HIS32890 SSH Dissertation

Academic Year 2022/2023

The Dissertation is an exercise in independent historical research. Students are required to choose a topic for the Dissertation, identify key research questions, consult relevant primary and secondary sources, and present an analysis of their findings in a scholarly manner.

In the early summer prior to the final year of study the School will hold an information session for all students. Students will be allocated a supervisor by the School over the summer vacation. In the Autumn, the Research Skills course will provide guidance in how to identify and focus on a topic, locate and work with primary sources, and move from a research topic to a written analysis. The course will also provide advice on issues such as research methodology and scholarly conventions. Students should initiate contact with potential supervisors within the first two weeks of trimester. By Week 3 at the latest, each student should have identified a coherent topic. Normally a student will have three formal meetings with the supervisor in each trimester. During these meetings, the supervisor will provide guidance on the topic and on relevant primary and secondary material, as well as feedback on drafts. Students may also consult other members of staff with relevant expertise.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, students should be able to:- complete a major piece of original research- produce a major piece of writing to a high professional level, with citations and bibliography to the style sheet laid down by the School.

Indicative Module Content:

The module will be primarily based upon one-to-one meetings with the student's supervisor. There will also be guidance on certain aspects of dissertation layout and other technical matters provided by the module coordinator through Brightspace and the Research Skills and conference Modules.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

250
Autonomous Student Learning

250
Total

500
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The dissertation is a substantial piece of original research and writing. The student will pursue this research independently, but within a structured framework which offers significant support. The student will engage in critical writing and reflective learning. Under close guidance from a supervisor, the student will read into the existing historiography of their chosen topic; identify and
complete relevant primary source research; and write a 10,000-word dissertation. The supervisor will read and offer feedback and comments on written work, but each chapter will be read only once.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Project: 10,000 word research dissertation, due in week 12 of semester 2 Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

100

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
Repeat Within Two Trimesters
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

In semester 1, the student will commence work with their assigned supervisor. During pre-arranged one-on-one meetings, the student will discuss specific areas of focus for their research with the supervisor. These will include the drafting of the required assignments for the Research Skills module, which includes a Research proposal, preparation of a literature review, and identification of relevant primary sources. The supervisor will provide individual feedback to students suggesting further avenues of investigation, and the research topic will be refined between the student and supervisor. During supervisory meetings students will be provided with individual feedback on contextual literature and primary sources. During semester 2 Students will be given individual feedback on written work provided it is submitted in due time, including the Abstract for the Conference module and the Conference Paper. Each dissertation chapter will be read only once.