HUM6214 - Dissertation

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1 define a research topic suitable for a 10,000-word essay, with recourse to appropriate Humanities-based materials;
2 demonstrate understanding and appropriate research skills (including use of both library and internet resources) in handling a range of primary and secondary material relevant to the topic;
3 demonstrate awareness of relevant contexts, socio-cultural, historical and theoretical, arising from discussion of the topic;
4 produce a piece of coherently argued writing, supported by appropriate scholarly apparatus, making a valid contribution to critical debate on the topic.

Content:

Students will define a topic of their choice, in consultation with an appointed member of the Humanities teaching staff; formulate a proposal; conduct a detailed investigation of the topic, under the supervision of the appointed member of staff; and complete a critical essay on the topic, appropriately presented and supported by scholarly apparatus.
In selecting their research topic, students must maintain a focused approach, by building on the Pathway that they have been following and engaging with their topic through interdisciplinary practice. The aim is to draw on the connections which have become apparent as a result of studying Humanities-based subject materials and as a result of deploying the interpretative methodologies typically applied to them.
For example, a student on the Modern World Pathway who had opted for modules ENG 2722 Writing and War and TRS 2902 Religions, Peace and Peace-Making at Level 5 might pursue a research report on images of conflict and belief at Level 6; or a student on the Identities Pathway who had opted to focus on modules dealing with the conceptualization of childhood, ENG 2772 The Child and the Book & HUM 2102 Sweeps & Rabbit Holes at Level 5, could undertake a Dissertation on the gendered aspects of children’s play at Level 6.

Learning and Teaching Information:

It is an essential requirement of the module that students submit a 500-word proposal, outlining the topic and scope of the dissertation, before the end of Semester 1, and obtain a pass mark for this. The proposal will be marked on a pass / fail basis only. Students who do not fulfil this requirement will not be permitted to complete assessment for the module.

Assessment: