CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
1
HKU Space Community College
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
Semester 1 2024-2025
Instructions on group exercise (10%) and individual discussion paper 1 (20%)
A. Group exercise / individual discussion paper questions
Question topic:
The same set of questions applies to both the group exercise and individual paper. Each
group will be randomly assigned one question during the group exercise. Each student
can choose any one of the following questions when writing his/her individual discussion
paper, which will be due one week after the discussion.
Minimum number of reference articles:
For the individual discussion paper, each student needs to utilize a minimum of four
articles to answer any one of the following questions. For the group exercise, however, each
group needs to refer to only two articles. You can use the article provided in the link below
as one of the articles.
1. “The trade war between U.S. and China since 2018 has accelerated the process of
deglobalization. Nobody is winning from this trend. Everybody loses in the U.S.-China
trade war.”
With reference to course materials (especially L2) and the case of electric vehicle (EV)
manufacturing, critically evaluate the validity of this statement. Utilize empirical
information from at least four articles
in your discussion.
1
2. “Imposing bans is not effective at all because the target countries can always find
alternative measures to escape the ‘punishment’.”
With reference to course materials (especially L3) and the case of China’s import ban on
Japanese seafood in 2023, critically evaluate the rationale/argument of those who support
the use of import bans. Utilize empirical information from at least four articles in your
discussion
1
and conclude with your stance
2
on the statement above.
1
You can utilize either news articles or research articles. There is also no need to confine yourself to only English
sources. What matters is the quality of the content. Look up credible sources and tap into a diverse range of
information to enrich and deepen your discussion.
2
Develop an argument – not an opinion – that rests on logic and empirical evidence.
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
2
B. Group exercise (L5) (10%)
The group exercise during Lecture 5 (hereafter L5) is designed to help the class brainstorm on
these questions. Students will be assessed on a group basis. The exercise accounts for 10% of
your total course score.
Prior preparation
To facilitate the group exercise:
- All students should review the two questions, Lecture materials, and look up at least one
additional article for each question before attending L5.
- Each group should do some informal preparation and think through both questions before
L5. There is, however, no need to prepare formal slides before you come to class because you
will not know which topic your group is working on until you arrive.
Arrangement in L5
- Punctuality and full attendance are expected as this is a regular class.
- Each group will be randomly assigned one of the questions during the first 5 minutes in class.
Groups that arrive late will not be able to draw lots. A topic will be assigned to them. No extra
time will be given to preparation either.
- Each group will be given 50 minutes to prepare a presentation of no more than 5 PowerPoint
slides (excluding cover slide and reference list).
- Your instructor will walk around the room and give you necessary feedback as (s)he sees fit.
- Each group will take turns to do a 10-minute presentation. Time yourself well. Identify the
key points, leave additional details for the Q&A session. Groups that overrun will be
penalized.
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
3
B. Group exercise (L5) (cont’d)
Rundown (Be on time!)
50 min - Discussion and preparation of PowerPoint Slides.
10 min break - Your instructor will create a link for uploading your Ppt. to SOUL.
Each group must upload a copy of their slides during the first 5
minutes of the break to their SOUL class page. Your instructor will
have ALL the files downloaded to the classroom computer before the
presentations begin.
*
- To avoid wasting time, please attach a readable presentation file
(pptx, not pdf).
Group
presentations
(50 min)
- Presentation: 10 min x 3 groups (randomly selected
#
) = 30 min (no
overtime allowed)
- Q&A + feedback: 20 min
Group
presentations
(50 min)
- Presentation: 10 min x 3 groups (randomly selected) = 30 min (no
overtime allowed)
- Q&A + feedback: 20 min
Remaining time (10 min): Concluding feedback grom instructor
*
Put down the full name of everyone in your group on the cover slide. Missing names will count as
absentees and receive zero score for this entire exercise.
#
If the first presentation works on question, the other two groups assigned question 1 will present next.
Rules on Plagiarism and citation format
Although in-text citation is not required for the presentation (but which is mandatory for the
written paper), all groups must provide a full reference list at the end of the PowerPoint. The
work you present as a group must also reflect your original work. Group presentations that
rely heavily on AI-generated summaries will be strictly penalized (and risk getting a
zero score). Make sure you process the materials on your own and prepare your own summary
and analysis. Read the instructions on “Avoiding Plagiarism in both Group Presentation and
Individual Paper” carefully.
Grading Criteria
Each presentation counts towards 10% of your final score. Refer to the next page for the grading
rubric.
After the exercise
ALL students should download and fill out the peer evaluation form on an individual basis.
Upload your form to your SOUL lecture page within 48 hours after the presentation. There is
NO need to discuss the form with your teammates.
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
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Grading Rubric for the group exercise (10%)
Grading Criteria Superior Good Average Unsatisfactory Unacceptable
Structure and Coherence
Structure, coherence,
and effectiveness of
argument
Work has a strong, clear, and
unified focus & purpose that
effectively addresses the
question.
Work has a clear and unified
focus and purpose that
satisfactorily addresses the
question.
Work has some clarity of
focus and purpose, and which
delivers a general response to
the question.
Work has limited clarity of
focus and purpose, and the
response o the question is too
general or at times
incoherent.
Work lacks focus and
purpose. The answer to the
question is incoherent or
unclear.
Application
Utilization of concepts
from course materials
Effective and through
utilization of relevant
concepts from course
materials.
Satisfactory utilization of
major and relevant concepts
from course materials.
Work presents some
reference to relevant concepts
from course materials.
Work presents limited
reference to concepts from
course materials.
Minimal or absence of
reference to relevant concepts
from course materials.
Application to the case
and use of evidence
Use specific and convincing
examples to illustrate and
develop the argument.
Use relevant examples to
develop the argument.
