BHS 1712

INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Semester 2, 2010

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Faculty of Arts
BHS 1712 Introduction to Social Behaviour
Semester 2, 2010

Unit Coordinator: Dr Kathryn Garland

Campus: Caulfield

Phone: 9903 1063

Email: Kathryn.Garland@monash.edu

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs by appointment

Lecturers: Dr Roseanne Misajon

Email: Roseanne.Misajon@monash.edu

Eloise Zoppos

Email: Eloise.Zoppos@monash.edu

Vicki Hutton

Email: Vicki.Hutton@monash.edu

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Prepared by:
Kathryn Garland
Caulfield
Monash University, 3800

Produced and Published by:

Faculty of Arts
Monash University
Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3800
First Published February 2010
Revised & Printed

© Copyright 2007

NOT FOR RESALE. All materials produced for this course of study are protected by
copyright. Monash students are permitted to use these materials for personal study
and research only, as permitted under the Copyright Act. Use of these materials for
any other purposes, including copying or resale may infringe copyright unless written
permission has been obtained from the copyright owners. Enquiries should be made
to the publisher.

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Contents
Unit Outline 5
Unit synopsis 5
Learning outcomes 5
Unit staff – contact details 5
Teaching and Learning Method 6
Unit schedule 6
Unit Resources 7
Prescribed text and/or readings 7
Library access 7
Monash University Studies Online (MUSO) 7
Assessment 8
Assessment tasks 8
Assessment details and criteria 8
Referencing 9
Criteria for Major Assignment 10
Electronic assignment submissions 11
Assessment task grading scale 11
Policy on Assessment 13
Due dates and extensions 13
Retention of exams 14
Late assignment 14
Tutorial attendance 14
Return dates 15
Review and remarking 15
Plagiarism, cheating and collusion 15
Plagiarism register 17
Students with disabilities 17
Deferred assessment and special consideration 18
Blackboard and Email Etiquette 19

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1. Unit Outline

Unit synopsis
The unit introduces students to the study of behaviour in its social contexts. Ways of
understanding social influences on behaviour throughout the lifespan are situated in
a study of the individual as a social being who is involved in a variety of relationships
and settings. The unit introduces students to concepts that explore and explain the
ways these relationships - pairs, groups, teams, communities and cultures - and
settings - family, school, work and leisure - change throughout the lifespan.

Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate:

1. an appropriate level of understanding of a range of theoretical orientations to the

social settings of, and influences on, social behaviour across the lifespan;

2. the ability to discriminate between evidence, interpretation, opinion and fact in

evaluating these theories and concepts;

3. the ability to communicate, orally and in a written form, their understanding of

these theories and concepts.

Unit staff – contact details

The coordinator in charge of this unit is: Dr Kathryn Garland

Unit Coordinator
Dr Kathryn Garland
Faculty of Arts
Caulfield Campus, Building: H, Room: 5.44
Phone: (03) 9903-1063
Email: Kathryn.Garland@monash.edu

Lecturers
Dr. Rosanne Misajon
Eloise Zoppos
Vicki Hutton

Tutors
Perri Campbell
Laura Collins
Vicki Hutton

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 4. Unit schedule
Clayton: Monday, 11-1, 8/R5
Caulfield: Friday, 10-12, B214

Week Week Topic

beginning
1 19 July
2 26 July
3 2 August
4 9 August
5 16 August
6 23 August
7 30 August
8 6 September
9 13 September
10 20 September
11 4 October
12 11 October
13* 18 October
Please note: The University's Week 13 of Semester Policy does not apply to this unit as the
policy only applies to those units that have an examination in the official examination period.
www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/management/week-thirteen-
of-semester-policy.html
Module 1: Introduction to Social Behaviour
• What is social behaviour?
Module 1: Introduction to Social Behaviour
• Self & Identity
Module 2: Individual Development in the Social World
• Motivation
Module 2: Individual Development in the Social World
• Fear
Module 3: The Cultural Basis of Social Learning
• Social Learning
Group presentations begin (weeks 5-10)
Module 3: The Cultural Basis of Social Learning
• Culture / Groups
Module 4: Psychological basis of social behaviour
• Social thinking (attributions/attitudes)
Module 4: Psychological basis of social behaviour
• Social influence (group influence/conformity & obedience)
Module 5: The individual and the world
• Social relations (prejudice & stereotypes/aggression)
Module 5: The individual and the world
• Social relations (prosocial behaviour/attraction and love)
Mid-semester Break September 28 to October 2
Writing week for major assignment: no lectures
(tutorials will run for questions about assignments)
Major assignment due by midnight 8th October
Revision week for test: no lectures/tutorials
TEST 1

