HST398 - Short Dissertation

HST398: Dissertation (Short)

20 credits (semester 2)

Dissertations Convenor: TBC

Pre-requisites

The dissertation is normally linked to a History module studied at Level 3. It is more unusual to choose a free-standing topic, though this may be possible, where supervision can be arranged within the department.

Module Summary

This module develops a student's skills in research, usually, though not exclusively, involving critical analysis of primary source materials, alongside advanced engagement with secondary literature. It requires students to demonstrate their ability in constructing a scholarly argument and sustaining discussion at greater length and at a more detailed level than in other points in the course.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this module will have acquired the ability to:

• Utilise a variety of bibliographical tools to locate a range of primary and secondary sources on which to base a research project of their own choosing.

• Focus and structure a project, in discussion with a personal supervisor working in that subject area.

• Produce a substantial written text, following scholarly conventions of referencing and bibliography.

• Analyse source materials, and develop coherent and original arguments on the basis of their research.

• Integrate their research findings with a knowledge of historiographical debates on the topic.

• Organise a significant body of material in the course of their research.

• Work independently, in following a project through to completion, planning a programme of research and writing, and organising time effectively.

• Present a confident and coherent argument in clear written prose.