PIR-40140 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

PIR-40105

Description for 2024/25

This module aims to:
- offer students the opportunity to pursue research on an approved subject in which they have a particular interest
- develop students¿ knowledge of and ability to critically evaluate advanced scholarship and recent research relevant in their area of interest
- develop students¿ knowledge of how research in the social sciences is planned, conducted and reported
- develop and enhance students¿ own research skills, including their ability to identify a research/dissertation topic and formulate an appropriate research question; identify, access and collate literature relevant to the research topic and question; critically evaluate and apply existing theoretical, conceptual and/or analytical frameworks relevant to their dissertation topic and research question, or to develop their own; demonstrate an awareness of the ethical issues involved in conducting research; identify and collect evidence/data appropriate to their research question; and apply critical skills, self-direction and originality to analyse evidence, formulate arguments, and reach conclusions so as to persuasively and creatively answer their research question
- develop students¿ ability to plan, structure and complete a more substantial piece of written work than is required for traditional curriculum-based modules, and thereby to manage their own learning and take responsibility for their work
- develop students¿ ability to conduct independent research

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate the ability to identify the topic of their dissertation; explain and justify why this research topic is worthy of investigation; identify and present the dissertation¿s research question (and hypotheses, if relevant); and explain key terms and concepts related to the question/hypotheses: 1
demonstrate the ability to identify, access and collate literature relevant to the topic of the dissertation: 1
demonstrate systematic knowledge of advanced scholarship and recent research relevant to the topic of the dissertation, and the ability to critically evaluate this literature: 1
demonstrate systematic knowledge of, critically evaluate, and apply existing theoretical, conceptual and/or analytical frameworks relevant to the dissertation topic and question, or demonstrate the ability to develop their own: 1
demonstrate systematic knowledge of and critically evaluate the methodologies and techniques applicable to the research topic: 1
identify and collect evidence/data appropriate to the dissertation¿s research question and select appropriate techniques to analyse the evidence/data collected: 1
demonstrate an awareness of the importance of personal responsibility and ethical issues in the research process: 1
apply critical skills, self-direction, and originality in analysing evidence, formulating arguments, and reaching persuasive and creative conclusions so as to answer their dissertation¿s research question: 1
demonstrate knowledge of how research in the social sciences is planned, conducted and reported, and the ability to conduct their own advanced independent research: 1
demonstrate the ability to plan, structure and complete a more substantial piece of written work than is required on a traditional curriculum-based module and thereby the ability to manage their own learning effectively and to take responsibility for their work: 1

Study hours

Active learning hours:
8 hours: workshops
10 hours: meetings with dissertation supervisor

Independent study hours:
17 hours: preparation for presentation on proposed dissertation
45 hours: preparing, drafting and writing research proposal
350 hours: reading, note-taking, researching dissertation
170 hours: drafting and writing dissertation

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment