This module consists in producing an MA Dissertation in Western Marxism. It provides the opportunity for students to undertake a longer independent research project during their MA studies. It, often, is a stepping stone for PhD studies. Students will be supported in identifying a suitable topic (and title) by the PGT Director (Philosophy) and the academic staff member who has agreed to act as their supervisor as well as provide students a guided and structured approach to support them in completing a research project on Western Marxism of their own.
In preparation for this, the PGT Director will hold an initial dissertation planning meeting in the summer term (usually during Week 30), during which the process of formulating a dissertation topic will be explained.
Also in preparation, students will get a briefing on key research traditions in the field of Western Marxism (Weeks 30-34). The exact details will change from year-to-year, but this is an indicative syllabus:
The module covers two major research traditions in Western Marxism: (1) Critical Theory and (2) Phenomenology and Existentialism. Students will be split into two groups (A and B) and focus on the two respective traditions in alternating weeks.
Week 30:
Group A: Phenomenology and Existentialism
The focus of this week is on the question of what selfhood is such that it can be understood as something that we are capable of succeeding or failing at achieving or instantiating in an excellent way. We will consider both ‘subjective’ and ‘objective’ criteria for making such assessments and challenge the tendency to separate these.
Group B: Critical Theory
During this first week of the module, there will be an intensive training in Critical Theory as a research tradition. Students will learn about what is distinctive about it and about its main methods and conceptual tools.
In Week 30 students will will begin to identify a topic to investigate for their final assignment and produce an abstract.
Week 31: [Repetition of Week 30, but with groups switched around]
Students will work further on developing a topic for their capstone project.
Week 32:
Group A: Phenomenology and Existentialism
Here we examine conditions that may inhibit or promote the project of self-becoming such as conformity, bad faith, and failures of intersubjective recognition. We will consider potential solutions that the tradition offers to combat these obstacles.
Group B: Critical Theory
This week, the focus will be on recent research contributions to this tradition. Students will learn about how to contribute to and develop an existing research paradigm by way of looking at examples of research produced at Essex.
Week 33: [Repetition of Week 32, but with groups switched around]
Week 34: Writing Workshops
The focus this week will be on completing the detailed plan for the dissertation. There will be two workshops:
- Workshop 1: Students will be given feedback by the module teachers on their plans and peer reviews. They will then work with their peers on strategies to improve the plan and complete the project, assisted by the module teachers.
- Workshop 2: this will be a clinic session during which we will address any final questions and problems students have been encountering in completing their projects.
Students will communicate with their prospective supervisors between Weeks 31-35, to discuss their choice of title and research topic, and then to finalise the detailed plan of their proposed research. Their supervisor signs the relevant form for submission of the title and outline to the Graduate Administrator by the end of Week 36.
The Dissertation should be 6,000 words in length (excluding footnotes and bibliography). Further detail can be found in the Philosophy and Art History Graduate Handbook.