Aim:  The purpose of this assignment is to further develop an understanding of relationships between families and other institutions, such as the labour market and the state, and to demonstrate knowledge of selected substantive topics such as patterns of family formation and change, divorce, paid and unpaid work in families and households, and /or other issues in contemporary family life.   Answer one of the following questions: 1.     Identify and describe one of the major changes in family life that you have learnt about during semester (i.e. decline in marriage, decline in fertility, increased divorce, increased cohabitation, legalisation of same-sex marriage).  Consider how this differs depending on context.  What is a sociological explanation for this trend? or 2.     Discuss and evaluate at least two different sociological explanations for the gendered division of paid and unpaid labour in households. Consider how these perspectives might apply to different household and family forms, or 3.     Use a sociological perspective to discuss and evaluate how and why some families are defined as ‘real families’ (i.e. nuclear families) and others are constructed as ‘problem families’ (i.e. Indigenous families, lone parent families, extended families, same sex families).  Focus on a specific country or context of your choice.   Assessment Criteria   Essays will be marked on the following criteria:   ·     Clarity and standard of writing, suitable for an academic essay ·     Demonstrated understanding of the conceptualisation of family, the sociology of family, historical and demographic changes, and the empirical research literature on family life ·     Thoroughness: substantive research and reading, to provide an evidence base for the points made in the essay ·     Creativity and original contribution to an applied and contemporary conversation about family and relationships in society. Assignment 3: 2000 word research essay Assignment 3: 2000 word research essay Criteria Ratings This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Clarity and standard of writing, suitable for an academic essay (16% of overall grade for this assessment) 1) Clearly identifies the topic, trend or issue to be addressed (important for all essay topics, but particularly important for essay 1); 2) The overall structure of the essay has a clear and logical flow; 3) Writing is clear and easy to understand; 4) Essay is free of distracting spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Demonstrated understanding of the conceptualisation of family, the sociology of family, historical and demographic changes, and the empirical research literature on family life (52% of overall grade for this assessment) 1) Identifies key concepts and theories relevant to the essay topic and demonstrates a clear understanding of the concepts and theories; 2) Identifies empirical literature relevant to the essay topic and issue and correctly interprets the literature; 3) Main points well developed with high quality and quantity support; 4) Applies critical thinking to the essay topic. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Thoroughness: substantive research and reading, to provide an evidence base for the points made in the essay (24% of the overall grade for this assessment) 1) Clear demonstration that research and reading has been undertaken to complete the essay; 2) References key conceptual and theoretical literature (preference for original sources rather than secondary sources); 3) References key relevant empirical literature; 4) Goes beyond readings provided in the subject in researching the essay topic; 5) References are relevant and useful to addressing the essay topic. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Creativity and original contribution to an applied and contemporary conversation about family and relationships in society (8% of the overall grade for this assessment) 1) Content indicates synthesis of ideas, in depth analysis and evidences original thought and support for the topic.