For the opening section of your essay, the focus should be placed on delivering two factors: the chosen country’s brief history and a concise paraphrased take on the brief’s requirements. For the latter element, be certain that you mention all three pivotal attributes required to analyze from the brief: the visual prompt, the concept of modernity and how it entails itself to the country’s completion of putting an end to poverty.
In this section, we will revisit the assignment's expectations and the steps necessary to complete the assignment effectively.
Assessed criteria:
Identify and apply theoretical concepts and historical backgrounds to understand contemporary Asia
Critically discuss the diversities and complexities of contemporary Asian modernities from a range of perspectives
Assignment details:
Requirement: a persuasive essay reflecting on a given image/topic to discuss the concept of modernity in relation to working towards ending poverty - an SDG in a chosen country.
Format: a 1,200-word persuasive essay (+/- 10%)
Objectives:
Overall task:
The essay will respond to a visual prompt, which you can choose from a selection of three prompts.
The essay must address this semester’s SDG, including targets and/or indicators.
The essay is to make a clear recommendation about the relevance of modernity to the SDG and explain the reasons why.
=> 3 important elements to remember: response to a visual prompt, modernity concept and ending poverty (SDG)
Writing style = persuasive writing.
You are required to use at least 8-10 scholarly sources in the essay, preferably from academic and peer-reviewed sources and class readings.
Additional requirements:
“Talking points” are demanded: a bullet point summary of the argument (recommendation to the Minister) and main points (reasons why) => provide a quick snapshot of the key points.
This is basically a summarized outline of your discussion points.
Length: no more than half a page. Each bullet point should be no more than 1-2 sentences.
Useful keywords can be bolded.
Talking points are not included in the word count.
Assignment structure:
Key components: an introduction, body, conclusion and reference list.
General gist:
The introduction should outline what will be discussed in the body: 100-150 words
The body section should be arranged into a logical order and presented in paragraphs using TEEL structure => Evaluate the relevance of selected features of modernity for one of this semester’s countries.
Discussion of the concepts of modernity and its relation to the country’s modernity: 200 words.
Analysis of visual prompt + link to modernity and course concepts: 200 words.
Arguments: you should come up with at least 2 points of arguments as to why the concept of modernity should be applied when approaching completing the SDG. Each argument should be about 200-300 words.
The conclusion should sum up what was discussed in the body: 100 words
In this segment, we will take another look at the terminology associated with assignment that is discussed within the context of the course.
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Term |
Definition |
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Modernity |
Modernity is a condition that is the outcome of a series of historic progress. A modern society can be coined as industrial civilization, and according to the scholar Giddens, it is essentially ‘a transformation in the social perception’ (Tomlinson 1994:150). |
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Modernization |
To be modern is to have transitioned from the old to the new. |
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Hall and Gieben’s (1992) areas of modern societies |
According to Hall and Gieben (1992), the four contributors of modern communities are: politics, economy, society and culture. Regarding the assignment, it is recommended to delve deep into social relations and cultural practices. |
|
Multiple modernities |
This concept was brought about by the West when these countries tried to implement their perception on various societies around the globe. Thanks to this notion though, people begin to see modernization as multifaceted and complex. Elements of multiple modernities are institutional frameworks and cultural codes (Bhambra 2007). |
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Appadurai’s (1996) “Modernity at Large” |
To understand the complexity of the global economy, certain separations regarding economic, cultural and political aspects have to be studied. Therefore, the following dimensions of global cultural flows are suggested:
|
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Nationalism |
Nationalism is the identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations. ‘Nationalism is the desire among people who believe that they share a common ancestry and a common destiny to live under their own government on land sacred to their history’ (Wiebe et al. 2018:5). |
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Anderson’s imagined community theory |
The notion of an "imagined community" suggests that a nation is more than just its physical presence, existing instead as a construct within people’s imagination. He claims that nations are not defined only by tangible boundaries or direct connections but are rather perceived as a collective whole bound by shared cultural, linguistic, and historical ideas. |
In addition, you can learn more from the “Theories and concepts from Topics 1 to 4 (2093).pdf” available in Canvas.
In this step, we will discuss in detail each component and its requirements within the assignment.
For the opening section of your essay, the focus should be placed on delivering two factors: the chosen country’s brief history and a concise paraphrased take on the brief’s requirements. For the latter element, be certain that you mention all three pivotal attributes required to analyze from the brief: the visual prompt, the concept of modernity and how it entails itself to the country’s completion of putting an end to poverty.
Example:
Executive Summary:
This essay recommends that Indonesia intensify its modernization and digitization initiatives as a strategic approach to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty. The integration of advanced technologies in agriculture, expansion of digital financial services, and enhancement of social protection systems are proposed as pivotal actions.
Indonesia, as part of the global community, has committed to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, with a national agenda focusing on alleviating poverty in all its forms by 2030. Presidential Regulation no. 59/2017 is Indonesia’s legislative commitment to these goals, mandating a clear roadmap for implementation. This essay posits that modernization is crucial for Indonesia to accelerate progress toward SDG 1.
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