PY426-6-SP-CO:
Philosophy Dissertation
2018/19
Philosophy
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Monday 14 January 2019
Friday 22 March 2019
15
27 July 2009
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
PY438
(none)
(none)
BA VV15 Philosophy and History,
BA VV51 Philosophy and History (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV5C Philosophy and History (Including Year Abroad),
BA VV5X Philosophy and History (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA MVC5 Philosophy and Law,
BA MVC8 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year),
BA VM51 Philosophy and Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA VM58 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA LV25 Philosophy and Politics,
BA LV2H Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA LV2M Philosophy and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV8M Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV35 Philosophy and Sociology,
BA LV83 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA VL53 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA VL58 Philosophy and Sociology (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA V5M8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V5M9 Philosophy with Human Rights,
BA V5MX Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA VLM8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
LLB MV16 Law with Philosophy,
LLB MV18 Law with Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MV19 Law with Philosophy (Including Placement Year)
All final year students following BA schemes in Philosophy, including those on Study Abroad variants, who have to take PY426-6-SP: Philosophy Dissertation, or who choose to take PY426-6-SP: Philosophy Dissertation, are required to complete PY438-5-AU: Dissertation Preparation during the previous term.
The dissertation must be linked EITHER to a Philosophy module taken and passed during the second/penultimate year (either 15 or 30 credits) OR to a Philosophy module taken during the autumn term of the third/final year. In the latter case the dissertation can be linked either to a stand-alone third year 15 credit module OR to the first half of a third year 30 credit module. Note that if the dissertation is linked to a module taken in the autumn, the assessment for that module will occur as normal (in other words, the dissertation does NOT replace the standard assessment for the linked module).
If the dissertation is linked to a Philosophy module taken during a period of study abroad, all coursework submitted for the relevant module taken abroad must be submitted to the Undergraduate Office (6.130) prior to the start of the term in which the dissertation module is to be taken.
Enrolment onto PY426-6-SP: Philosophy Dissertation is subject to the Module Supervisor's approval, based on students' work for PY438-5-AU: Dissertation Preparation throughout the autumn term. This includes the submission of a short project summary (100 words) and of a final 1,500-word dissertation proposal, with a short bibliography and a fallback module choice, on which you will be enrolled instead of PY426 should your dissertation proposal not be successful. Details can be found in the Module Description for PY438-5-AU: Dissertation Preparation.
If your request to take the Dissertation module is approved, you will be allocated a Supervisor. Your Supervisor (who must be a member of academic staff in Philosophy) can be either the person who taught on the module to which your dissertation is connected, or another member of staff who has expertise in the relevant area.
Please note that a dissertation is not simply a somewhat longer coursework essay. You will be expected to carry out a modest amount of independent research into the topic which you have chosen, and this must be evidenced in your concluding bibliography, which should be substantial. If carrying out such independent research does not appeal to you, then you should choose a taught module instead.
To allow third/final year students to write their first piece of independent research on a topic which they have chosen themselves.
By the end of the module students will have acquired and/or developed the relevant research skills, such as: independence of thought, the capacity to organise and structure a longer piece of written work, the ability to explore the secondary literature on a particular topic in an autonomous way and to develop their own ideas more in depth than in a standard-length essay.
Students will also have:
* Deepened their knowledge of the area of philosophy relevant to the topic they have selected;
* Developed transferable skills such as the ability to think independently, to consider and act on advice, to work creatively with others (the supervisor), time management, and clear communication, both oral and written.
Supervisor's Consent Form:
Once you have been allocated a Supervisor and the proposal has been finalized and agreed, the appropriate Supervisor's Consent Form must be signed by both parties and uploaded to FASER.
The 'Supervisor's Consent Form' must be submitted to FASER, signed by both you and the supervisor, at the latest by:
* Monday of the final week of the term (Week 11) prior to the term in which PY426 is taken.
Initial meeting with supervisor plus 2 x one-to-one supervisions over the course of the relevant term.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Philosophy Dissertation (5000 Words) |
|
100% |
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 Marie Guillot, email: marie.guillot@essex.ac.uk.
Individual supervisor
spahinfo@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Thomas Joseph Stern
University College London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Philosophy
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.