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Dissertation

Module description

The dissertation is a self-contained study of 20,000 words based on your own research, counting for 60 credits. It offers you the chance to undertake research and present the results at greater length than you have had in other parts of your course. You will need to work out a topic to study, in conjunction with a potential supervisor, and to establish how you will set about answering the questions posed (i.e. a methodology). The choice of topic is your own; it is important to choose something that offers good possibilities for developing an independent piece of work. While there is no requirement that the topic is ‘original’, in the sense that a PhD must be original, it must obviously not be something where you can simply copy from a few basic texts.  You need to work out your own approach; we encourage you to collect and analyse your own data in the field or the laboratory, though library-based studies are also possible.

The work on the dissertation is designed to enable you to develop your skills at individual work within a research framework. You will learn how to collect and collate information from a range of sources, to analyse and present published or unpublished data, to develop skills relating to illustration, and to create hypotheses about the data based on your analysis. The completed work should be a well-written study of the topic under discussion, with illustrations of high quality and a fully developed bibliography.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To pursue an individual programme of research applying appropriate principles and methodologies to a case-study approved by the relevant programme director. If taking named Masters courses (e.g. Experimental Archaeology), you must choose a topic within the relevant field. If taking the MA in Archaeology, you must choose a topic satisfactory to the programme director.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. To demonstrate self-direction in the collating of information from disparate archaeological sources
• 2. Demonstrate a practical understanding of established techniques and archaeological methodologies
• 3. Analyse and integrate primary and published data, and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses and conclusions

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. To assimilate and critically analyse published/unpublished and field data
• 5. Present a clearly structured, well written and appropriately illustrated dissertation

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. To research a topic as an independent individual
• 7. Adhere to deadlines

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

Spring Term: one session introducing the requirements and scope of the dissertation, and one tutorial or online discussion session discussing an outline proposal

Summer Term and Vacation (times dependent on availability of supervisors during the summer): three tutorials giving specific advice on research topic and monitoring progress.

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

• Baxter, L., Hughes, C. & Tight, M. 1996: How to research. Buckingham: Open University Press.
• Bell, J. 1993: Doing your research project. Buckingham: Open University Press.
• Creswell, J.W. 1994: Research design: qualitative and quantitative methods. London: Sage.
• Flick, U. 1998: An introduction to qualitative research. London: Sage.
• O'Connor, M. & Woodford, F.P. 1975: Writing scientific papers in English. Oxford: Association of Scientific Publishers.
• Parsons, T. & Knight, P.G. 1995: How to do your dissertation in geography and related disciplines. London: Chapman & Hall.
• Rudestam, K.E. & Newton, R.R. 1992: Surviving your dissertation. London: Sage.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11473

Key words search

Archaeology, Dissertation