Module HPS-3006:
Dissertation

Module Facts

Run by School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences

40 Credits or 20 ECTS Credits

Semester 1 & 2

Organiser: Dr Toby Betenson

Overall aims and purpose

This module brings together all the skills and experience related to Archaeology, Criminology, Heritage, History, Religion, Philosophy, Social Policy and Social Sciences learnt in Years 1 and 2 through the successful completion of an independent research project (10,000-words in length). You will produce a substantive piece of independent research on a topic of your choice, and you will also manage how you research it and how you write it. Each student is allocated a dissertation supervisor who will normally meet with them on a one to one tutorial basis to supervise their research and discuss their progress. The work for you dissertation may consist of library and archive research, archaeological fieldwork, primary empirical research, data organisation and writing up. Dissertations will vary in nature according to their discipline (Archaeology, Criminology, Heritage, History, Religion, Philosophy, Social Policy and Social Sciences); according to the period they examine; and to the nature of the sources they use. The dissertation should contain an element of originality (in the sources/data used and/or in their analysis) and should include primary material.

Course content

The dissertation will set the chosen research in its broader context e.g. scholarly literature, historiography, methodological and theoretical framework, archaeological/geographical framework. It will set research questions and a structure will be worked out. It will describe and analyse the chosen topic using a range of relevant secondary and primary sources/date. The project will be written up in an ordered and academic manner.

Assessment Criteria

C- to C+

Students in this band (C- to C+) will demonstrate a satisfactory range of achievement in most of the criteria:

Research: The dissertation shows evidence of solid reading but shows insufficient evidence of in-depth research, e.g. use of primary sources, journal articles and specialist monographs.

Content: The dissertation will have an identifiable primary source base/body of data but the material may be employed descriptively or serve simply as illustration.

Argument: The dissertation advances a coherent and sometimes relevant argument, but there may be weaknesses in structure, relevance and logicality. There are weaknesses in placing the argument sufficiently in context.

Analysis: The dissertation employs evidence to back its points, but sometimes fails to do so or fails to deploy a sufficient range of evidence to demonstrate the strength of its case. The dissertation shows an awareness of different interpretations, but may fail to get to the heart of the central scholarly debate; or may fail fully to understand a key point of controversy. These failures may extend to a lack of sufficiently detailed evidence, or to failure to discuss important subtleties or ambiguities in the evidence, or to a lack of awareness of the current state of academic debate.

Presentation: The dissertation is reasonably well written and presented, but contains some mistakes.

Scholarly apparatus: The dissertation contains appropriate references and bibliography, but these may be slightly erratic and/or partially insufficient.

good

Good students (B- to B+) will demonstrate a solid level of achievement and depth of knowledge in all the criteria:

Research: The dissertation shows clear evidence of wide-ranging and relevant reading and research, including use of primary sources/data and secondary literature.

Content: The dissertation will have an identifiable and well-focused primary source base /body of data and the candidate will make intelligent use of this primary material.

Argument: The dissertation advances a coherent, relevant and well-structured argument which is placed in its broader context.

Analysis: The dissertation consistently employs evidence to back its points and demonstrates a clear understanding of different interpretations and awareness of scholarly debates.

Presentation: The dissertation is well written and correctly presented.

Scholarly apparatus: The dissertation contains appropriate references and bibliography

threshold

Threshold students (D- and D) will have done only a minimum of research, and their work will demonstrate weaknesses in most of the following criteria:

Research: The dissertation shows evidence of an acceptable minimum of research and reading, but this is based largely on general secondary literature with insufficient use of specialized studies and primary sources/data.

Content: The use of primary sources/data will be thin, tangential, or inappropriately chosen and so fail to support the argument put forward in the dissertation.

Argument: The dissertation deploys potentially relevant material, but fails to structure it coherently or sustain a clear and perceptible argument. The argument is set in context in only a limited way.

Analysis: The dissertation occasionally shows limited ability to deploy evidence to back some individual points, but often fails to do so; or shows difficulty weighing (for instance by choosing unreliable, atypical or inappropriate evidence or authorities). The dissertation may show some awareness of differing scholarly interpretations, but the differences will not receive sustained discussion or analysis.

Presentation: The dissertation is in part correctly presented but there are serious difficulties in presentation, writing style, grammar or paragraph construction. The dissertation may be short weight.

Scholarly apparatus: The dissertation often uses references and bibliography where needed, but sometimes misunderstands their appropriate use; or makes serious mistakes in their presentation.

excellent

Excellent students (A- and above) will show strong achievement across all the criteria combined with an element of originality:

Research: The dissertation shows clear evidence of wide-ranging, relevant and in-depth reading and research, including extensive use of primary sources and secondary literature

Content: The dissertation clearly derives from a well-defined and identifiable primary source base/body of data which informs the argument at every stage.

Argument: The dissertation advances a coherent, relevant, sustained, and well-structured argument and is well placed in its broader context. The research informs the argument at every stage, and the student will demonstrate insight and some sophistication in source criticism.

Analysis: The dissertation consistently employs evidence to back its points and demonstrates a clear, sophisticated and detailed understanding of different interpretations and awareness and understanding of academic debates and conceptual approaches.

Presentation: The dissertation is well written in a scholarly way and is correctly presented.

Scholarly apparatus: The dissertation contains a high standard of references and bibliography.

Learning outcomes

  1. Master how to gather primary and secondary research material for their project.

  2. Evaluate and set the evidence/data in a broader context.

  3. Construct an argument and analyse the evidence/data in a relevant manner.

  4. Present the project (including any illustrations, diagrams etc.) in a scholarly, professional manner

  5. Deliver an engaging and effective oral presentation followed by an informed response to questions.

  6. Organise the report and dissertation and write at a sustained length in the latter.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
DISSERTATION BA Dissertation 80
REPORT Dissertation Progress Report 10
INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION Dissertation Oral Presentation 10

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Individual Project

The student will produce a substantive piece of independent research and writing using a specific archaeological case-study drawing on their own research. This may consist of library and archive research, archaeological fieldwork, data organisation and writing up.

