CS831-6-FY-CO:
Final Year Dissertation
2020/21
Interdisciplinary Studies Centre (ISC)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 08 October 2020
Friday 02 July 2021
30
15 May 2020
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA R000 European Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA R001 European Studies,
BA R002 European Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA R9T9 European Studies and Modern Languages,
BA R9R1 European Studies with French,
BA R9R2 European Studies with German,
BA R9R3 European Studies with Italian,
BA R9R4 European Studies with Spanish,
BA R108 European Studies and Language Studies,
BA R109 European Studies and Language Studies (Including Foundation Year)
The CS831-6-FY Dissertation Seminar is compulsory for ISC students who choose to do a final year BA dissertation. This seminar provides a forum for students to discuss their research, present their main findings, and give and receive feedback on their work. The module is mainly organised on a workshop basis, but the module tutor will also give short informal lectures on a range of issues related to data collection and analysis, writing and composition, and structuring an argument.
The seminar runs over the autumn and spring terms. The three autumn term sessions are designed to ensure that everyone is well prepared to complete data collection by the start of the spring term. The spring term sessions are dedicated to students' work in progress. Before reading week, everyone will give an oral presentation of their main research findings; after reading week, everyone writes a draft chapter which is circulated and discussed by the group. You will learn a lot from issues arising in other students' projects, so attendance and active participation at all sessions are very important.
Pre-Requisites for doing the dissertation (for details and guidance see Dissertation Handbook)
All students must obtain approval for doing a dissertation from the Module Supervisor and ISC Director.
To obtain approval, students must submit a 500 word dissertation research proposal and if necessary revise the proposal according to feedback.
Deadline for submitting proposal for approval: 10am Friday 9th October (Week 1).
Students will receive feedback on their proposals early in Week 2; you will then have until Monday of Week 3 to revise the proposal.
Any student who has not submitted a satisfactory proposal by this point will be required to change to CS301 The Essay and Manifesto as Social Criticism (as an alternative capstone) or an alternative optional module.
The aims of this module are:
To enable students who have not taken CS241 to finalise the research design of their dissertation projects and carry out data collection in a systematic way during the Autumn term
To support students in processing data and writing their dissertations following the completion of the main data collection phase
To provide a forum for students to discuss their research projects, and to present their main findings and draft chapters
To enable students to enhance their presentation and writing skills
To identify and address any weaknesses in students’ research and enable students to capitalise on strengths when writing their dissertation
By the end of this module the student should have:
An understanding of how to collect and process their data in a systematic way
A grasp of the difference between the logic of investigation and the logic of presentation
Improved writing and composition skills and the confidence to write their dissertations in a creative and coherent way
An ability to reflect critically on their own research and writing and to give constructive feedback on the work of their peers
No additional information available.
This module is organised on a workshop basis. The two-hour sessions will include some guidance by the Course Tutor on key issues relating to data processing and writing. But most sessions are dedicated to student research presentations and discussions of draft chapters. The exact number of Spring term sessions will depend on the number of students who enrol. The final schedule for presentations and draft chapters will be agreed in the first session of the Spring term. Students are required to attend all sessions. Students will find that they learn a lot from discussions of other students' projects, so attendance and active participation is very important.
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non-essential items, please refer to the module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Dissertation Outline and Draft Chapter |
|
5% |
| Coursework |
Final Dissertation (10000-12000 words) |
|
80% |
| Practical |
Oral Presentation of Main Findings |
|
15% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Jane Hindley, email: janeh@essex.ac.uk.
Jane Hindley janeh@essex.ac.uk
Interdisciplinary Studies Centre General Office - 6.130, email: istudies@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr James Scorer
University of Manchester
Senior Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies
Dr Jonathan Mitchell
University Of East Anglia
Senior Lecturer in American Studies
Dr Ross Wilson
University of Nottingham
Director of Liberal Arts
Dr Francisco Carballo
Goldsmiths, University of London
Lecturer in the Politics and Culture of Latin America
Available via Moodle
Of 866 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
866 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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