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AMST40480

Academic Year 2024/2025

Research Skills Seminar (AMST40480)

Subject:
American Studies
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Centre For American Studies
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Eugenio Lilli
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Pass/Fail (GPA Neutral)

Curricular information is subject to change.

This course is designed to provide Masters and new Ph.D. students with skills essential to the preparation and production of a postgraduate thesis. It will present the necessary tools for postgraduate research and develop associated skills such as the presentation of written and oral work to peers and scholars. It will also introduce students to methodology and the nature of interdisciplinary study.

The course will run as a workshop and, as such, it is imperative that students prepare beforehand and arrive at the class ready to engage and discuss. Some weeks will require the preparation of short pieces of writing related to a particular aspect of a student’s research, which will be circulated prior to the class to allow for feedback and discussion. This will include short summaries of how a project engages with current scholarship, methodology and treatment of sources, research strategies, and outlining the relevance of a project.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students will have developed skills that will enable them to identify and apply a suitable method for their thesis study, to locate suitable source materials for research and to organise and present this material in a coherent fashion.

Indicative Module Content:

This module will introduce students to key components of research skills and methods germane to American Studies including:
- interdisciplinary study methods;
- topics, frames and fields of study;
- locating and using primary and secondary sources;
- citation and bibliographical skills;
- oral and audio-visual presentation skills;
- library use.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Seminar (or Webinar)

24
Autonomous Student Learning

176
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Key teaching and learning approaches used in the module include:
active/task-based learning;
peer and group work;
debates;
student presentations.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Throughout the module, students will be required to carry out a number of assignments aimed at developing their research skills. The nature of the assignments may vary from year to year. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, Week 14, Week 15 Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

100

 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will receive individual and group feedback on their in-class activities throughout the duration of the module.

The complete reading list will be presented at the beginning of the module. The vast majority of the readings will be made available through Brightspace.
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