Module POC3040 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3040: Dissertation
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
This module provides you with the opportunity to engage independently with a particular issue in depth. The aim of the module is to enable you to plan, undertake and write up a piece of research with minimal guidance from academic staff. This process aims to inspire a genuine engagement with research methods in Politics and to enable students to develop important skills needed to work independently organization, motivation, initiative, communication etc ) Another important aim of this module is to develop your interpersonal skills so that you can develop a professional working relationship with your supervisor which will support your research. Your dissertation supervisor will support and guide your research process and will offer feedback throughout the year. S/he will help you narrow down your topic area, devise a suitable research question and help you plan your research activities.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. define a suitable research topic and pursue it to completion 2. evaluate the main themes in work of political science 3. assess the professionalism and scholarly value of published works in political science 4. present work in a scholarly fashion |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. assess the work of scholars 6. collate and critique data from a range of sources 7. understand and deploy the terminology of political science in a comprehensible manner 8. analyse and differentiate between complex sources; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 9. work independently under guidance and to organise your own time over the two semesters; |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor from within the Politics department. You will be responsible for approaching the supervisor to set up meetings about their dissertation. You are allowed 4 supervision meetings of 1 hour at specified times throughout the year. Additionally you are expected to hand in work at various stages so that your supervisor can offer feedback. It is envisaged that the bulk of your time will be spent on private study, at the rate of 10 hours per week. Supervisors are allowed to see and comment on a detailed plan of the dissertation and up to 3,000 words of the final dissertation.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 288 | 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 activity | 4 | 4 x 1 hour individual supervision meetings with your supervisor, held throughout the year. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 8 | 4 x 2 hour dissertation skills sessions held throughout terms one and two. Example topics include research proposal design, research questions, literature reviews, structure and submission |
| Guided independent study | 288 | Around 10 hours per week should be spent on planning, conducting and writing up your dissertation. This will include: reading the literature and writing a literature review, collected primary data/sources and analysing them, writing up your research to the required standard. The module handbook outlines when work should be submitted to your supervisor for feedback. Your supervisor will help you plan your time and specific research activities necessary will vary according to research topic. |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
Halperin, S., and Heath, O. (2012) Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford: OUP
Harrison, L. (2013) Political research: an introduction. Abindon, Routledge.
Higgins, R. (1996). Approaches to research: a handbook for those writing a dissertation. London: Jessica Kinglsey Publishers.
Preece, R.A. (1994). Starting research: an introduction to academic research and dissertation writing. London: Pinter.
Silbergh, D. Doing dissertations in politics: a student guide. Psychology Press, 2001.
Smith, K., Todd M., and Waldman J. (2009) Doing your undergraduate social science dissertation. Abindon, Routledge
Swetnam, D. (2000). Writing your dissertation. Oxford: OUP.