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5. Unit Resources
Prescribed text(s) and readings
There will be set readings for each tutorial which will be drawn from the
prescribed text and the online reading list section of the library homepage site.
The reading list comprises both ‘essential reading’ and ‘supplementary reading’.
Students are expected to have read the week’s essential reading in preparation
for discussion in class. Only essential readings (and lectures) are assessable.
Supplementary readings are provided to allow you the opportunity to extend your
knowledge further, thus enabling a more thorough and well-rounded understanding of
the topic.

The prescribed text is a compilation of readings prepared by Luke Howie in

conjunction with the Behavioural Studies team at Monash University in 2010 entitled
Behavioural Studies 2E, John Wiley and Sons, Milton, Qld. This reader is available
for purchase at the book shops located at Monash campuses, as well as for loan at
the library reserve.

You will need to have the latest version of Acrobat ReaderTM installed on your
computer to read and print out most online material. Acrobat ReaderTM is freely
available from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html

Library access
The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and
catalogue searching. To learn more about the library and the various resources
available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au

Blackboard
Unit and lecture materials are available through the MUSO (Monash University
Studies Online) site. You can access this site via the portal
(http://my.monash.edu.au). Click on the My Units tab, then the Monash University
Studies Online hyperlink.

In order for your MUSO unit(s) to function correctly, certain programs may need to be
installed such as Java version 1.4.2. This can easily be done by going to
http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html to
update the relevant software.

The MUSO helpdesk contact number is (+61 3) 9903-1268 or 9903-2764.

Operational hours are listed at
http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html.

Further information can be obtained from the following site

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

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6. Assessment
Percent
Task Description of final Due date
mark

15 minute presentation Presentations will be performed

Presentation 20%
(as part of a group) in tutes from weeks 5-10

Major 2000 word critical essay 50% Due October 8th by midnight
Assessment

Test 1-hour multiple choice test 30% In lectures on week 13

Assessment details and criteria

MINOR ASSESSMENT TASK 1: PRESENTATION

Task 1: Describe and critically analyse with your group a social issue and
relate it to a theory or theorists drawn from the module topic for your allocated
presentation week and prepare a 15 minute presentation that answers the
following questions about your chosen social issue:

- Why is the social issue important?

- How does the social issue relate to social behaviour?
- What theory or theorists can help us understand the social issue better?
- What meanings and consequences stem from this social issue?

Powerpoint will not be available for use in your presentation. Groups are required to
use overhead projection sheets as a visual aid. No more than 1 overhead projection
sheet may be used per person. You must submit a copy of the overhead projection
sheets to your tutor (with a Behavioural Studies cover sheet attached) after your
presentation. Overhead projection sheets must be clear, concise and engaging.

Task 1 is worth 20% of your overall mark in this unit.

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MINOR ASSESSMENT TASK 2: TEST
The 1-hour test will comprise 40 multiple choice questions based upon all the
lectures and essential readings set for this unit. This test will be held during the
lecture in week 13.

Task 2 is worth 30% of your overall mark in this unit.

MAJOR ASSESSMENT: 2000 WORD ESSAY

The major assignment tests your ability to think critically and conduct research in
completing a clear and concise essay tackling a contemporary problem of social
behaviour. This essay should address one of the listed case studies, and your
arguments should be supported by strong evidence.
The acceptable word length is 2000 words not including the reference list. Shorter
papers will attract penalties. Please double-space in your essay.

