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Dissertation in Environmental Humanities

Module description

This dissertation module offers you an opportunity to undertake independent research into primary material on a topic of your choice.  You will work under one-to-one supervision to write an extensive piece of independent research.   You will be able to develop and demonstrate knowledge of your chosen subject as well as transferable skills such as inter-personal communication, data collection and analysis, report writing, creative writing and effective time management which are all valuable whether you progress to undertake further study or employment. This module is compulsory for final year Environmental Humanities students.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Core to the Environmental Humanities programme the dissertation will equip you with the research skills necessary to produce work to a sophisticated level. You will develop critical insight and understanding of the possibilities and challenges of employing different kinds of primary material. You will demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the scholarly literature on your subject.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Define a suitable research topic and pursue it to completion.
• 2. Assess the value of different theoretical and methodological approaches to Environmental Humanities research.
• 3. Show a critical understanding of the use of different types of primary evidence.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Critically assess the work of scholars, and handle different approaches in areas of controversy.
• 5. Understand and deploy critical insights and terminology in a comprehensible manner.
• 6. Analyse and differentiate between complex original sources.
• 7. Present your work to a professional standard.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. Pursue independent study and work.
• 9. Digest, select and organise large amounts of material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment.
• 10. Plan the execution of work over a very long time-scale.

Syllabus plan

During the latter half of the academic year prior to your final year, you will be asked to identify, from a list of broad possibilities, an area which you might wish to study, and will then discuss its viability with your appointed supervisor. Once a subject has been agreed, you will set to work under the guidance of your supervisor to produce a piece of work which makes significant use of primary sources. You will research and write up your dissertation across your third year. In terms of supervision, you will be entitled to a maximum of one hour to set up the dissertation subject, plus a further 3 hours maximum of consultation with the relevant tutor. It is envisaged that the bulk of your time will be spent on private study, at the rate of 10 hours per week. Supervisors will be allowed to see and comment on either a detailed plan of the whole work or a draft version of up to 25 per cent of the whole (usually one chapter).

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

As appropriate to the topic chosen.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

As appropriate to the topic chosen.

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Key words search

Environmental Humanities, arts, politics, research; writing; historiography