Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)

Module GEOG3232: DISSERTATION (40 CREDITS) IN GEOGRAPHY A

Department: Geography

GEOG3232: DISSERTATION (40 CREDITS) IN GEOGRAPHY A

Type	Tied	Level	3	Credits	40	Availability	Available in 2010/11	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Tied to	CFG0
Tied to	L702
Tied to	LMV0

Prerequisites

Level 2 Social Research in Geography GEOG2472

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To enable students to plan and execute a substantial piece of independent geographical research on an approved topic
To provide students with an opportunity to collect and analyse data from primary and / or secondary sources
To encourage students to develop the transferable skills of advanced literacy and presentation

Content

An individual piece of work chosen by the student and approved by the Department Director of Learning and Teaching
Early formulation of the topic and progress towards completion are monitored by the Dissertation Tutor, with whom there are five discussion tutorials during Level 3

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Subject-specific Skills:

On successful completion of the module students are expected to be able to produce a dissertation showing these skills: Formulation - identify a clear objective, establish the relevant substantive and theoretical context, produce a scholarly and critical review of relevant literature
Execution - use appropriate and relevant methods of analysis, identify a local structure and argument, show relevance and depth, produce a critical appraisal of the outcome

Key Skills:

Presentation - demonstrate advanced skills of literacy, numeracy, graphicacy, editing and proof-reading, documentation and bibliography

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

The dissertation is the most important single item on which Single-Honours Geography students are assessed
It is their own work on a topic of their own choice, done largely in their own time and reflecting their level of training, attitude, motivation, powers of organisation and analysis
The Level 2 Research Project Advisory Groups (Part of 'Social Research in Geography') may make an important contribution to the formulation of projects

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Tutorials	Varies	Terms 1 & 2	Varies	3	■
Preparation and Reading				397
Total				400

Summative Assessment

Component: Dissertation		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Dissertation submissions should be typed, using 12 pt Arial font, on A4 paper with 1.5 line spacing, 2 cm left, right, top and bottom margins. The main part of the dissertation, following the title page and abstract and any acknowledgements, must not exceed 35 printed pages, including maps and diagrams. In addition, the dissertation should include a list of References and may include one or more Appendices giving supplementary material. This additional material should not exceed 35 printed pages		100%

Formative Assessment:

Feedback on Dissertation Proposal which is submitted in the first week of Level 3

■ 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