The paper will count toward 50% of your final mark. You will receive a mark out of 50.
That means a mark of 30, is a mark of 30 out of 50 (i.e. 60%).

Please Note: Attendance at tutorials is a compulsory requirement in this unit. It

is important that you are present to give your presentation, and also act as an
audience for other student’s presentations. Furthermore, tutorials provide an
important opportunity to discuss the lectures and all relevant readings. As per
The Arts Faculty policy, to satisfy the attendance criteria you must attend a
minimum of 75% of all tutorials (http://arts.monash.edu.au/policy-
bank/policies/tutorial-attendance.php). Students who do not satisfy the
attendance criteria will receive a penalty of a 20% deduction from final mark.
For more details please read the relevant section on page 14 of this unit guide.

Referencing
You are expected to cite at least 6 credible and authoritative sources in your
assignment.
Good quality sources include reputable journals, scholarly texts (books), refereed
conference papers and high quality Internet sites.
Unacceptable sources include 'pop psychology' publications, Wikipedia, dictionaries,
encyclopaedia or dubious websites. Use of these sources guarantees a very poor
result for your essay. An over-reliance on undergraduate textbooks will also attract
a penalty.
If you are at all unsure how to evaluate sources, visit the Library's online tutorial at
www.lib.monash.edu.au/vl/howind.htm or Arts Language and Learning at
www.arts.monash.edu.au/lls/
Please use either the Harvard or the APA citation and referencing systems, the
details of which can be found at www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/

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 Criteria for Major Assignment: In this assignment we are looking for your ability to conduct
research relevant to the issue/topic, and to use a variety of credible and authoritative sources such
as books, academic journals, and WWW resources. You must reference all the sources you cite. We
are interested in your ability to use this information and data to think critically and analytically about
the issues, develop an argument, and make an informed judgment about the important elements of
the topic. We are also looking for your ability to write clearly and to structure your assignment in a
logical, coherent and engaging way.

Criteria Excellent Very Good Satisfactory Unsatis- Not

Good factory demon- Mark
strated
(HD) (D) (C) (P) (U) (ND)
Research:
• Depth of research on the
range of issues relevant E VG G S U ND /10
to the topic
• Critical and effective use
of relevant and
appropriate academic E VG G S U ND /10
literature from credible
sources
Analysis and
Interpretation:
• Clearly identified and
defined range of issues E VG G S U ND /5
relevant to the topic
• Clearly identified and
defined theoretical
positions that are E VG G S U ND /5
appropriate and credible
for exploring the topic
• Creative and critical use
of theories and concepts
to discuss and analyse
the range of issues E VG G S U ND /5
identified as being
relevant to the topic
• Ability to understand,
evaluate and integrate E VG G S U ND /5
information

Presentation:
• Appropriate and full
referencing of sources E VG G S U ND /5
• Clarity of writing, and
presentation of document E VG G S U ND /5

Mark: /50

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 Ignore the following section at your own peril!

Submitting your assignment

Your major assignment will be submitted online via Blackboard on the assignment
submission page. Assignments are due by midnight October 8.
• When submitting your major assignment, please make sure that:
a) you submit one file only (which includes your assignment and the
compulsory coversheet available on the assignment submission page);
and
b) You name the file in the format ‘surname-initial.doc’ For example, if
your name is Peter Brown, you will name your file brown-p.doc
c) When you successfully upload your major assignment on Blackboard, a
confirmation message will appear on the submission page. Please trust
the message. There is no need to ask us whether your essay was
uploaded successfully.
d) A few days after submitting your major assignment, return to the
assignment submission page to see if there is a message asking you to
re-upload your assignment. If there is not a message waiting for you after
a week, assume your major assignment has been successfully submitted.
Blackboard will have a record of any attempts to submit assignments,
successful or otherwise.
• It is not an option in BHS units to re-submit assignments in the hope of
receiving a better mark. If you have genuine concerns about your mark, you
must follow the procedures at
www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/policy/remarking-policy.php

Assessment tasks grading scale

This grading scale is used across PSI units.
These standards are applied at appropriate year levels for each unit.

