Written Assessment – Psychosocial Research Perspectives
TRIGGER WARNING: This is a case study of a real person. Katherine Knight was the first woman in Australia to receive a life sentence without parole after she decapitated and cooked her lover. If you think that you will have problems reading about this case, please contact the Unit Coordinator.
Assignment due date: Monday 14th October 2024 – 1500 AWST
Question one (15 marks)
Katherine Knight is one of Australia’s most renowned criminals, known for the vicious murder of her husband John Price. The provided reading provides a brief overview of Katherine Knight’s background and identifies some key factors which may help us understand what led her to engage in criminal behaviour.
Identify three of the key psychosocial factors mentioned in the article and explain how these factors may have increased the likelihood of Knight engaging in criminal behaviour. Support your answer with discussion of literature and inclusion of examples from the article.
Minimum of three research articles needed.
Question two (15 marks)
Research suggests that those who experience socioeconomic deprivation have an increased likelihood of offending. It is important to note that it is not necessarily the deprivation itself that leads to offending but rather the ‘circumstances’ that predispose the individual to offend.
Fergusson (2004) highlights four different approaches to help explain the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and offending. Utilise three of these different approaches to help explain how socioeconomic deprivation during Knight’s childhood may have increased the likelihood of offending.
Minimum of three research articles needed.
Question three (15 marks)
Discuss the application and effectiveness of available programs or services that can be implemented to reduce the negative impact of the psychosocial factors identified in questions one and two, and as such reduce the likelihood of criminality.
Support your discussion of effectiveness of these programs and services with the use of peer-reviewed literature.
Minimum of three research articles needed.
Referencing (5 marks)
- Appropriate paraphrasing
- Correct in-text citations for material from published sources
- Correct acknowledgement of direct quotes (use quotes sparingly)
- Reference list is complete and in APA (7th ed.) format
Assignment Requirements
This written assignment is worth 50% of your final grade for the unit. It must be submitted in order to pass the unit.
Formatting Requirements
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Maximum of SIX (6) pages for your answers
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Reference list does not count towards this limit
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Line spacing = Double
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Font = Calibri 12pt
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2.5cm (= 1 inch) margins (top, bottom, and sides)
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Referencing format must be APA 7th edition (both in-text citations and reference list at the end of the document).
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You ARE NOT required to include a contents page, cover page, headings/subheadings; however, if you choose to please ensure they are in the APA 7th edition style.
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PLEASE NOTE: We will stop marking/reading your answer if it exceeds the 6-page limit, so please ensure that your answers are within the 6 pages. To assist you with keeping within the page limit – you are NOT required to write out the questions.
Important! - ALL statements of fact must be referenced, except for those facts it might reasonably be expected that most Year 12 students would know (e.g., humans have a brain). This includes citing the provided readings and textbook that you are describing / providing examples from.
- Students should use the American Psychological Association (APA, 7th ed.) referencing style when preparing assignments for this unit. More information can be found on this style from the Library web site: https://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/uniskills/referencing/apa7
- Do not use the World Wide Web or Encarta, encyclopaedias, or dictionaries as reference sources for your assignment. Part of your task is to source information from journals and books. Of course, you are allowed to use Electronic journals.
- Read Academic Integrity at Curtin: Student Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism which you can download from: https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/file/pdf/academic-integrity-student-guide.pdf
Submission requirements
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Please save as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or as a .pdf document
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If you are a Mac user, please make sure the file suffix is set to visible
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This assignment will be marked and returned to you electronically via Turnitin GradeMark. You will find the submission point in the ‘Assessments>Written Assignment’ section of the Blackboard site for this unit.
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You can submit as many drafts as you want to the A1: Written Assignment submission portal (and will receive an originality report for each submission), but the version of the assignment that is in this portal at 3pm of the due date will be considered final and cannot be overwritten.
