• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Dissertation

Module description

As the culmination of the MA programme, the dissertation represents an opportunity to pursue in-depth, independent research into a topic of your choosing, which will be approved by the module coordinator in consultation with your individual supervisor. With the advice and support of your supervisor, you will use the use the skills and knowledge you have acquired in the taught modules to undertake a substantial piece of original research, based on independent analysis of sources.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The dissertation provides an opportunity to apply your learning to a substantial study project, displaying your subject knowledge and methodological skills, and exploring a topic that interests you in detail. You are encouraged to start thinking about your dissertation in your first term of study, and are expected to develop and submit an initial proposal by the end of the second term. Once this initial proposal has been submitted, you will be assigned to a supervisor with interests and knowledge appropriate to the chosen topic. There will a dissertation workshop to provide you with guidance as you refine your research plans.

Your dissertation topic can be chosen to facilitate the in-depth, potentially practice-related, exploration of a specific heritage challenge, institution, or context, or to enable you to conduct detailed research into an event or work that is of interest to you with regard to the critical study and/or practice of heritage. Through identifying and engaging with original and secondary sources relevant to your chosen topic, and applying appropriate critical and historical methodologies, you will showcase your learning from the MA and develop independent expertise in your chosen field of heritage studies, as well as developing key transferable skills of project design and management that are relevant to heritage practice in general.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate an advanced ability to critically evaluate current research in the discipline and in your chosen area of enquiry
• 2. Identify and collate information from original and secondary sources related to the topic of research
• 3. Demonstrate your ability to present a clearly structured, well-written, and convincingly substantiated dissertation with a full scholarly apparatus

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Demonstrate an advanced ability to use research techniques and methodologies appropriate to the discipline and to your chosen area of enquiry
• 5. Demonstrate an ability to construct a coherent, substantiated, and sophisticated argument in clear and correct prose

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Demonstrate independence and organisational proficiency in formulating and managing a large-scale research project
• 7. Demonstrate an advanced capacity to question assumptions, to critically evaluate sources, and to articulate your own views convincingly

Syllabus plan

This module will include a workshop session. Your allocated dissertation supervisor will also provide individual tutorials giving specific advice on your chosen research topic. You are entitled to three one-hour supervision meetings with your dissertation supervisor; it is your responsibility to contact your supervisor to arrange the meetings.

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)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The research required for the dissertation will vary depending on the topic, but is likely to require substantial engagement with a range of primary and secondary sources. You should consult with your individual supervisor for more detailed guidance.

Basic reading:

• Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 8th edn. (2016)
• Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (2013)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11086 

Key words search

Heritage, consultancy, past, historic environment, history, dissertation, research, independent project