HD: 80%-100%
An excellent piece of work, demonstrating:
• superior evaluation and integration of the existing literature;
• superior conceptualisation and clear evidence of original thought in dealing with the
critical issues;
• the identification of a comprehensive range of concepts and supporting information
and the capacity to interrelate and evaluate these concepts.

The presentation of an essay at this level will show outstanding command of expression
and logical argument in a skillfully structured essay. All citations will be consistent with
chosen style.

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 *90%-100% Essays will be graded between 90%-100% when they fulfil all the
characteristics cited above and when the lecturer considers that the essay shows
an exceptional degree of intellectual sophistication congruent with ;
• integration of key sources;
• the ability to deploy concepts to build arguments demonstrating
originality and outstanding comprehension of key issues.

D: 70%-79%
A well-organised and well-expressed piece of work containing:
• a clear demonstration of solid and methodical research;
• a good standard of insight and some evidence of original thought in dealing with the
critical issues;
• clear comprehension of all key issues.

The presentation of an essay at this level will demonstrate good expression and a clear
and logical progression evident in the overall essay structure. All citations will be
consistent with chosen style.

C: 60%-69%
This is a good essay that:
• identifies and describes major relevant issues;
• has a clear plan and appropriate method of approach;
• shows that the student has conducted research beyond essential basic references
and has integrated this research into the essay.

The presentation of an essay at this level will demonstrate reasonable expression and
appropriate use of referencing and citation.

P: 50%-59%
This essay is adequate, but limited:
• it identifies the key issues, but does not show clear comprehension of the issues;
• the structure does not show clear development of argument;
• research is very limited and not well integrated into the essay.

The presentation of an essay at this level will demonstrate adequate expression and
very basic use of referencing and citation.

N: Below 50%
This essay fails because it:
• does not demonstrate appropriate skill level in research;
• shows a lack of comprehension of the major issues or the question posed;
• lacks a logical structure to support an argument.

The presentation of an essay at this level will demonstrate poor expression and
inadequate use of referencing and citation.
Plagiarism will result in a 0 grade.

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7. Policy on Assessment
Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the:

• University’s Assessment of Coursework Policy, located at:

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-
bank/academic/education/assessment/assessment-of-coursework-
policy.html;

• University’s Assessment of Coursework Procedures, located at:

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-
bank/academic/education/assessment/assessment-of-coursework-
procedures.html ; and

• Faculty of Arts Assessment Policy at: http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-

bank/academic/education/assessment/assessment-of-coursework-policy.html

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section.
Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. Students are advised to
NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Policy
All requests for an extension of an assessment deadline must be submitted to the
unit co-ordinator (or specified member of teaching staff) who needs to sign and date
the assessment coversheet provided at the Caulfield Faculty of Arts office and at the
PSI office at Clayton. A student may request a short 2 day extension for short-term
illness, clashing deadlines, unforeseen employment obligations, or family
circumstances which would not require any documentation. Requests must be
received BEFORE the due date of the assessment otherwise penalties will apply. For
extensions of 3 or more days, or for sudden illness and unforeseen circumstances
affecting final pieces of assessment or exams, Special Consideration should be
sought.

Process
It is the duty of students to contact unit co-ordinators in adequate time for a response
and to forward all supporting documentation. The student should have their
coversheet signed and dated by the unit co-ordinator and then attach it to their
submission. You DO NOT have an extension until the coversheet has been signed
and dated by the unit co-ordinator.

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 Retention of Exams
Policy
All student examinations and uncollected assessments will be kept in a locked
environment by the unit co-ordinator. Assessment items other than examination
papers must be retained for no less than six months after notification of results,
examination papers must be retained for no less than twelve months after notification
of results.

