| Unit name | Dissertation (English) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL39024 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Karlin |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Students may substitute a dissertation for a Seminar Unit (Special Subject) in either TB1 or TB2 of the Third Year. A dissertation is an essay of 6,500-8,000 words (including quotations and notes, but excluding bibliography) on a subject of a student's choice. In order to write a dissertation, the student needs to have an in principle agreement from a member of staff to act as supervisor. This needs to be arranged by the end of the period during which choices of Special Subject are made. (It would be wise to begin discussing the dissertation project with a potential supervisor before that period.) Students choosing to write a dissertation will receive three hours of individual consultation with their supervisor; supervision typically involves discussion of preparatory reading and research, scrutiny of a rough plan of the work, feedback on draft material and advice on writing up.
Aims:
This dissertation unit is designed to allow students to study extensively and over a sustained period an author (or a group of authors), a theme and/or a literary period of specific interest to them, and to develop their skills in detailed, self-motivated independent research.
Students will have developed a highly detailed, in-depth understanding of the author(s), text(s), and/or issues explored in the dissertation, will have extended their understanding of the literary milieu in which the literature examined was produced, and will have developed their skills as independent researchers.
Students will receive three hours of individual consultation with their designated supervisor in the English department; this will typically involve discussion of preparatory reading and research, scrutiny of a rough plan of the work, advice on writing up and discussion of some draft material.
One dissertation of 6,500-8,000 words (including quotations and notes, but excluding bibliography).
Inevitably, this will vary according to the topic chosen.
