PUBLIC HEALTH LAW AND POLICY (PUBH632)
Supplementary Assessment Task – Information and instructions
Essay addressing a public health issue
Background
For this supplementary assessment task, you will write an essay addressing the legislative and policy requirements of a contemporary public health issue.
Due date
Tuesday 15 January (6:00 pm)
Length
2,000 words (+/-10%)
Purpose
A supplementary assessment is provided to support a student’s learning and development, and to aid his/her course progression and completion. A supplementary assessment is not a re-assessment of a student’s overall grade, or the mark for an individual assessment item, or a deferred assessment. It consists of a new item of assessment designed to give students an additional (i.e. supplementary) opportunity to demonstrate their satisfactory attainment of specific learning outcomes.
Grading a supplementary assessment
If a student passes the supplementary assessment, the highest mark they can achieve is 50%, a Pass (PA) grade. A student who fails the supplementary assessment, will receive a ‘Fail’ (NN) grade.
Submission
Turnitin (via the PUBH632 LEO page)
Feedback
No feedback will be provided as this is a supplementary assessment; marks will be provided via email.
Referencing
APA6
Task
Write an essay on the following topic:
A medically supervised injecting facility has recently been established, as a two-year trial, in North Richmond, Victoria. The development and subsequent implementation of this policy has taken more than 20 years to be achieved. In this essay, you are required to:
- Describe the legislation and regulation that enabled the establishment of a medically supervised injecting facility in Victoria. [approximately 350-400 words]
- Analyse the development of the medically supervised injecting facility policy in Victoria. In doing this, you need to discuss the following:
- historical development of the policy until its recent implementation;
- describe the international and national evidence (if any) that was used to support the development of this policy;
- summarise the political and social context that impacted on the development of the policy;
- identify the barriers to and enablers of policy development and implementation;
- identify the main actors either supporting or opposing the policy, and discuss their roles, responsibilities, partnerships and interests in supporting/opposing this policy. [approximately 1,100-1,200 words]
- Identify the financial and human resources made available for implementation, and by whom? [approximately 250-300 words]
In preparing this essay, you should include:
- A brief introduction (one paragraph – stating rationale, purpose and structure);
- A middle section containing the above three tasks (use headings and sub-headings to organise and ‘signpost’ your content); and
- A conclusion (one paragraph – summarising key points and considering future implications).
[Note: The above word count is a guide only; you can vary this according to the nature of the content of your essay. You also need to reserve a few words for an introduction and conclusion].
References
A list of references documenting the evidence used to support your arguments, should be presented at the end of the essay.
In this assignment, you are expected to read widely and cite a range of sources, including scholarly texts and peer-reviewed articles (journal articles and book chapters) as well as relevant legislation, along with government reports and other grey literature where relevant.
In-text referencing must be used; adhering to the recommended referencing style – APA6. The Academic Skills Unit and Library have resources to help with referencing.
References acknowledge that part of your work is based on the work and material of others. Failure to acknowledge that some of your opinions and information have come from others may be regarded as plagiarism. References show your reader the range and nature of your source materials. It is important that any reference you give to published sources provides sufficient detail to enable anyone to find the book or article you are citing. Please note, the University takes a strong stand in relation to academic integrity and misconduct, information on this policy may be accessed at:
http://handbook.acu.edu.au/handbooks/handbook_2018/general_information/academic_integrity_and_misconduct_-_policy_and_procedures/academic_integrity_and_misconduct_policy
You can lose marks if the content, quality and layout of your references are of a poor standard.
Note: The list of references is not included in the word count.
Submission
Submission will be via LEO in .doc or .docx format, and submitted assignments will go through Turnitin, which is set up as a link on LEO.
Please ensure you insert a cover page that includes your name, student number, title of assignment and word count. Also ensure page numbers are included in the paper.
Extensions, late assignments and special consideration
As this is a supplementary assessment, no extensions will be granted.
Assessment and marking
Postgraduate students are expected to undertake independent reading and research, beyond set readings and websites, and to apply critical judgement for all assignments. The range of evidence (that is, references) used will inevitably contribute to the quality of thinking and writing, and therefore work requirement outcomes. Some particularly important references and resources for health law and policy are included in lectures, tutorials and readings on LEO, and you are encouraged to access these references.
In preparing your assignments, students are expected to submit work that adheres to the academic standards required in relation to grammar, expression, formatting, footnoting, referencing and numbering.
Marking criteria:
The following five criteria will be used to assess, and mark submitted essays:
| No. | Criteria | Marks |
| 1. | Demonstration of knowledge relevant to topic
(Ability to describe background and context, and use relevant legal and policy examples to illustrate arguments and discussion) |
15 |
| 2. | Quality and strength of argument and analysis
(Ability to critically examine, synthesise and evaluate information and evidence; and present alternative perspectives) |
10 |
| 3. | Use of supporting evidence
(Ability to support opinions and arguments by skilful use of relevant, credible and comprehensive evidence) |
10 |
| 4. | Organisation and clarity of writing
(Ability to write succinctly and clearly, and to present information in a logical manner) |
10 |
| 5. | Referencing
(Ability to adhere to scholarly and consistent referencing) |
5 |
| Total | /50 |