Late assignment
The Faculty policy for all assignments of 1,000 words or more handed in after the
due date without an agreed extension, a five percent penalty applies for the first day
of the missed deadline. After that, a subsequent penalty of 2% per day will be applied
for the next thirteen calendar days after the due date (including Saturdays and
Sundays). No assignment can be accepted after more than fourteen calendar days
except in exceptional circumstances and in consultation with your lecturer or tutor. If
students face a significant illness or serious issue, it may be that Special
Consideration is warranted (http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/policy-
bank/procedures/special-consideration.php).

Staff are under no obligation to provide written comments or corrections to

assignments that are handed in late and without extension.

Please be advised that as of 2010, the School of Political & Social Inquiry will apply
the above penalty to ALL assignments handed in after the due date without an
agreed extension (eg. regardless of word length).

Tutorial Attendance Policy

In general, the Faculty of Arts has a minimum tutorial/seminar attendance
requirement of 75% as part of each unit (that will generally be at least 9 weeks of
class throughout the semester). http://arts.monash.edu.au/policy-
bank/policies/tutorial-attendance.php

Students unable to attend class are required to lodge an apology via e-mail to their
tutor and where absence is due to illness or other medical/personal emergency
supply supporting documentation (eg. in the form of a medical certificate). Should a
student fail to fulfill the attendance requirements of a unit, the following outcome
will be applied:

• penalty of 20% deduction from final mark; for example, if final mark is 72%,
72-20 = 52 overall.

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 Return dates
Policy
Unless otherwise specified, for all assessment apart from centrally run examinations,
students who submit assessment by the due date can normally expect to receive
feedback within three semester weeks.

Process
This does not include assessment with approved extensions or that which is handed
in after the due date.

Comments and grading of your assessment will be communicated to you by

Blackboard.

Review and Remarking of Student work

Policy and Process
All failed work worth 30% or more of the total mark for a subject is automatically
reviewed by another staff member on a pass/fail basis before the work is returned,
except for forms of assessment that do not involve significant academic judgment
(such as multiple-choice tests).
A student can seek to have a piece of assessment reviewed or remarked in
accordance with Faculty policy (see http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/policy-
bank/policies/review-remarking-policy.php). Such requests need to be made in
writing and explain the reasons why the request is being made.

The time limit for student requests for remarking or review of work is normally 4
weeks. Students should be warned that both review and remarking may result in a
lower mark than the one originally awarded.

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

University statements on plagiarism, cheating and collusion are contained in the
University Discipline Statute 4.1:
http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/calendar/statutes/statutes04.html#Heading102 ,

The University’s Plagiarism Policy is located at: http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-

bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-policy.html; and

The University’s Plagiarism Procedures are located at:

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-
procedures.html

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 Policy
Written assessment is an essential part of the learning process and a vital medium
through which we can assess your understanding of the unit. Written assessment
must therefore be your own work. This does not mean that you should not make
extensive use of the work of others. However, when you use quotations or
paraphrase the explanations of others, you must acknowledge your sources in full
including those from the internet. You may seek the help of your lecturer in preparing
the written assessment and might enlist the help of other students in sorting out your
ideas but the written assessment must be written by you in your own words.
Plagiarism is a very serious matter. Plagiarism occurs when students fail to
acknowledge that ideas have been borrowed. Specifically, it occurs when:

(a) phrases and passages are used verbatim without quotation marks and
without a reference to the author;
(b) an author's work is paraphrased and presented without a reference;
(c) other students' essays are copied;
(d) work written in conjunction with other students (without prior permission);
(e) work has already been submitted for assessment in another course.
The Faculty of Arts Plagiarism policy can be found at
http://arts.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/procedures/plagiarism-students.php
If you have any questions regarding this please contact your unit co-ordinator.

The Monash University Library has a tutorial for students regarding plagiarism. We
encourage students to access it at:
http://www.lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/plagiarism.html

Process
Plagiarism is an attempt to secure a degree under false pretences. Students found
guilty of plagiarism will be dealt with in the following ways:
1. They will receive no marks at all for the piece of work that has been
plagiarised.
2. They will be given the opportunity to explain their plagiarism to the unit co-
ordinator who then may refer the matter to the Head of Section.
3. On the basis of these discussions a decision will be made as to whether the
student should be reported to the Dean in accordance with Faculty policy.
The University is actively committed to preventing plagiarism, cheating and collusion
for the protection of the university’s reputation and standards for current and future
students. Severe penalties may be imposed on students who engage in, or who
support other students engaged in, activities which seek to undermine the integrity of
the unit assessment process.

