MLAC3956: Target Language Research Project (Japanese)

• The relevant core language module in the language for which the TLRP will be completed.

• None

• MELA3976

• To provide students with the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of aspects of their studies linked to the target culture by producing a research project in each of the languages they intend to study at Level 3.
• By providing experience in planning, documenting, and writing an extended piece of work, the TLRP will increase the facility of students to use the Japanese language sources at an appropriate level, and will give them experience in presenting and referencing an extended piece of writing according to standard academic conventions.
• The TLRP will provide invaluable practice, particularly at the level of the inculcation and assimilation of primary research skills, for students taking a dissertation module in the final year. It will also provide benefit for students wishing to progress to postgraduate study.
• The TLRP aims to develop and enhance strategies for independent learning and initiative; to foster a genuine commitment to research and the utilization of appropriate research methodologies; to provide the ability to organize and manage a longer project; and to offer the ability to write a substantial summary accurately Japanese.
• By focusing on questions of intercultural awareness at an advanced intellectual level, the TLRP seeks to offer a forum for academic engagement and reflection in matters of critical interest relevant to the contexts and environments under discussion.
• The TLRP seeks to enhance the employability of students by allowing them to demonstrate their ability as independent learners and researchers in the context of a research project that dovetails with the Universitys principles for the development of the taught curriculum. Skills will be developed specifically through an extended enquiry-led activity that will provide students with the competences to succeed in the world of work and the ability to manage their own intellectual and professional development. By focusing specifically on questions of relevant intercultural interest, students will develop as international citizens so that they can make a positive contribution to an increasingly globalized society.

• The TLRP (2 Languages) involves researching and writing during the year abroad two essays in the target languages to be studied at Level 3. Each piece of work should be informed by the students intercultural awareness and knowledge of the target culture, and should be based on analysis of suitable primary materials (e.g. literary texts, films, visual culture, theatre, popular culture, mass media, historical or political texts).
• Students will choose a general topic area for each language from a list issued by the School, and will work with their supervisors before the end of their second year and during the year abroad to define their topics, plan their approach and identify suitable resources.
• Finalized copies must be submitted electronically by the date stated on the relevant Learn Ultra pages for Target Language Research Project in advance of Michaelmas Term of the final year of study.
• Students will receive written feedback by the second week of the Michaelmas Term, and key aspects of good practice applicable to the final-year dissertation will be discussed with the relevant dissertation supervisor.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By completing the TLRP students will have acquired greatly enhanced knowledge of a specialized subject and have gained considerably in their intercultural awareness. They will be familiar with both primary and secondary sources, and with the wider debates surrounding the cultural media/artefacts that form the basis of their analysis.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will have developed their ability to express ideas clearly in Japanese as a summary of the TLRP and will have completed a research project envisaged specifically as preparation for the final-year dissertation module.

Key Skills:

• Students will have acquired skill and practice in researching a subject using primary and secondary sources, planning a coherent argument with the evidence to support it, presenting these arguments clearly and cogently in a sustained piece of writing, and conforming to the norms of academic referencing.

• Students will receive generic training for the TLRP through the Schools On-going Induction Programme, which addresses questions of specific relevance, notably: academic research, academic writing, evaluating and using sources, and approaches to textual analysis. Students will receive language-specific instruction as part of their second-year core language modules.
• A list of approved topic areas are displayed in the TLRP webpages. Students should select those areas that harmonize with their own research interests.
• In addition to online materials accessible via the Library, materials for each topic area will be made available on DUO, and if students are travelling to destinations where internet access is limited, they will be expected to make sensible use of these in advance.
• The specific formulation of the TLRP will be discussed in conjunction with the students supervisor, and students will follow an agreed programme of reading whilst supplementing their work by displaying evidence of independent research skills and bibliographic initiative.
• As students are expected to spend at least nine months in the host culture, it is expected that they will engage with the TLRP as soon as they arrive, and that they will work towards initial consultation with their supervisor within one month of arrival.
• Supervisors will give feedback via email at three distinct phases of production: (a) an initial compulsory proposal of no more than 200 words outlining an approach to the chosen topic area, which will have to be approved by the supervisor before proceeding onto the next stage; (b) a 500-word essay plan outlining the direction to be explored in the project and listing key bibliographic items that have already proven to be useful; and (c) a 500-word sample from the essay.
• In each instance, comments and feedback will be given to the student on standardized TLRP feedback forms, copies of which will be logged with the School Year Abroad Administrator. To ensure parity of treatment between students completing the TLRP, supervisors will not be expected to read additional drafts or to give any other form of additional guidance. Any changes of topic must be approved by the supervisor.
• Finalized copies must be submitted electronically by the date stated on the relevant Learn Ultra pages for Target Language Research Project in advance of Michaelmas Term of the final year of study. Students will receive written feedback on standardized TLRP feedback forms by the second week of the Michaelmas Term, and key aspects of good practice applicable to the dissertation will be discussed with the relevant supervisor.
• Assessment will evaluate students ability to assimilate, understand, and analyse critically the primary and secondary material associated with their topics, their powers of intercultural awareness, their ability to present a sustained argument with suitable evidence, their ability to express themselves fluently and accurately in the target language, paying due attention to the relevant conventions of academic writing, as well as the extent to which their experience abroad has informed the project.
• Students will also be expected to produce a full and proper bibliography.
• The TLRP is not credit-bearing, but will be graded by percentage on the students degree transcript. Students who pass will proceed to the Year Abroad programme; those who fail will be transferred to the non-year abroad version of the programme.

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.