6AANC000 Dissertation
Credit value: 30
Module coordinator: Professor Mark Textor will allocate students to staff members according to the topics chosen
Assessment: a single piece of writing on a philosophical topic, maximum 10,000-words
Teaching arrangements: five one-hour one-to-one meetings with a suitable member of staff
Availability: view module availability for current/next academic year
Pre-requisites: The dissertation is available only for single- or combined-honours philosophy students
The Dissertation module allows a student to explore a single topic in philosophy at greater length, developing this topic in consultation with a faculty member (while also doing independent research). Students will produce a single piece of writing on a philosophical topic, maximum 10,000 words in length. Those considering this module should bear in mind that they will need to provide in advance some indication of the topic they would like to explore in the Dissertation (so they can be matched to an advisor): you are welcome to discuss your ideas with prospective supervisors in advance. It is also worth remembering that this module not only has a level-6 weighting but also is (uniquely among Philosophy modules) worth 30, not 15, credits. Thus it will count heavily towards your final degree (10 times as much as a level-4 module, for instance).
You will meet 5 times (one hour each time) with a member of staff with the 5 meetings spaced throughout the year. In the first meeting you will work on developing the idea for the dissertation. In meetings 2 and 3 you will discuss draft sections with your supervisor. In the final two meetings (4 and 5) you will look at polishing the complete draft.
Further information
Module aims
The Dissertation module is an opportunity for final-year students to produce a substantial piece of writing on a topic of their choice, with one-on-one supervision by a member of the faculty.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module the student will have learned to:
-
The ability to devise a research topic concerning philosophy.
-
A critical understanding of the relevant secondary literature in the field and its significance for the research project.
-
An ability to cite relevant primary source material to back their arguments.
-
An understanding of methodological problems inherent in using primary source materials.
-
An ability to devise and carry through a longer research-based piece of work.
-
The ability to work independently, under guidance, on a longer piece of work.