PA254-6-FY-CO:
Dissertation
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
30
26 August 2022
Requisites for this module
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Throughout the year students will be pursuing a research project based on a subject of their choice. There will be an introductory seminar to help with choosing the project, followed by a proposal presentation to the group/tutors and two to three supervision meetings with a named member of staff to monitor progress and offer support.
Students will draw on the theory from the three years of the course and apply these to a subject of their choice, exploring the conscious and unconscious dynamics involved.
The module will enable you:
* To demonstrate intellectual independence and originality by choosing your own subject of study and defining its nature and scope
* To experience the process of producing knowledge and conducting independent enquiry in a specific area of interest to them
* To consolidate your written communication and intellectual skills by presenting the results of your research in a clearly written, cogently argued, logically structured and properly referenced
* To pull together the learning and experiences from the course and apply them to a topic of the student's choice
* To develop greater confidence in the flexible application of psychodynamic understanding
By the end of the module students will have:
* Deeper awareness of the theoretical application and relevance of psychodynamic enquiry into areas of interest
* Better capacity to apply learning flexibly
* Knowledge of basic research skills such as literature searches and construction of longer and deeper argument
* Knowledge and application of critical analysis in research
* Greater capacity for independent learning
Syllabus
Seminar 1
How to get started? – Summer Term Workshop
In this seminar, we will address questions such as What is a dissertation? How to choose the right topic? What is a good research question? This seminar will be available to students on Listen Again.
Seminar 2 –How to find your resources?
In this seminar, we explain how you can find the relevant literature for your dissertation. We will discuss the difference between primary and secondary literature, the importance of keywords and the role of the Boolean operators. This seminar will be available to students on Listen Again.
Seminar 3--How to construct a literature review?
Most research projects require the researcher to review systematically the most important prior work on their topic. Some projects additionally use more detailed literature reviews as their primary method of addressing their research question. In this seminar we look at how to construct an effective literature review. This seminar will be available to students on Listen Again.
Seminar 4 – Presentations of the proposals
You will have the opportunity to present your proposal to the student group and tutors in a seminar set aside for this purpose. Your presentation should last no longer that 10 minutes and be no less than 7 minutes. The presentations will be recorded and available to students on Listen Again. This seminar will both build upon your presentation skills developed in previous years, but more importantly, it gives you useful experience of offering supportive critiques to each other. It will be focused on clarifying and refining each person's ideas: most people are too ambitious, broad or vague in their initial ideas, and need help and support in identifying a topic which is sufficiently precise and clear. The seminar on 'How to get started?' will provide you with information to evaluate your own and other's proposals.
Seminar 5-- Methodology and Structure
In this seminar, we explore issues related to methodology, research design and the structure of the dissertation. We look into the assumptions that ground your choice for a particular research design. This seminar will be available to students on Listen Again.
Seminar 6-- Being Critical
One of the main purposes of the dissertation is to enable you to critically evaluate resources and evidence. In this seminar, we will demonstrate how you can approach the existing literature with a critical eye. This seminar will be available to students on Listen Again.
Seminar 7-- Drafting & Revision
In this seminar we go over the main topics discussed in the course and apply them to your research questions and ideas. We also aim to go over some techniques of drafting and revising your drafts and some possible research designs for your research questions.
Four x one hour seminars taught by staff in collaboration with the people from relevant University services (Skills for Success and Library). There will be a seminar in which students will present their dissertation proposals to their peers and staff. Individual supervision on projects approximately once a term.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Magda-Agata Schmukalla, email: m.schmukalla@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Manuel Batsch
Student Administrator 5A.202; telephone 01206 874969; email ppsug@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Anthony John Faramelli
Goldsmiths
Lecturer in Visual Cultures
Available via Moodle
Of 4 hours, 4 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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