Module Identifier
IPM0060
Module Title
DISSERTATION
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Dr Peter D Jackson
Semester
Semester 3 (Dissertation)

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Dissertation  14,000-15,000 words topic. Deadline usually first Wednesday of September - See Handbook for further details  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

The learning outcomes are fourfold: first, the student will develop an expertise in their specialist area of study; second, the student will develop their analytical capacities; third, the student will develop their ability to express their ideas on paper; and fourth, the student will develop their research skills.

Brief description

The dissertaion is an important element of the Department's Masters programme. It provides as opportunity for Masters students to research and write an independent piece of research of 14,000-15,000 words usually by first Wednesday in September - see hand book for further details

Aims

The aim of the Dissertation is to assess a student's ability to analyse a large body of material, organise it, and write it up in a manner that sustains a persuasive argument. The requirement is not to produce original work; it is to write a piece of research that demonstrates a strong capacity for independent thought. Students are allocated a member of staff as their advisor who provides guidance on the structure and argument of the thesis.

Content

The contents of the Dissertation will be different for each student. Students propose a topic for their Dissertation and this is approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. To pass, a Dissertation must meet its objectives which should be set out at the beginning; sustain a coherent and well-developed argument; and be presented in a scholarly manner.

Transferable skills

Students will further develop the following skills:

- Setting of achievable goals with respect to the choice of subject
- Research skills in collecting secondary literature and, in some cases, primary sources, in relation to the particular subject chosen.
- IT skills in the use of information technology during the process of research (especially internet-based research) and the use of word-processing in the course of writing the dissertation
- Time management skills in the establishment of a research and writing plan and in the subsequent competition of the dissertation by a fixed deadline
- Analytical skills in the construction of the argument and the development of an analytical framework
- Academic writing skills in the writing of the dissertation, including the compliance with regard to formal aspects of academic writing such as footnoting, referencing and the compilation of a bibliography.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7