The main purpose of this essay is to allow students to further explore, through independent research, issues, ideas and concepts surveyed in the unit. The essay provides an opportunity to engage with historical and critical debates relevant to the unit, to focus on a topic of particular interest, and provides the opportunity for students to move beyond the limits of materials covered in the unit. The essay will be assessed on the basis of the effectiveness of writing, the thoroughness of research, and the insightfulness with which it formulates its argument and reaches its conclusions.
