| Unit name | Written Dissertation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HUMSM0025 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kelly |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
none |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
none |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
none |
| School/department | School of Humanities |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
All MA students are expected to undertake a dissertation as the culmination of the programme of study. The written dissertation provides a structured and supervised opportunity for MA students to pursue independently an agreed topic of interest with reference to and emerging from their previous studies and to produce an appropriately advanced piece of research. The dissertation involves developing a realisable topic or project, which has the potential to contribute to knowledge in the discipline. After a conducting a survey of literature and other relevant materials, appropriate methodologies will be devised in order to explore a research problem. It would normally be expected that this topic would arise from work already undertaken on the programme, creating an opportunity to explore a specialist area in more detail.
How does this fit into your programme of study?
The dissertation is the capstone assessment for your programme. It offers an opportunity to conduct in-depth independent study in an area of interest within the field of cultural heritage and to present this research in an extended piece of academic writing. It is also a chance for you to undertake research that reflects your emerging specialism as a researcher.
An overview of content:
The written dissertation is a substantial independent research project. It will consist of independent research and writing in conjunction with regular supervisions. As it is student-led, the content of this unit will be driven by each student’s interests and the topic they wish to tackle. This is your opportunity to explore, and in doing so, to develop an area of specialism.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
The written dissertation is a key opportunity to develop your academic research and writing skills. The unit will give you the skills and confidence to purse a major piece of independent research which will make a contribution to the field of cultural heritage. You will learn to work largely independently and to find and use a variety of different primary sources (e.g. historic collections, archival documents, heritage sites) and secondary sources. By the end of this unit, you will have transferable skills relating to project design, development, and management.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Tutorials in the form of supervised sessions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Towards the beginning of your dissertation research you will produce a reading and resource list for your dissertation topic in consultation with your supervisor. Although the length of this list may vary from topic to topic, it is expected that you will include at least 30 items.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit will be assessed on a written 12,000-word dissertation (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HUMSM0025).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
