MCH8599 : Research Dissertation
- Offered for Year: 2021/22
- Module Leader(s): Dr Aron Mazel
- Other Staff: Professor Christopher Whitehead, Mr Philip Deans, Professor Andrew Newman, Dr Gayle Meikle, Dr Areti Galani, Dr Nick Rush-Cooper, Dr Gonul Bozoglu, Mr Iain Wheeldon, Dr Katie Markham
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 3 Credit Value: | 60 |
| ECTS Credits: | 30.0 |
Aims
The aim of the module is to provide an opportunity for a sustained piece of research that relates to issues raised during the taught modules of the programme.
Outline Of Syllabus
The students are required to attend briefing sessions. In addition, students will have regular meetings with their allocated supervisor.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | On-campus lectures (can be delivered online if necessary) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 200:00 | 200:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Structured non-synchronous lectures & associated learning materials |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | On-campus writing group sessions (can be delivered online if necessary) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | On-campus meetings as and when required, by arrangement with supervisor (online if necessary). |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 375:00 | 375:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 6 | 0:30 | 3:00 | Drop-in Q&A following the lectures. Synchronous online. |
| Total | 600:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lecture: On-campus structured guided learning to help students on the module to plan the various stages of the dissertation, from formulating a research question to developing a research strategy and writing up research findings.
Drop-in/surgery: Synchronous online drop-in sessions to clarify any questions about the lecture materials.
Practical: On-campus writing group sessions to support students to develop their writing skills and maintain a regular writing pattern .
Dissertation-related supervision: 1:1 individual supervision meeting to support dissertation development.
Guided independent study: This broad category refers to independent student activity and covers the range from reading and preparation through to situations where students are required to work without staff supervision or where students are required to undertake very specific pieces of work.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation | 3 | M | 100 | 12,000 – 15,000 words |
Formative Assessments
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research proposal | 3 | M | outline proposal |
| Research proposal | 3 | M | detailed proposal if required by supervisor |
| Written exercise | 3 | M | ethics approval form |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
A Masters-level academic dissertation must be an original piece of work and not simply a synthesis of existing knowledge. It requires the gathering and analysis of new material, the development of original arguments and the presentation of conclusions and recommendations. To be successful the dissertation will need careful planning and preparation.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH8599's Timetable