Plagiarism – means to take and use another person’s ideas and/or manner of
expressing them and to pass them off as your own by failing to give appropriate
acknowledgement.
Cheating – means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in an examination or in
other written or practical work required to be submitted or completed by a student for
assessment.

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Collusion – is the presentation of work which is the result in whole or in part of
unauthorised collaboration with another person or persons.

If the failure to acknowledge the ideas of others was not intentional, the matter will be
reported to the Chief Examiner and academic penalties applied. Intentional
plagiarism is regarded as cheating and is therefore a serious offence and will be
dealt with under the University’s Discipline Statute 4.1. If cheating is found to have
occurred, one of the following penalties will be imposed; a reprimand, disallowance of
the work, failure of the unit, suspension, or exclusion from the University.

Plagiarism register
The university maintains a simple and confidential register to record warnings to
students about unintentional and intentional plagiarism. The register is accessible to
staff nominated by the Deans and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and,
where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the
register. The register will include a record of a student’s involvement in alleged
plagiarism, whether any formal action was taken or penalties applied, and if penalties
were applied, the nature of those penalties. Academic staff will have access to this
information when considering any subsequent allegations of plagiarism.

For further information please refer to the University’s Plagiarism Procedures:

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-
policy.html

Students with disabilities

Do you have an illness, a medical condition, or a disability that might impact on your
study? Then contact the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) as soon as possible to find
out what services might be available to you. Your privacy will be maintained and
respected. The DLU can liaise with your faculty and other areas of the university (e.g.
Exams Unit) to arrange appropriate supports. Students with vision impairment or
other forms of ‘print disability’, such as dyslexia, might be eligible to have some
reading materials produced in alternative formats. The production process can take
several weeks so it is vital that you contact the DLU as soon as your enrolment is
confirmed.
For further information see http://adm.monash.edu/sss/equity-diversity/disability-
liaison/ .. or call (03) 9905 5704 .. or email dlu@adm.monash.edu.au

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Special Consideration
The University has:

• Special Consideration Policy, located at:

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-
bank/academic/education/assessment/special-consideration-policy.html

• Special Consideration Procedures: http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-

bank/academic/education/assessment/special-consideration-procedures.html

• Special Consideration Application Form, located at:

http://arts.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/procedures/special-consideration.php

All special consideration applications in-semester are lodged at the Arts Faculty but
for end of semester are lodged at the faculty in which the student is undertaking their
degree.

Policy
The objective of the University Special Consideration policy is to enable students
claims for special consideration for specific assessment tasks or coursework units to
be evaluated in a fair, reasonable and consistent manner throughout the university.
The Monash University Policy on Special Consideration is as follows:
‘A candidate whose work during a teaching period or whose performance in an
examination or other assessment has been affected by illness or other serious cause
may apply in writing for special consideration by the examiners or board of examiners
concerned. Such serious causes include:
• serious illness or psychological condition – e.g. hospital admission, serious
injury, severe asthma, severe anxiety or depression. Does not include minor
illness such as a mild cold.
• loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family
relationship breakdown.
• hardship/trauma – e.g. victim of crime, sudden loss of income or employment,
severe disruption to domestic arrangements.’
An application for special consideration must be accompanied by appropriate
documentation and evidence from a qualified practitioner.
Special consideration policies and procedures should apply across the entire grade
distribution, not just at the pass/fail boundary.
Students should be informed that an application for special consideration ensures
that the relevant board of examiners or delegated authority takes into account the
case made when determining either a final outcome, or granting additional
assessment or a deferred examination.
Students should be informed of the eligibility conditions, principles and procedures,
and potential outcomes for special consideration applications.

