Module: PM7070-60 Major Project

Level: 7

Credit Value: 60

Module Tutor: James Saunders

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.saunders@bathspa.ac.uk

1.Brief description and aims of module

This module is the culmination of the programme. You negotiate the form of the major project, in which you deploy the skills and understanding you have acquired in the previous trimesters. The independence required of this module gives you a significant experience of the kind of motivation you will require to survive in the working world.

Defining the nature of the project risks limiting the potential for innovation, however indicative examples include: a written thesis; a performance with critical analysis; a new album; a recital; a portfolio of compositions; directed scenes; or choreographed work, etc. At the heart of this module is a determination to enable you to define a vision of your future. The module aims to:

• Provide a platform from which to undertake a substantial field of enquiry and/or professional practice

• Encourage autonomy through dealing with complex situations that require original thought

• Support the extension and application of critical thinking skills.

2.Outline syllabus

The major project is a substantial work that demonstrates the outcome of independent study and/or autonomous practice, and where appropriate, of a professional standard. Mirroring the Research Methodologies and Context module in Trimester 1, you develop a research topic and determine a suitable means of dissemination with your tutors. Negotiation defines the precise means of assessment, but in line with the Level 7 descriptor in the FHEQ, a key learning outcome is for you to identify a means of dissemination appropriate to your research topic.

The module concludes with a conference where you share your research across a broad spectrum of Music and Performing Arts disciplines. The aim is to points towards professionalisation and/or the potential for doctoral study through multidisciplinary research. In some instances, the presentation might be the point of assessment, but for others it might be an opportunity to share work that has already been submitted and assessed. You determine the project through negotiation. Staff encourage you if you are on a distance learning pathway, and cannot attend the conference in-person, to consider presentation through pre-recorded or virtual means.

3.Teaching and learning activities

This is an autonomous study module. Therefore, formal lectures or seminars are not the chief means of delivery, although some programmes will use these where appropriate. For all of you, the module centres on tutorial guidance, but with the focus becoming increasingly self-directed as the module progresses.

The formative assessment activity is a project proposal that includes a research plan outlining the project, specifying its aims, research questions, context, methods, outputs and the resources relevant to the work. Following approval, a mid-project review monitors progress.

The summative assessment is finished major project and the module presumes a 12,000-15,000 word-count or equivalent. The formative project proposal task considers the balance of written and practical work, using the indicative word count as a guide.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Major Project

• % Weighting: 100%