the library and do your research there. Make sure you log on to the UNSW library website and have a look at the e-resources database. You should have no trouble finding good peer-reviewed work here to reference in your essay. If you are not sure about how to best utilise the library website, contact library support, but make sure you do this well before the due date of the assignment.
• 
 Wikipedia is not accepted as an academic source! The bulk of your reference list should consist of credible academic sources (e.g., journal articles and books). Government reports and reports from well-recognised research organisations are also acceptable.

2. Structure, content and presentation

• Your essay should be 1.5 or double spaced
• You must have a title and indicate which of the assigned questions you have selected.
• You must include an introduction which outlines the purpose and objectives of your 
assignment, including answering the following questions: o What is your topic (briefly outline)?
o What is the purpose of your essay?
o What is/are your main argument/s? 
o What crime type are you focusing on?
• 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:

o Most often one of key problems with student writing

o Can be avoided if you plan your writing carefully
o It is essential to organise topics, issues and arguments and present them as a logical and coherent unit.

• Academic analysis:

o Your opinion/argument is an essential part of your writing, but should be     supported with references as much as possible. i.e., an essay is not just what ‘you think’ about the world. It is an argument constructed drawing on evidence from academic literature.

o Your arguments need to be linked to one another to form a coherent whole.

o Critical engagement with relevant theory and literature is essential if you want to achieve a higher grade (see rubric below). Move beyond superficial claims and tell me why certain phenomena exist and how theory relates to your discussion.

• Conclusion:

o Your essay needs to have some closure that is based on your previous

arguments.

• Grammar and expression:

o As students, you HAVE TO use academic language. Avoid:

•  Long sentences
•  Long quotes
•  Dot points
•  Contractions (‘didn’t’, ‘doesn’t); spell out the full work (did not, does not) 
and avoid using ‘etc’. If you have more to say, say it! Etc. is a lazy way out.
•  Emotive language (‘huge’, ‘enormous’, ‘gigantic’, ‘massive’)
•  Direct questions and simplified answers (For example, a sentence like: 
“Should we say she is a victim? No!)
• Referencing:

o Reference list has to be included at the end of your essay
o Lecture notes are NOT references

o All in-text references have to be included in the reference list
o Always put quotes in context. Do not leave a quote to ‘speak for itself’ o Make sure you follow the SOSS referencing guide

o Always ensure that direct quotes are placed in quotation marks, and the

appropriate reference details (Author, year and page number of quote) are

provided

o If you’re unsure how to correctly reference something – ask!

3) Submission

• You need to read your essay prior to submission. If it doesn’t make sense to you, it won’t make sense to your marker either!
• Proof-read for errors and spelling mistakes. AND run a spelling and grammar check.
• Get familiar with Turnitin and read the Originality Report before final submission. If you 
have a high similarity index, you may not be referencing correctly and/or may need to adjust your writing. However, the Originality Report alone should not be relied on as an indication of whether you have engaged in academic misconduct. Some issues, such as inappropriate paraphrasing, will not be detected by Turnitin. Always follow the School referencing guide as closely as possible