POL3046 : Final Year Dissertation
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Michael Barr
- 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.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 20.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
• To provide students with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth examination of an issue in Political Systems and Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Philosophy for which appropriate supervision is available.
• to provide students with the opportunity to engage in a major research exercise and one that, in scope and scale, significantly exceeds that of an essay or project
• to develop students’ ability to undertake original research, the results of which they will present in a scholarly fashion
to develop other skills such as written communication, planning and initiative
Outline Of Syllabus
This module allows students to undertake a substantial piece of original research on a politics topic chosen in conjunction with their supervisor. Students will receive introductory lectures and guided learning material on the nature of the dissertation, how they should settle on a dissertation topic, and how they should organize their work on the dissertation. Each student will obtain a supervisor, who will help her/him to refine the topic and develop a research strategy. Periodic supervisory meetings will supply guidance to the student and written drafts of chapters will be commented on, provided these are submitted by the given deadlines. Students are required to submit a dissertation proposal in mid-November. They will receive guidance and advising from both their supervisor and the module leader on how to construct the proposal and, more particularly, on methodological issues relating to the dissertation.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 379:00 | 379:00 | Assessment preparation and completion |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Lecture topics include: practical introduction to the module; research designs, ethics, literature reviews, methods and methodology, use of theory, editing the dissertation. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Recorded, non-synchronous; personal capture (PCap) videos |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | PC cluster workshop on planning their dissertation, using interactive search tool, library resources, etc. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | PIP meetings with supervisors; if in person not possible, synchronous online |
| Total | 400:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures oultine the aims and administration of the module and how students should go about writing a dissertation. They provide guidance and tips on how to construct a proposal, finding sources, ethical issues, research design, writing a literature review, methodological issues, when/how to use theory, and editing their work. A workshop will introduce library resources and give students the chance to get started using an interative search planner. Methodological training and guidance will also be available through structured research and reading activities such as readings and videos. The meetings with supervisors provide students with much needed advice on the initial choice and subsequent refinement of their dissertation topic, on how they should design their dissertation, and on how they should go about their research. Supervisors also provide feedback on chapter drafts and approve ethics forms.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research paper | 1 | M | 10 | 1,000 word Dissertation Proposal |
| Dissertation | 2 | M | 90 | 8,000 word Dissertation |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The assessment of the research proposal provides students with an incentive to take the proposal seriously and to grapple with the topic of their dissertation, with the relevant literature, and with methodological issues, at an early stage in the year. However, the most important manifestation of the student’s overall achievement is the dissertation itself and that is why it provides 90% of the overall mark.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- POL3046's Timetable