Overview

This module will prepare students for research in the field of modern languages, and help them to develop both a theoretical understanding of the research process and practical skills in how to carry out and present research. Students will learn how to locate sources using a variety of different media, compile a bibliography following a consistent and recognised style, and write, reference and illustrate texts in a clear and coherent manner. Questions of intentionality in the production, reception and editing of manuscripts will also be examined, and students will be expected to evaluate and apply different types of methodology appropriately. Students will also learn how to write a research proposal. The aim of the module is to enable students to plan and manage successfully their own research projects in semester two, and to present their research findings in a logical and clear manner.

Generic sources: Bailey, Stephen (2006) Academic writing: a handbook for international students. London: Routledge. Da Sousa Correa, Delia (2009) A Handbook to Literary Research [electronic resource]. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Dunleavy, Patrick (2003) Authoring a PhD: how to plan, draft, write, and finish a doctoral thesis or dissertation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, Gillet, Andy; Angela Hammond and Mary Martala (2009) Successful academic writing. Harlow, Essex, England; New York: Pearson Education. Levin, Peter (2007) Excellent Dissertations! Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.

Specific sources for students of Translation Studies: Hermans, Theo (2002) Crosscultural transgressions: research models in Translation Studies II: historical and ideological issues, Manchester: St Jerome. Saldanha, Gabriela (2013) Research methodologies in translation studies. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing. Williams, Jenny (2014) The Map: A Beginner''s Guide to Doing Research in Translation Studies. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -C- - C+: Able to find out basic details about authors, concepts, primary texts and secondary texts.

-good -B- - B+: Provides a thorough and largely accurate account of research processes, whilst demonstrating the ability to marshal and coordinate a large amount of information on authors, concepts, primary texts and secondary texts.

-excellent -A- - A*: Provides a thorough and clear account of processes and able to deal effectively and imaginatively with resource difficulties, whilst demonstrating the ability to marshal and coordinate a large amount of information on authors, concepts, primary texts and secondary texts.

Learning Outcomes

• Articulate and substantiate, both verbally and in written form, the aims and methods of the student’s own research approaches and plans.

• Correctly deploy academic conventions relating to citations and bibliographical information in the writing up of research.

• Demonstrate an advanced and critical understanding of current research methodologies and issues in the Arts and Humanities and the ways in which these approaches relate to individual research plans.

• Effectively use a variety of resources for research in the Arts and Humanities in a number of different media, such as library book collections, bibliographical databases and the internet.

• Formulate appropriate research questions and design research projects.