• Offered for Year: 2025/26

• Module Leader(s): Dr Gethin Rees
• Co-Module Leader: Professor Ben Farrand

• Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

To demonstrate relevant research skills to carry out original research in a chosen area of international security; To acquire knowledge in a specialized topic, possibly outside of the scope of the taught modules; To carry out an advanced piece of independent research in a legal or legally relevant topic; to undertake interdisciplinary research appropriate for the award of an MScL qualification.

Outline Of Syllabus

The International Security Dissertation is the dissertation component of the MScL programme, and is intended to be an interdisciplinary research project integrating elements of GPS and Law research methodologies, perspectives and/or frameworks in the analysis of a discrete security topic. It is conducted on the basis of a student’s independent research undertaken during Semester 3 under the supervision of a main supervisor from one School, with input from a co-supervisor from the other School. In order to proceed to this project, students will be required to have successfully passed the two other core components of the programme.

The topic of the dissertation should be approved by the Degree Programme Director.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The dissertation is intended to give students the opportunity to conduct a substantial and largely independent project of postgraduate research. The level of supervision is therefore designed to ensure that students are given sufficient guidance to avoid fundamental errors of judgment, and that they can put into practice the skills of organising their work, discovering and evaluating relevant materials, and presenting their findings in a structured and analytical manner. The dissertation also gives students the opportunity to acquire a body of specialised knowledge in their chosen topic.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The dissertation is intended to test the ability of students to conduct a substantial independent project of postgraduate research. It allows them to demonstrate their skills in organising their work, discovering and evaluating relevant materials, and presenting their findings in a structured and analytical manner. It also allows them to demonstrate that they have acquired specialised knowledge in their area of research. The proposal also prepares the students to begin to develop the skills described here, particularly their ability to find information using effective research techniques.

Formative assessment is enveloped in the continuous supervision arrangements and through the MA dissertation conference. At the conference in May, each student will prepare a conference poster, which is then presented and academic colleagues have the opportunity to ask questions of the student and provide feedback. A general feedback session is then included at the end of the conference in a roundtable fashion in order that students are provided with an appreciation of what worked well and not so well across all posters.

Reading Lists

• SEC8102's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• SEC8102's Timetable