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HIS32890

Academic Year 2026/2027

SSH Dissertation (HIS32890)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
20
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Conor Mulvagh
Credit Split by Trimester:
Autumn 10
Spring 10
Trimester:
2 Trimester duration (Aut-Spr)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

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.

About this Module

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.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Not addressed

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Project Supervision

6
Specified Learning Activities

250
Autonomous Student Learning

250
Total

506

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.

Generative AI may not be used for assessments in this module. If you have any concerns about what is included in the remit of generative AI, please consult with your Module Coordinator.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

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
Thesis/Dissertation: Students complete an 10,000-word dissertation, working with a supervisor. They have a minimum of 6 formal supervisory meetings during the academic year. Week 14 Spring Graded No
100
 No

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.

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