Module Directory

This Dissertation Seminar module is compulsory for PHAIS (ISC) students who have chosen 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 aims of this module are:

• To enable students who are doing a term abroad in their final year, to do a final year dissertation module as a spring term only module.


• 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, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of how to collect and process their data in a systematic way.


2. Understand the difference between the logic of investigation and the logic of presentation.


3. Develop improved writing and composition skills and the confidence to write their dissertations in a creative and coherent way.


4. Reflect critically on their own research and writing and to give constructive feedback on the work of their peers

1. All students who wish to do CS831 The BA Dissertation must do CS241 in their second year.


2. Students must have completed a satisfactory CS241 research proposal.


3. Students who have submitted a satisfactory CS241 research proposal and who wish to change topic, must submit a new 500-word proposal to the module director by the Friday of Welcome Week.


4. Any student who has not submitted a satisfactory proposal by the Friday of Welcome week will be required to change to one of the other ISC capstone options: CS301 The Essay and Manifesto as Social Criticism, CS300 Community Engagement, or CS315 Global Challenges in Interdisciplinary Perspective: Water Conflicts, Water Cultures.

This module is organised on a workshop basis. The two-hour sessions will combine short presentations 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 announced 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.

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 prepares a draft chapter for discussion by the group. We will agree the schedule in the first session. You will learn a lot from issues arising in other students' projects, so attendance and active participation at all sessions are very important.