Assessment & the Expanded text project
Coursework
Using peer assessment and the personal statement to improve independence of mind and originality of approach in interpretative and written practice
Although the course where this assessment design is used is not taught within a Literature curriculum, it is structured around theoretical and issues based texts which are common to us. Here assessment is being used to underline the point that the experience of students themselves can help to structure and improve subject specific learning. This assessment makes student opinion its starting point. Tutor experience suggests that many students confuse the idea of criticism with being negative, shouting down. Equally, once students read an authoritative narrative such as Weberís on class, they feel unable to write their own. This assessment design closes the gap between theoretical text and student reader by involving the students at all stages of the course. The students are the ones to select the texts for study. They bring work to writing workshops and peer assess their colleagues. Implicit in this teaching, learning and assessment design is the belief that personal experience is a sound foundation for learning.
Assessment design: plan for personal statement (10 per cent),
presentation on personal statement (10 per cent, peer assessed), 5,000 -
7,000 word critical statement (80 per cent).
University of East London
Unit title: Political philosophy
The unit encourages a close reading of texts in political and social philosophy. It provides a forum in which issues in political philosophy can be subjected to debate, and critical analysis in discussion and writing. Staff and students negotiate the texts for study and students are encouraged to read those texts without recourse to commentaries and secondary summaries of the text. Texts may be chosen to explore certain themes such as identity, women in philosophy, social contract, social justice etc. In the past students have selected texts by Mary Wollstonecraft, Marx and Weber amongst others. The format of the unit is a weekly one and a half hour seminar and an hours workshop plus two hours individual tutorial entitlement.
The main assignment is a personal statement. The students critically reviews his/her own position on a topic of his/her choice, with appropriate references to the present literature. The personal statement has to be word processed or typed, using standard footnote and bibliographic conventions.
Students are required to submit a plan for the personal statement by week nine of the semester and to make a presentation to the group on their statement in weeks eleven and twelve. In addition, each week a student makes an introductory presentation on an agreed text of about fifteen minutes which is followed by group discussion. There is also a weekly writing workshop devoted to planning the statement, exploring personal experience in writing, setting out an argument. Students and tutors read and comment on each otherís work in progress.