Notes
• Travelling overseas is not, by itself, considered "serious cause" and as such
the Teaching Committee agreed that students should not ordinarily receive
Deferred Examinations for this reason alone. The examinations period is part

18
 of the University Calendar, and choosing to be absent for this part of
assessment has consequences.
• Exchange students who are studying at Monash and need to return to their
home country by particular dates for their home institution may be granted
special consideration, provided sufficient supporting documentation is
provided.
• If travel is a part of some other documented "serious cause" such as family
bereavement, this may be sufficient grounds for special consideration.

Process
Students must complete a special consideration form and attach all appropriate
documentation to the application. It is the duty of the student to source the
documentation. The form should be lodged at the PSI Office at either Caulfield or
Clayton. Students will be advised by the PSI office of the outcome of their
application.

Blackboard and email etiquette

Your unit co-ordinator will monitor all online activity to ensure that it complies with the
University's Acceptable Use Policy. This brief policy can be found at
www.adm.monash.edu.au/execserv/policies/Information-Technology-
Policies/Acceptable-use-of-information-technology-facilities-by-students.html
The importance of this policy can not be over-stated. Failure to abide by it has, in
recent times, resulted in University disciplinary action and, in very serious cases,
criminal charges. Ugly stuff indeed!

Summary of Monash's Acceptable Use Policy

Users (students and staff) must respect the privacy and personal rights of
others. In their use of University information and communication technologies (ICT),
users must not:
• send defamatory messages
• send aggressive or rude email messages to staff or students
• threaten or harass another person
• send sexually explicit material
• propagate chain mail (email sent to a number of people asking the recipient to
send copies of the email with the same request to a number of recipients)
• impersonate another person by sending a message which appears to have
come from another person's computer or represent themselves as being of a
different gender, race etc. (e.g., in a chat session or electronic conference)
• plagiarise or infringe copyright or trade marks, or breach trade practices
legislation.
• send, without permission of the copyright owner, an audio or video file, music
charts/lyrics, or commercial photographs to another person using email.

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Some general Blackboard etiquette
1. Remember, Blackboard is an educational and research tool, not an
instant messaging client, dating service, political forum or advertising
billboard. Please don't use it as such or you may find your contributions
removed.
2. Do not type message only in upper case. IT READS AS THOUGH YOU ARE
SHOUTING AND IS CONSIDERED TERRIBLY RUDE.
3. Show respect and support for new users of online services (i.e., newbies or
n00bs).
4. Behave online as you would if you were interacting with people face-to-face.
Have fun, make jokes and express your personality, but be respectful.
Chances are, you will come into contact with other Blackboard users in real
life.
5. Generally speaking, sarcasm is not a good idea, especially on a scholarly,
university website. Sarcasm is notoriously hard to distinguish from just plain
rudeness in an online environment such as Blackboard. And not everyone
shares your devastating wit.
6. If you are having trouble using Blackboard, contact the Blackboard support
service via the Blackboard login page. Do not ask your co-ordinator, lecturer,
tutor or class-mates for technical advice.
7. Read the unit announcements every time you log in. They pop up
automatically so it won't be a chore.
8. Your Blackboard site is a community; community implies some give-and-take.
Help out others and they are more likely to help you in return.

Discussion boards
Familiarise yourself with the complete discussion board (topics, threads, posts)
before contributing to it or asking questions. Read what's already been asked and
answered before you post anything.
• It will give you an understanding of the purpose and tone of the board.
• You will see if your comment has already been made or your question has
already asked and answered.
• It will annoy people (students and staff alike!) if you lob up at a discussion
board where assignment topics have been discussed for a few weeks and
post the message, 'What does topic 2 mean?'

Feel free to post questions, the answer to which you think others might benefit from
knowing.

Questions or concerns that relate to you only should not be posted on the
discussion board; they should be emailed directly to your tutor or lecturer.

Share your ideas and answer other students' questions if you can.
• Don't demand things of others, be they staff or students.

