School of Government.

I’ve just been looking at the referencing guide for the University’s School of Government (the cool kids say SOG, but not to be confused with Tassie's Special Operations Group)

Here are some highlights:

It is imperative, when writing your essay, that you answer the essay question.

Or, if you’re a filthy Greenie, just bitch and moan about whatever you like.

There are no ‘correct’ essays in the social sciences.

This rule, of course, applies at virtually all Uni’s. Note that while there are no correct essays in the social sciences, no matter what the set question, the incorrect essay justifies a ‘Liberal’, ‘Conservative’, or ‘Market-Oriented’ world-view.

It is not sufficient merely to recite the views of others or to make assertions that lack accompanying evidence and reasoning. The marker is primarily interested in how well you bring together evidence, data and reasoned argument to establish a case. [emphasis added]

Hell, no wonder the country’s most hated Tasmanian (eh.. perhaps) had to go to the University of Sydney to graduate.

Avoid the use of ‘man’ as a verb. For example, instead of writing ‘to man the desk,’ you could write ‘to staff the desk’.
Avoid the use of sex-specific pronouns (‘he/him/her’) as generic pronouns. For example, instead of using ‘he,’ use ‘he/she,’ ‘she/he’ or ‘he or she.’ In many instances, it is possible to recast the sentence in the plural (so that a generic pronoun such as ‘they’ can be used), or to use ‘you’ or ‘one’ as the pronoun. It may be possible to eliminate the pronoun altogether.

To staff the desk? Oooook…

Aside from rediscovering the SOG’s referencing (oh, and essay) guide, I’ve also noticed my link to a certain Great Australian Yobbo is to an archive, no wonder I thought he- sorry, the individual in question- was inactive!

Worth a read.

On another note: while I've been working, ever-so Brave, Antony ‘Crazy Ant’ Loewenstein ‘discovered’ my letter to Tony Abbott. His reaction was to call me a hack and claim I want to see academia and the (Goverment-funded) media stacked with Liberals. That's not exactly what I said, but I'll settle for it. He can have (or continue to have, I should say) the ABC and SBS stacked with leftists when Australians vote Green at a Federal level. But the man himself puts it best:

Isn't it healthy to see a Liberal party voter supporting the idea of stacking academic and media boards with cronies? It's just not cricket, this man writes, that such "inflammatory" views are expressed in polite society.

Aaaah, isn’t it healthy to see a ‘journalist’ lacking in comprehension skills?

I'll make sure I post Abbott's reply, assuming I get one.