Use examples to develop most
of the argument.
Use incomplete or vaguely
developed examples to only
partially support claims.
No or near-absence of
relevant examples, claims
made are unsupported and
irrelevant to the topic.
Independent and
reflective thinking
Original and critical
reflection on the case and
subject matter.
Critical reflection on the case
and subject matter.
General reflection on the case
and subject matter.
Lack of reflection on the case,
more like a regurgitation or
summary of class notes or
secondary materials.
Absence of reflection and
independent thinking.
Presentation
Delivery and ability to
respond to questions
Steady performance, speaks
loud & clear & at the right
pace, good eye contact and
rapport with audience.
Effective team collaboration.
Effective and thoughtful
response to questions.
Steady performance, speaks
loud & clear, looks up during
most of presentation.
Satisfactory team
collaboration.
Effective response to
questions.
Speaks clearly most of the
time.
Team collaboration is
acceptable but relies too
heavily on a few members.
Ability to provide a general
response to questions.
Cannot hear presentation
effectively at times, relies on
notes too much, poor rapport
with audience.
Poor team collaboration.
Weak/incoherent response to
questions.
Barely audible, does not look
up, lack of interaction with
audience.
Poor team collaboration.
Confused and fails to address
questions.
OVERALL Superior (>8.5) Good (7-8.5) Average (6-6.9) Unsatisfactory (4-5.9) Unacceptable (below 4)
Penalty for failure to email the instructor your Ppt file before presentation: Total Score: /10
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
5
C. Individual discussion paper (20%)
You need to write on one of the two questions. You can choose to write on the same topic
assigned to the group, or the group question your group is not assigned to present on. Each paper
counts towards 15% of your final course score.
All questions are problem-based. To complete and do a decent job on your paper, you need to
do some basic and independent research. This exercise assesses your ability to apply what is
taught in class and reflect on the materials. A mere summary of what others have said would not
suffice, nor is a general response to the question that makes little reference to what is discussed
in class. Take the time to review your course materials and develop your ideas as you apply
relevant concepts or themes to the case. Refer to the grading rubrics at the end of this
document for more details on the grading criteria.
Basic Instructions
- Write an individual reflection paper of around 1,000 words (max limit: 1,200 words) on one
of the questions in Section A.
- Deadline: The individual paper will be due one week after the group exercise (e.g., if
your group meets on 23 Oct, your paper is due on 30 Oct, whether that is a public holiday or
not). Upload it to your SOUL lecture page. Papers submitted after 11:59 pm on the due date
will be penalized.
- There is no need for a cover page, but you need to put down your student number (not your
name) and question number on the front page of your assignment. Use your student ID as
your file name (e.g., 20024533.docx) and include a wordcount (excluding references and
footnotes) at the end of your paper.
- Format: All assignments must follow the following format: font size 12 point, double spacing,
and normal margins. The pages must be numbered.
- As with other formal academic assignments, you need to provide complete reference (in-text
citation and bibliography at the end of the paper) referencing in this paper.
- Submit your assignment in word or pdf format. Documents submitted in any other format
will not be graded and may not be recognized by the SOUL system. Assignments with the
wrong format and which require resubmission after the due date will be counted as late.
- Read the instructions on “Avoiding Plagiarism in both Group Presentation and
Individual Paper” before you submit your paper.
CCSS4043 Global Issues and Everyday Life
2024-25 Semester 1
6
Grading Rubric for the individual paper (Base of 100, to be converted to 20%)
Grading Criteria Superior Good Average Unsatisfactory Unacceptable
Structure, coherence,
and effectiveness of
argument
Address the question
effectively and analytically.
Writing is clear, concise, and
well organized.
Ability to synthesize ideas
into a coherent and logical
argument.
Address the question fairly
effectively.
Writing is mostly clear,
concise, and well organized.
Ability to formulate a fairly
coherent and logical
argument.
Attempting the question
correctly but in a general
manner.
Writing is generally logical
and clear, but occasionally
vague or repetitive.
Failure to address the
question effectively.
Writing is unclear and/or
disorganized.
Thoughts are not expressed in
a logical manner.
Writing is unclear,
disorganized, and incoherent.
Breadth and
comprehension of
relevant
concepts/themes from
class
Effective and thorough use of
relevant course materials.
Demonstrate an advanced
and thorough understanding
of the subject matter.
Adequate coverage of relevant
course materials.
Demonstrate a satisfactory
and thoughtful
understanding of the subject
matter.
Partial or uneven coverage of
relevant course materials.
Ability to identify key ideas
and demonstrate basic
understanding of the subject
matter, but leans towards a
regurgitation or summary of
general or secondary
materials.
Sporadic application of
concepts/themes that are
somewhat relevant to the
question.
Limited understanding of the
subject matters.
Recall only a very limited
amount of relevant
knowledge.
Opinionated claims with no
reference to relevant concepts
or materials.
Application to the case
and use of evidence
Use specific and convincing
examples to illustrate and
develop the argument.
Use relevant examples to
develop the argument.
Use examples to develop most
of the argument.
Use incomplete or vaguely
developed examples to only
partially support claims.
Lack of examples (or relevant
examples)
Claims are mostly
unsupported or irrelevant to
the topic.
Independent thinking
and depth of reflection
Independent and in-depth
critical reflection on the
subject matter and case.
Critical reflection on the case
and subject matter.
General reflection on or
summary of standard points.
Lack of reflection on the
subject matter and case.
Mere regurgitation of course
materials or presentation
summaries.
Discussion is shallow or
mechanical, absence of
reflection and independent
thinking.
OVERALL Superior (>85) Good (70-85) Average (60-69) Unsatisfactory (40-59) Unacceptable (below 40)
Deduction of points for citation errors or lateness: /100 Total Score: /100
