Module POL3076 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3076: Research Design for Dissertation
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to:
- equip you with the skills necessary to undertake and independent piece of research;
- identify, analyse and reconstruct scholarly debates in order to situate your own project and contribution in relation to a research community; and
- develop an understanding of academic conventions and protocols required to complete a Masters level dissertation under the guidance of an academic supervisor.
| 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. Assimilate and critically analyse data from an appropriate range of sources; 4. Undertake an independent research project in Politics and/or International Relations; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Use IT for information retrieval and presentation; and 6. Work effectively in groups and to manage own work. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
A range of generic topics will be covered through a mix of interactive lectures and student-led workshops, including:
1. Introduction to the MA dissertation
2. Research design for the MA dissertation
3. Defining the research question
4. Gathering evidence search skills, resources and methods
5. Assembling a bibliography
6. Building an argument case study selection and theoretical lenses
7. Writing a research plan
8. Drafting, completing and submitting the dissertation
You will learn through a combination of four components: Interactive lectures; Peer-led topic workshops (students will work in groups of 15); Independent study and Supervisor input.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 280 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 16 | 8 x 2 hour seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 2 | 4 x 30 minutes supervision meetings |
| Guided Independent study | 200 | Researching and writing literature review |
| Guided Independent study | 82 | Developing, writing and revising |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provisional research proposal | 1,000 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 | 70 | 5,000 words | 1-5 | Written and Oral Feedback |
| Final Research proposal | 30 | 2,000 words | 1-5 | Written and Oral Feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 (5,000 words) | 1-5 | Next reassessment period |
| Final Research proposal | Final research proposal (2,000 words) | 1-5 | Next reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Burton, D. (ed) (2000) Research Training for Social Scientists SAGE.
Dunleavy, P. (2003) Authoring a PhD Palgrave MacMillan.
Harrison, L. (2001) Political Research: An Introduction Routledge.
Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis: An Introduction Palgrave MacMillan.
King, G., Keohane, R.O. and Verba, S. (1994) Designing Social Inquiry Princeton University Press.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z. (2004) Research Methods in Politics Palgrave MacMillan.
Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds) (2002) Theory and Methods in Political Science 2nd edition Palgrave MacMillan.
Silbergh, D.M. (2001) Doing Dissertations in Politics Routledge.
Silverman, D. (ed) (2004) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice SAGE.
Turabian, K. (1996) A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Wisker, G. (2001) The Postgraduate Research Handbook Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
