Module POLM876 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM876: Dissertation Skills
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
The aims of this module are to equip you with the professional skills needed to conduct an extended piece of research and writing. You will have the time and guidance to engage deeply with core debates across the sub-disciplines of politics, equipping you well with practical skills and contributing to your intellectual development. On successful completion of this module you should be a confident and independent researcher.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. design an individual research programme, incorporating appropriate social science research methods. 2. collate and analyse subject-specific information from a range of appropriate sources |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. develop the skills requisite to conducting an extended piece of academic writing, including: devising a research question, proposal and literature review; organizing and summarizing key literatures, debates, ideas and controversies. 4. locate your own research in key disciplinary debates, controversies and developments. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. use IT for information retrieval and presentation. |
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research proposal | 600 words | 1-5 | Written and or oral feedback |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literature review | 100 | 3,500 words | 1-5 | Written and or oral feedback |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature review | Literature review (3,500 words) | 1-5 | Next reassessment period |
