Module Identifier | LA35220 | ||
Module Title | DISSERTATION 1 | ||
Academic Year | 2002/2003 | ||
Co-ordinator | Mr Richard W Ireland | ||
Semester | Available semesters 1 and 2 | ||
Co-Requisite | LA10110 or LA30110 or LA15710 | ||
Course delivery | Lecture | 8 Hours | |
Seminars / Tutorials | Seminar. Supervision arranged by supervisor | ||
Assessment | Semester Assessment | Dissertation: 6 - 10000 words | 100% |
Professional Exemptions | Not Required for Professional Purposes |
The outcomes of the training involved in the module may be summarised as follows:
(a) to develop an appreciation of the research potential of subjects through the choice of a viable topic for research;
(b) to develop research skills as regards the location of relevant material, in particular through the use of bibliographical guides and subject databases;
(c) to develop the skills associated with the planning, organising and timetabling of a sustained piece of research over a period of some months;
(d) to develop the ability to organise ideas and order material for the effective presentation of argument and data;
(e) to develop academic writing skills for purposes of presenting a clear, articulate and readable account of the subject in question in a substantial written format of 6000 - 10,000 words.
The Dissertation I module is designed for students undertaking such work for the first time.
Students are required to submit (a) a written plan of the research and the dissertation (max 500 words) by the end of the fifth week of the semester; and (b) an abstract of the dissertation (max 100 words) and (c) the text of the dissertation itself by the final submission date. The plan, the abstract and dissertation are assessed together as a whole. The words included in the plan and the abstract are not considered to fall within the word limit of the dissertation as a whole.
The module is assessed principally by a reading of the dissertation by the supervisor as a first marker, by another member of staff as second marker, and by an external examiner. The dissertation is assessed applying criteria relating to the effectiveness and adequacy of the research and the written presentation of material and argument. The supervisor's view of the candidate's ability to plan and organise a sustained programme of research and writing forms part of the assessment. The assessment is therefore especially concerned with the ability to work relatively independently, to locate and organise rlevant research material, and to communicate effectively via written media.