Unit information: Dissertation in 2017/18

Unit name	Dissertation
Unit code	POLIM1001
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Reverend. Martin Gainsborough
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The dissertation is an extended piece of written work that provides an opportunity to identify and investigate a particular question and explore it systematically.

Aims:

A dissertation aims to develop independent critical thought on a research topic. The broad educational purpose of the dissertation is to encourage students to utilise a wide range of methodological options, to research the literature on a specialism within a discipline, and to develop, with the help of a Dissertation Supervisor, an original angle on a topic of social scientific interest which he or she has elected to pursue.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• identified a clear, central research question,

• adopted an appropriate organizational structure and research methods to address this question

• engaged at a theoretical level with relevant approaches within your study

• shown how your work fits with the existing literature for your research area.

• identified relevant outcomes by way of summary, discussion and conclusion

• convey your research to an academic readership, in a clear, well-written grammatically-correct style, and conforming to the conventions of academic presentation.

• shown evidence of independent critical thinking

Teaching Information

Lecture, workshop and personal tuition

Assessment Information

10,000 – 15,000 word dissertation 100% of mark

Reading and References

n/a