Queries (1 Viewer)

[90atar]

Hey all!

So i have been viciously hacking away at various books,articles and sources trying to get a head around my question and I just had a few queries regarding the project as a whole.

Does the uniqueness of the question/topic really matter?

How should you write it? I know analytically but you know

Does presentation matter? Obviously not a dogs breakfast but reasonable?

Is it good to refer to various sources embedded within the final essay? (Photo's etc.)

If you put in a lot of effort, you should expect to be receiving a good mark?

The more sources the better?

Should you really "spell out" that you are researching and synthesising thoroughly through the log?

Cheers, I know it's a lot of questions

 

[D94]

Does the uniqueness of the question/topic really matter?

No, not really.

How should you write it? I know analytically but you know

Like any other essay; you've got to answer your question. You need a clear thesis and argue that.

Does presentation matter? Obviously not a dogs breakfast but reasonable?

Yes, sub-consciously for the marker. Your final essay should be bonded with a title page, contents, even colour etc.

Is it good to refer to various sources embedded within the final essay? (Photo's etc.)

Yes, but reference quotes in the footnotes, and refer to photos by using an appendix. It's not really about good or bad, it's about doing what you need to do to get the good mark.

If you put in a lot of effort, you should expect to be receiving a good mark?

No. You can put in 200% effort but if your essay writing skills aren't there, you won't get a great mark. Or you may have a picky marker which sees an extra full stop/period in your bibliography and deducts 2.5 marks. And because history is a somewhat subjective subject, some markers may have a prerogative towards a view and be hesitant to mark you up.

The more sources the better?

Depends. The more sources might infer you've read widely, but you may only need 5 sources to answer your question.

Should you really "spell out" that you are researching and synthesising thoroughly through the log?

Yes, hence why it's called a process log. You write down everything you've done, stick in every article you've read, photocopies of books etc.

 

[alyssa21]

I think the best answer to all your questions would be with your teacher - after all, HistExt is internally marked and it's up to the preferences/likes of the markers (in your case, probably your teacher).

Generally, though, I think the key to the Project is to relate/answer the 5 major syllabus questions (what are the historiographical debates, who are the historians, etc etc)- at least this is the idea my teacher's been giving us over the past term. The embedding of sources will obviously depend on what types of sources you're using, I think it's generally better to use excerpts of quotes/paraphrase rather than having whole chunks of quotes from respective historians. Photos, however, could be embedded if it's appropriate?

As for effort equating to a good mark, it doesn't always work that way, I guess! But HistExt, like any other major work, requires constant work/reading throughout the year- my friend literally started writing her essay the week before it was due, but had done extremely thorough research/thinking/developing her ideas, and came away with a good mark. She was extremely effective in answering her question, developing a strong/sophisticated argument, and supported it with a good range of historiography- it's ultimately about how well you meet the criteria, rather than how much effort/time you spend, which will determine how well you do.

And as for the log, shove everything in, definitely!

 

[90atar]

Thanks for your answers guys, It has really helped...I was just wondering, Is it alright to throw everything into the journal, because mine looks it could be about 60-80 pages when complete, is too much a downfall?

 

[D94]

Thanks for your answers guys, It has really helped...I was just wondering, Is it alright to throw everything into the journal, because mine looks it could be about 60-80 pages when complete, is too much a downfall?

I had something like 180 pages worth of documenting. One of my friends had 300+. Too much is better than not enough. It's a journal though, so if there is seriously nothing to write, then just make a little rant and leave it at that.

 

[90atar]

I had something like 180 pages worth of documenting. One of my friends had 300+. Too much is better than not enough. It's a journal though, so if there is seriously nothing to write, then just make a little rant and leave it at that.

Cool, Thanks man...I think I will probably only get to raise the bat for 50, not raise the century.

 

[zxreth]

the length of the journal does not matter at all, mine was 6 pages and i got 5/5

 

[cem]

It depends on what your teacher wants you to put in it.

Had someone handed me a journal of only 6 pages I can assure you they wouldn't have received 5/5 (more like 1/5) but I tell my students exactly what I expect in there. You would have needed more than 6 pages to cover all you summaries, all the times you worked on it, all the times you had discussed your progress with me, all your drafts etc. But then again if you had been in my class you would also have known what I expect and would probably have produced that.