Module CLAS3282: DISSERTATION (40 CREDITS)

Department: CLASSICS AND ANCIENT HISTORY

CLAS3282: DISSERTATION (40 CREDITS)

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	40	Availability	Available in 2005/06	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• Training in argument, analytical and critical skills, and presentation of evidence.

Content

• Double-module dissertation on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the Chairman/ Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in Classics or his/her representative.
• In the case of a student in a Joint Honours degree programme, also approved by the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in the Joint Department, or his/ her representative.

Learning Outcomes

• In-depth knowledge of a Classical or related subject capable of reasonably complete treatment within the given limit of 12,000 words.

• These will vary according to the subject or topic chosen, which may - among other things - be literary, historical, philosophical, theoretical, or in the field of reception studies. In each case the student refines and further develops skills acquired in the previous two years of study in Higher Education.

• An ability to complete the complex process of the construction of a significant piece of written work, from initial conception to final product; to develop an argument; to analyse and criticise; to present evidence clearly and effectively; to balance alternative views and positions; to express the argument in correct and appropriate English; to provide references laid out according to academic conventions.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching: (1) an hour's group briefing session on the nature and process of the discipline of dissertation-writing, and the expected outcomes; (2) preliminary discussion with a member of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies or his/her representative (and in the case of a student in a Joint Honours programme, with the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Joint Department or his/her representative, prior to the deposition of the dissertation plan, to establish the case for a double as opposed to a single dissertation (the case being judged in terms of the nature of the material and/or the proposed subject, and the interests of the student); (3) an individual, face-to-face advisory meeting with a member of staff - who may not be the eventual supervisor - with expertise in the area in which the student proposes to write his/her dissertation; (4) if required, a further individual meeting with a member of staff to adjust the dissertation plan, should the initial plan prove unacceptable [(1)-(4) to take place in Year 2]; (5)-(8) up to a maximum of 4 hours of individual supervision (divided as appropriate between half-hour and hour-long sessions, such hours to be distributed as appropriate between the first and second terms of Year 3.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Preparation and Reading				400
Total				400

Summative Assessment

Dissertation 100% (Double-module dissertation maximum 12000 words 100%).

Formative Assessment:

No collections.

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■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University