HI961-60 Dissertation
Introductory description
All taught MA students apart from those following the MA in History of Medicine write a dissertation of 15,000 words. History of Medicine students submit a dissertation of 20,000 words. The dissertation is the most important piece of work students will produce in the course. Students should begin the course with a clear, if general, idea of their dissertation topic.
Module aims
The dissertation is a piece of academic writing about 15,000 words long (or about 20,000 for History of Medicine students) - roughly the length of two academic articles or book chapters - and students will need to identify a topic which can be dealt with within that length whilst showing originality. It is not a book, nor an essay. Students should view it mainly as an opportunity to develop research techniques and methodologies and to present the research in an appropriate format.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Term 1
Week 2: Finding a Supervisor
Week 4: Assigned a supervisor
Week 5: Finding a Topic
Week 7: Firming up your Topic
Term 2
Weeks 1-6: Progress meeting with Supervisor
Week 7: Submission of Research Proposal
Term 3
Weeks 1-8: Progress meeting with Supervisor
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Critically review and consolidate the secondary literature on their area of research.
- Act with minimal supervision and take responsibility to identify and design an original research project.
- Demonstrate an awareness of research ethics and personal responsibility and incorporate this into their practice where appropriate.
- Critically evaluate evidence from a range of primary sources to support their argument.
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of their area of research to produce a coherently argued and professionally-written thesis.
- Effectively reflect on and communicate their research progress.
Subject specific skills
See learning outcomes.
Transferable skills
See learning outcomes.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 1 session of 1 hour (0%) |
| Tutorials | 4 sessions of 1 hour (1%) |
| Private study | 595 hours (99%) |
| Total | 600 hours |
Private study description
PG taught History modules require students to undertake extensive independent research and reading to prepare for seminars and assessments. As a rough guide, students will be expected to read and prepare to comment on four substantial texts (articles or book chapters) for each seminar taking approximately 4 hours. Each assessment requires independent research, reading around 10-15 texts and writing and presenting the outcomes of this preparation in an essay, review, presentation or other related task.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A4
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
|||
| 15000 word dissertation | 100% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback from Supervisor
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 1 of TIMA-L981 Postgraduate Social Science Research
- Year 1 of THIA-V141 Postgraduate Taught History (Early Modern)
- Year 1 of THIA-V201 Postgraduate Taught History (Global & Comparative)
- Year 1 of THIA-V140 Postgraduate Taught History (Modern)
This module is Core optional for:
- Year 1 of THIA-V141 Postgraduate Taught History (Early Modern)
- Year 1 of THIA-V201 Postgraduate Taught History (Global & Comparative)
- Year 1 of THIA-V140 Postgraduate Taught History (Modern)
- Year 1 of THIA-V3P7 Postgraduate Taught History of Medicine