Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Research paper (8000 words) | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Literature review (3500 words) | 25% |
| Semester Assessment | Research proposal (3500 words) | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Literature review (3500 words) | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Research proposal (3500 words) | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Research paper (8000 words) | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Develop and apply research design and research methods skills suitable for postgraduate taught students in International Politics.
2. Demonstrate expertise in the topic chosen for the research paper.
3. Critically analyze issues relevant to the topic chosen for the research paper using appropriate theoretical tools and empirical material.
4. Demonstrate the ability to write effectively and in a scholarly manner.
Brief description
Through workshops and one-to-one sessions with an academic adviser, this module will introduce students to social science research methods and research design appropriate for postgraduate taught students, enabling them to undertaking an independent research project in International Politics.
Content
Beyond the introduction to suitable social science research methods and research design, the content of the research project will be different for each student. Students will propose a topic for the research paper to be approved by the module convenor, write a research proposal for the paper, write a literature review, and design, research and write an independent research paper that sustains a coherent and well-developed argument addressing the research question(s) identified at the outset and presented in a scholarly manner.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally (through discussions with academic staff and their peers in the workshops) and in writing the assessments, and how to present their arguments most effectively. They will learn the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to the best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to focus on material relevant to the objectives of their argument or discussion. Students will be expected to demonstrate effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in their written work. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from the module convenor, the student's academic adviser and from fellow students. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and exercising their initiative. The need to prepare for the assessments and to meet coursework deadlines will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to use Blackboard to access materials for the module, use relevant websites, use Turnitin to submit written assignments and access their feedback and provisional marks. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The module is designed to help students develop key employability skills, such as speaking to small and large groups, listening, thinking and responding to the statements of others, as well as expressing themselves clearly in writing. |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving is the central goal of the module; the research proposal, the literature review and the research paper will require students to develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. Students' ability to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: demonstrate awareness of different points of view in relation to their chosen research topic; organize data and estimate an answer to problems posed; reason logically; apply theoretical approaches; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | Students will be required to undertake independent research for all of the assessments. This will involve utilizing media and web sources, as well as more conventional academic texts. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that will help them to understand, conceptualize and evaluate examples and ideas relevant to the module. Subject specific skills include: * Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to their chosen research topic; * Evaluate competing perspectives; * Demonstrate subject-specific research techniques; * Apply relevant methodologies to their chosen research project. |
| Team work | Students will work together in small and large groups in the workshops to discuss research methods and research design. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7