SGIA49860: Dissertation

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• The module aims to provide an opportunity for MA students to engage in a substantial piece of scholarship into an appropriate area of their choice and under suitable supervisory guidance. The dissertation is the culmination of the MA programme.

• Students will produce a dissertation of no more than 10,000 words. The content of the dissertation is dependent upon the field chosen by the student in consultation with their supervisor.
• The dissertation requires students to produce an extended piece of research and analysis that treats a specific topic in depth within the broad methodological frameworks of the programme and the contexts specific to the chosen topic in connection with their chosen modules.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Through the dissertation students gain:
• Advanced and in-depth knowledge of an appropriate field of study of their choice.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Through the dissertation process students should develop the use of highly specialised and advanced technical, professional and scholastic skills within Politics and International Relations, broadly defined.:
• The dissertation requires students to produce an extended piece of research and analysis that treats a specific topic in depth within the broad methodological frameworks of the programme and the context specific to the chosen topic in connection with their chosen modules.

Key Skills:

• Through the dissertation, student should enhance key skills, including:
• Self-reliance in conducting research;
• A self-critical approach to research and the effective utilisation of resources;
• Organisational skills in managing time to produce a substantial piece of work on time and to length with limited supervisory guidance;
• Skills of effective and appropriate presentation of academic work.

• The dissertation stands as the opportunity for students to undertake a largely independent piece of research and as such 'teaching', in the sense of imparting knowledge, is minimal. Instead, supervisors serve as a source of advice and guidance on issues such as: developing an appropriate overall structure for the dissertation; advising on possible sources of literature and other data; offering critical feedback on a limited amount of draft material; and providing support and advice on overcoming problems, in accordance with the learning outcomes. Learning is therefore principally self-directed, with students taking the lead in devising the research project, identifying appropriate resources, developing their ideas and planning how best to conduct and present their work. This serves the learning outcomes through encouraging students to work effectively, in a self-reliant and self-critical manner to develop their knowledge and understanding and hone their analytical and other relevant subject skills. Supervision ends on the final day of Easter term, and students complete the writing of the dissertation during the summer.
• One lecture in Michaelmas will provide students with an overview of what is expected in a dissertation. The lecture will cover such topics as, for example, what is a research question, how to formulate a research question, what purpose does a literature review serve, and how to structure a dissertation.
• To further guide students in the formulation of their dissertation one seminar of two hours will be run in Epiphany term. This seminar will be more closely aligned with the relevant methodological direction of the dissertation and will address, for example, research design, methodologies and/or methods used in the dissertations, selecting and applying the right methods, the role and application of theory, dissertation structure. Students are encouraged to give an oral presentation of their research plans and receive feedback during the seminar.
• There are two summative assessments:
• A research proposal of no more than 1,500 words will be submitted before the end of Epiphany term and will constitute 10% of the overall mark for the module. The proposal should include at least: an introduction to the topic, a clear research question, a brief summary of the relevant debates and discussions in the literature, a brief summary of the intended approach or methods, and an outline of the proposed theoretical argument.
• A dissertation of no more than 10,000 words will be submitted at the end of the Programme and will constitute 90% of the overall mark for the module.

Students may submit a draft chapter or section of the final draft, approximately 2,500 words in length, by the deadline in the module handbook. They will receive comments and feedback on the draft from their supervisor by the end of Easter term. All students are given regular formative feedback from their supervisor on the progress of the dissertation during supervisory meetings.

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