In the short dissertation course, students complete independent research on a topic of their choice, submitting their dissertation in a written and/or audio-visual format. Students are prepared for the dissertation through a workshop and proposal process, starting in the third term of their Junior Honours year and are supported up until the end of Semester One of the Senior Honours year by an assigned supervisor. The dissertation is submitted near the beginning of Semester Two of the Senior Honours year.

3 hour dissertation workshop in third term of Junior Honours year

2 hour workshop at the beginning of Senior Honours year (students will attend a different meeting according to whether they are taking the written option or one containing audio-visual elements)

Minimum of 3 meetings (maximum one hour duration each) with supervisor throughout the research process. There will be a supervisory 'cut-off' point at the end of Semester One of the Senior Honours year and the dissertation will be submitted early in Semester Two.

None

None

Option One

Option Two

Option Three

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ construct a research project on an appropriate topic, which is clear and realistic in scope, and seeks to make a contribution both to student's own learning and to debates within their chosen field.

■ develop independent research skills.

■ produce an extended piece of work, in written and/or audio-visual form, with evidence of original research.

■ develop professional standards for the presentation of research material.

■ use the supervision process to develop skills in communication (both oral and written) and in using feedback (both oral and written).

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ exhibit a range of transferable research skills including the ability to: organise time and resources effectively over the duration of the dissertation research and production process; identify and access relevant source materials; use information technology to retrieve and store information; identify appropriate research methods for the project.

■ communicate effectively with their supervisor and use feedback constructively and reflectively in producing a final dissertation

■ evince a thorough knowledge and understanding of the chosen topic and a critical awareness of the relationship of their own research to other work in the field.

■ present research information and argument in an appropriate and well-structured form, applying recognised academic forms to the presentation of bibliographic material, appendices and footnotes.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.