1. How would you describe Australia's political culture? Is the tendency towards apathy and cynicism a sign that our democracy is healthy, or does it pose a threat to the democratic process? 2. Before...

1. How would you describe Australia's political culture? Is the tendency towards apathy and cynicism a sign that our democracy is healthy, or does it pose a threat to the democratic process?

2. Before diving in head first, it’s a good idea to do as much thinking and planning around your essay as you can. This essay plan will form the foundation forAssignment 3B: Research essay. Your essay plan will help you develop a sense of the shape your essay will take. It also means you can be more strategic in the research you undertake.

3. Feedback on your essay plan will be provided by your eLA in Week 10 and should be incorporated into your final essay.

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Step 1: Choose your essayquestion

5. Chooseoneessay question from theAssignment 3 essay question list.

6. It may help to select a questionthat interests you and to choose something you have some prior knowledge of.

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Step 2: Do your research and create an annotated bibliography

8. Researchseveralarticles on your topic and create an annotated bibliography. Here is anexample annotated bibliography entryfor you to see how this is done.

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Step 3: Familiarise yourself with the requirements

An essay plan should:

· provide a clear outline of the arguments you intend to make in your final essay

· detail how you will structure youressay

· identify key findings from the articles you have read for your annotated bibliography

· provide a brief outline of some of the keyarticles you will draw on in completing the essay.

Your article selection will be assessed on reliability and relevance to the essay question.

Take a look at the Assignment criteria for more detail on how your essay plan will be assessed. Keep it handy as you build your plan.

Step 4: Build your essay plan

When preparing to answer an essay question, it is important that you understand it well. Underline key words and identify their function.

Your essay plan should be divided into sections and provide a brief outline of what will be included in each section, by using dot points or normal prose. Structurally you should include: