Introductory description

This module constitutes the final dissertation for students enrolled on the MA in Translation and Cultures.

Module web page

Module aims

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.

N/A (independent study and individual consultations)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Plan and write autonomously a dissertation that evaluates and synthesises written and optionally also audiovisual materials in an advanced piece of independent, academic research on a chosen topic which has been approved by the Module Leader
• Develop independent and advanced critical research and project management skills
• Interpret, critically engage with and integrate conceptual theory and method in their chosen field of study
• Research and evaluate complex issues in translation and transcultural studies, including recent approaches, current problems and potential future developments
• Demonstrate conceptual knowledge and awareness of specific translation practices and the role of translation, the translator and translation studies more broadly in resolving linguistic and cultural complex challenges in communication
• Develop an advanced awareness of the role of translation, the translator and translation studies in various areas of cultural production, activities and exchange (i.e. audio-visual media, publishing, localisation etc.), depending on the chosen area of study

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

Through a combination of independent research and targeted support, students undertake a supervised research project, and produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates knowledge of and ability in a chosen area, commensurate with the accomplishment of an MA degree.

International

All modules delivered in SMLC are necessarily international. Students engage with themes and ideas from a culture other than that of the UK and employ their linguistic skills in the analysis of primary materials from a non-Anglophone context. Students will also be encouraged to draw on the experiences of visiting exchange students in the classroom and will frequently engage with theoretical and critical frameworks from across the world.

Subject specific skills

This module will develop students’ linguistic skills through engaging with primary materials in the target language. It will build students’ capacity to engage with aspects of language culture through analysis of this primary material and through independent research and discussion with dissertation supervisor aimed at deeper critical thinking. In particular, students’ awareness of constructing a dissertation will be enhanced through dissertation meetings and supervision, and independent research which engage in scholarship in the field.

Transferable skills

All SMLC culture modules demand critical and analytical engagement with artefacts from target-language cultures. In the course of independent study, class work and assessment students will develop the following skills: written and oral communication, creative and critical thinking, problem solving and analysis, time management and organisation, independent research in both English and their target language(s), intercultural understanding and the ability to mediate between languages and cultures, ICT literacy in both English and the target language(s), personal responsibility and the exercise of initiative.