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 • Do not to ask 'easy' questions, that is, questions that you could find the
answer to yourself with a little bit of effort.
• Don't encourage this sort of slack behaviour by answering 'easy' questions for
others, even if you know the answer. It doesn't mean you're a bad person;
you will, in fact, be doing others a favour by not contributing to discussion
board clutter.

Stay on topic!
• Ideally, all posts in a given thread should have at least something to do with
the topic of the thread.
• If you want to talk about a new topic, start a new thread.

Keep in mind that all students enrolled in your unit, all tutors and your lecturer,
will see your discussion board posts. Remember too, that posts to discussion boards
are frequently archived, and that your words may be stored for a very long time in a
place to which many people have access.
• Be careful about posting late at night or when you're tired, sick or having a
crappy day. Your judgement may not be at its best. When in doubt, hold off
until you feel a bit better, especially if you are replying to a post that 'presses
your buttons.'
• Think about what it would be like to read your message. Rude messages can
be hurtful, sugary sweet messages can be sickening, overly familiar or
personal messages can be seen as downright creepy. This goes for emails
too.

Don't post your question or message more than once. If you haven't received any
response to your posting, it could be that:
• the question has been answered elsewhere;
• it was rude;
• it didn't make sense;
• it's not of relevance to the unit or is not of interest to anyone.

Note: Repeatedly posting a post (or sending an email) does not make it more
important or more interesting; it just makes it more annoying.

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 • If you are sending a reply to a message or a post, be sure you summarise the
original post at the top of your reply, or include enough text from the original
to give a context. This will ensure that readers understand to what your
response refers.
• If you find you have accidentally sent a personal message to a discussion
board, send an apology to the intended recipient and delete it. If you can't
delete it, ask your lecturer to delete it for you.
• Avoid sending messages or posting articles which are no more than
gratuitous replies to replies. For example, 'Yeah!', 'I agree', 'I don't know' or
'Yeah, that sucks.'
• You should feel free to challenge the views of others, however, you must not
attack the actual holder of the view. This does not mean simply changing "you
are an idiot" into "your comments are idiotic". If you take issue with someone
else's position, explain why you disagree with them, in a respectful manner,
and provide support for your views. Healthy, robust debate is great!
• Avoid over-using abbreviations, SMS-speak, cool misspellings or l33t5p34k -
not everyone knows what you're talking about. Don't know what l33t5p34k is?
I rest my case.

Email
• In all emails to staff
◦ state your name and Monash ID
◦ address the recipient of your email by their name, not 'Yo!', 'Hey!' or
'Wassup!'
◦ state the unit or course to which your query relates
◦ provide a meaningful subject line that reflects the content of the email, not
just 'BHS1712', 'question' or 'hello' and definitely not 'HELP!!!!!'
• Do not include the words 'urgent', 'asap' or 'please' in the subject line of your
email. Your email will not be responded to any quicker. More likely, your email
will be interpreted as rude, nagging or spam; in each of these cases, your
email may simply be ignored, blocked or deleted.
• Don't assume the recipient of your email, discussion board post, etc., knows
who you are, what you do or what you like. Introduce yourself.
• Monash staff will only send mail to your Monash address so make sure you
check it.
• You should assume that email is not secure. Never put in an email message
anything you would not put on a postcard. Both can be easily intercepted and
read by anyone.
• A tutor typically has responsibility for 50-150 students; a lecturer/co-ordinator
is typically responsible for 200-500 students. Remember this when you don't
receive a response to your email within 30 minutes or even three days.
• Please don't expect University staff to respond to your email at night, over the
weekend or on public and university holidays. University staff are not 'always
on'.
• As with discussion board posts, repeatedly sending an email does not make it
more important or improve its chance of being 'bumped up the queue.'

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• Remember that the recipient of your email is a human being whose culture,
language and humour may be different from your own.
• Use smileys to indicate tone of voice, but use them sparingly. :-) is an
example of a smiley (Look sideways). Don't assume that the inclusion of a
smiley will make the recipient happy about what you say or neutralise an
insulting comment. Smileys don't neutralise sarcasm either.
• Wait overnight to send emotional responses to messages.

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