 392
Workshop

3 x 1 hour long Training Workshops on the Written Dissertation Progress Report, Oral Presentation, Writing-up the Dissertation

 3
One-to-one supervision

Each student is allocated a dissertation supervisor who will normally meet them on a one-to-one tutorial basis to supervise the research and discuss progress.

 5

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
  • Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • how to make ethically sound judgements in relation to research carried out by others or oneself
  • how to use empirical evidence - both quantitative and qualitative in criminology and sociology
  • the ability to formulate and investigate sociologically informed questions
  • awareness of how political and cultural values - including the student's own - have an impact on responses to and rival interpretations of safety and security, crime
  • competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in sociology, and their application to social life
  • the capacity to analyse, assess and communicate empirical sociological information
  • the ability to identify a range of qualitative and quantitative research strategies and methods
  • the ability to conduct sociological / criminolgical research
  • the ability to undertake and present scholarly work
  • the ability to recognise the relevance of sociological knowledge to social, public and civic policy.
  • the ability to formulate and investigate sociologically informed questions
  • competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in sociology, and their application to social life
  • the capacity to analyse, assess and communicate empirical sociological information
  • the ability to identify a range of qualitative and quantitative research strategies and methods
  • the ability to conduct sociological research
  • Develop a sound appreciation of the variety of theories that comprise the discipline of social policy and how these impact on social policy interventions
  • the ability to undertake and present scholarly work
  • the ability to understand the ethical implications of sociological enquiry
  • the ability to recognise the relevance of sociological knowledge to social, public and civic policy.
  • Become cognizant with key conceptual debates within the field of contemporary social policy
  • Appreciate the value of and apply theoretical and methodological rigour to analyses of welfare issues;
  • Be aware of the ethical, social and political contexts within which social policy practice and research is conducted and delivered
  • seek out, use and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data derived from social surveys and other research publications
  • Develop a knowledge and expertise with respect to a range of evidence-based policy making and practice.
  • Develop a sophisticated understanding of the processes of social policy analysis and evaluation.
  • use some of the established theories and concepts of social policy and other social sciences to analyse how social needs, social problems and policies themselves are constructed and understood in both national and international contexts
  • undertake either on their own, or in collaboration with others, investigations on social questions, issues and problems. This will involve skills in problem identification; the collection, storage management and manipulation of data, including secondary data, and other information; the use of archival sources; the construction of coherent and reasoned arguments; and the presentation of clear conclusions and recommendations distinguish among and critically evaluate different theoretical, technical, normative, moral and political approaches to social problems and issues.
  • distinguish among and critically evaluate different theoretical, technical, normative, moral and political approaches to social problems and issues
  • trends in crime, harm and victimisation
  • the development of criminology as a distinct area of study and inquiry, and its multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary nature
  • alternative theoretical approaches within criminology, and contemporary debates about the content and scope of criminology
  • how crime, deviance and victimisation are socially and legally constructed the different sources of information about crime and victimisation, both quantitative and qualitative, and how they are produced - including their location in particular legal, political, social and ideological frameworks - and how they can be interpreted
  • different forms of crime and their social organisation

Resources

Resource implications for students

This is subject to the nature of the research topic.

Reading list

This is subject to the nature of the research topic.

There are a variety of texts available in the Library that provide guidance on writing a dissertation and we recommend that you consult some of these. Abbott, M. (ed), History Skills: A Student’s Handbook (2nd ed., London, 2008) [contains a chapter on dissertations] Barber, S. and C. Peniston-Bird (eds), History beyond the Text: a student's guide to approaching alternative sources (London, 2009) Booth, W. C. et al., The Craft of Research (Chicago, 1995) Chambers, E. and Northedge, A., The Arts Good Study Guide (Oxford, 1997) Dobson, M. and B. Ziemann (eds), Reading Primary Sources: The Interpretation of Texts from 19th and 20th Century History (London, 2009) Fairburn, G. J. and Winch, C., Reading, Writing and Reasoning (2nd ed., Ox-ford, 1996) Greetham, B. How to write your undergraduate dissertation (2nd ed., Basingstoke, 2014). Harvey, K.A., History and Material Culture: A Student’s Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources (London, 2009) Mann, T., The Oxford Guide to Library Research (Oxford, 1998) Marshall, L., A Guide to Learning Independently (2nd ed., Oxford, 1993) Northedge, A., The Good Study Guide (Oxford, 1990) Partridge, E., Usage and Abusage: a guide to good English (Harmondsworth, 1973) Robson, C., How to do a Research Project: A guide for undergraduate students (Oxford, 2007). Rudestam, K.E. and Newton, R., Surviving your dissertation: a comprehensive guide to content and process (4th ed., Thousand Oaks, California 2015) Sharp, J. A. et al., The Management of a Student Research Project (3rd ed., Farnham, 2007) Smith, K., Todd, M. and Waldman, J., Doing your undergraduate social science dissertation (New York, 2009) Storey, W. K., Writing History: A Guide for Students (New York, 1998) Swetnam, D., Writing your dissertation: the bestselling guide to planning, preparing and presenting first-class work (Oxford, 2009) Truss, L., Eats, Shoots & Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (London, 2003) Turabian, K. L., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7th ed., Chicago, 2007) Walliman, N and Appleton, J., Your undergraduate dissertation in health and social care: the essential guide for success (London, 2009)

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: