EC3DSI-Dissertation (for Joint degrees)

Module Provider: School of Politics, Economics and International Relations
Number of credits: 40 [20 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Summer / Autumn / Spring module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Hussein Hassan
Email: hussein.hassan@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The dissertation module involves a 12,000 word independent piece of research work which students carry out on a topic of their choice. While mostly working independently, students will receive one-on-one supervision with an academic in the Department.

Aims:

The aim of the module is to enable students to explore a particular topic relevant to their degree programme in greater depth.

Assessable learning outcomes:

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

• identify and motivate their research question(s);


• identify and critically evaluateÌý the relevant literature;


• understand and apply relevant theoretical frameworks for analysing their research question(s);


• motivate and apply appropriate research methods to address their chosen research question(s);


• analyse and synthesise their research findings.

Additional outcomes:

Student will also have the opportunity to develop the following skills: time management and working independently; research skills; academic writing and referencing; presentation skills.

Outline content:

Dissertations may cover any area of economics. They may be theoretically, empirically or policy oriented: they may take a variety of forms, e.g. a critical review of the literature, the construction of economic models, the testing of hypotheses from published data, or a field investigation (providing that this is problem and/or policy oriented); and they may be positive or normative in their approach.



For Joint Language-Economics degrees, the subject matter should relate to the country concerned. For example, for French/Economics students the dissertation should be on "a specified aspect of French economics". Analogous requirements apply to German/Economics and Italian/Economics students.



For other Joint degrees, the normal requirement is that the dissertation is on a topic of interest to both the disciplines concerned. For example, Politics/Economics students should write a dissertation which combines insights from both economics and politics.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Students wishing to do a dissertation in Economics must submit their topic to the Department of Economics by the end of the spring term of their second year. Each student will be allocated a supervisor at the start of the Summer term in Part 2 andÌýthey should arrange to meet their supervisor at the start of the summer term, before their exams, to discuss their topic.ÌýStudents should then arrange a follow-up meeting with their supervisor after their exams in the summer term in order to agree on a plan for the dissertation. Subsequent meetings and the provision of feedback on drafts of the dissertation work should then be agreed between the student and their supervisor.

The Guided Independent Study hours expressed in the table below are for the Autumn and Spring terms of the FINAL year, whilst the hours expressed for the Summer term are for the last term of the SECOND year and include hours to be spent on the Dissertation during the Summer vacation.