Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3040: Dissertation

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
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.

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
Poster Presentation	5 minutes	1-9	Oral

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
Research Proposal	10	1,500 words	1-9	Written feedback
Disseration	90	10,000 words	1-9	Written 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
Research Proposal	Essay (1,500 words)	1-9	August/September reassessment period
Dissertation	Dissertation (10,000 words)	1-9	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Non-submission of dissertations is non-condonable.