Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module prepares students to undertake their MA dissertation in History. It provides students with a supportive and participatory set of teaching activities that raise awareness of the range of source materials which can be used to develop original research into a diverse set of topics, and builds the skills they need to succeed in this task. The final assessment for this module, the dissertation proposal, enables students to design a plan which they can then use when undertaking their dissertation research.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module will cover:
- how to locate a range of physical and digital primary and secondary materials which can be used to support research in a wide range of historical topics;
- how to critically analyse primary and secondary sources;
- how to develop an appropriate research methodology;
- how to formulate research questions and develop a convincing argument;
- why ethics matter, what ethical issues might arise in historical research, and what to do about them;
- what characterises good writing at MA level, and why referencing matters.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of this module student will:
- know whether the dissertation research they plan to undertake raises any ethical issues, and will understand how to address this if so;
- understand how archives and digital primary source repositories function, and be able to use this knowledge to identify and access appropriate materials for their dissertation research;
- understand the appropriate and feasible scope of MA dissertation research, in terms of originality and breadth, and how this differs from essays and longer research outputs such as monographs.

Intended Skill Outcomes

This module will improve students abilities to:

- identify and critically analyse existing secondary literature on the topic they propose to study;
- locate appropriate primary source materials which will form the basis for their research;
- analyse different types of primary source materials;
- formulate research questions;
- devise an appropriate methodology;
- develop an effective and convincing argument;
- structure their dissertations, convey their ideas fluently, and reference appropriately.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The teaching programme aims to impart a range of skills and practical knowledge, and the pedagogical approach is participatory in focus, encouraging students to learn by doing, and to relate these skills to their own developing ideas for dissertation research. Semester 1 focuses on equipping students with the skills to locate and evaluate primary and secondary sources they could use for their dissertation research, a crucial component of a successful research project in History. A workshop facilitated by the Library's subject liaison will familiarise students with the library's digital primary source resources, and the breadth of topics these cover. It also develops students' skills in searching for primary and secondary resources (physical and digital) on the library webpages. Another workshop, facilitated by a colleague in Special Collections, introduces students to the different collections held here and the range of dissertation topics these archives could support. A field trip to the Tyne and Wear archives enables students to explore a wider range of local primary materials which could support dissertation research, and builds confidence in searching and using these collections, and in using archives more generally. A workshop introduces students to a range of European and British primary sources, with a focus on this which can be accessed online. A lecture on critically evaluating secondary literature, and a seminar exploring use of primary source materials, completes this semester's programme. Students will be assigned a skills-based task in preparation for each seminar, to create structure and foster engagement with the module.


In semester 2, the teaching programme supports students to plan their research project. Seminars ask students to explore research methods and ethical issues that might arise in their research; how to formulate research questions and develop an argument, and how to structure and reference dissertations. Skills based tasks, assigned in advance of each seminar, will encourage students to engage with these issues with their own research plans in mind. A lecture will outline the different components required within the dissertation proposal, and a workshop asks students to review past dissertation proposals, before discussing their own provisional ideas for their dissertation with the peers. The final element of this semester's programme is a workshop facilitated by colleagues in the Academic Skills team will explore developing writing skills at MA level.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

This module aims primarily to prepare students to design and undertake a dissertation. The summative assessment, a dissertation proposal, allows them apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during this module to outline how they plan to do this. Students then benefit from the feedback they receive on their proposal at the end of this module supports their ongoing dissertation research.

A formative dissertation proposal outline encourages students to address all the important components of the proposal at an early stage, and to get feedback and support on their ideas.

General Notes

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