Dr Jouni Kuha COL8.02 and Dr Jennifer Tarr COL8.06

Dissertation supervisors.

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is not available as an outside option.

Students are required to write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic within the field covered by their specialist subject and agreed with their supervisor.

A series of around 6 dissertation seminars during MT and ST. The seminars cover methodological issues such as the literature review, sources of secondary quantitative data, topic guides for interviews, and sources of textual material. Students will be required to write a report where they apply the tools considered in the seminars to a topic of their choice.

Each student will be required to give a short presentation outlining the subject of his/her dissertation and the proposed argument of the dissertation in a session organised for all students during ST.

Dissertation (100%, 10000 words) post-summer term.

Two hard copies of the 10,000 word dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Teaching Administrator of the Department of Methodology by Friday August 15th 2014. Students are also required to upload their dissertation file(s) to Moodle by the same deadline. In addition to the dissertation, a separate written report based on the dissertation seminars, due in ST, must be submitted. MY499 cannot be passed unless this report has been submitted, with all of its required elements included. The report does not otherwise affect the mark for MY499, which is based entirely on the dissertation. Individual feedback on the report will be provided.