| CODE | PLC5826 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Dissertation | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 30 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Pastoral Theology, Liturgy and Canon Law | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The purpose of the dissertation for the Master of Arts in Catholic School Leadership is to develop students' understanding of, and to help them master the capacity to critically appraise, develop and apply research skills and methods in one's reflection on any aspect of Catholic leadership in schools. The study-unit seeks to furnish students with the skills to read critically, reflect and interpret texts using paper-based, electronic sources and other data collected. It will eventually provide students with the strong foundation necessary to proceed in conducting their own field research in the future. The dissertation should be between 15,000 and 20,000 words excluding footnotes, bibliography and appendices. It may be either an actual field-based research or a bibliographical research, according to what the student intends to study. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims at helping the student to work on an intensive program of reading and then eventually writing a dissertation from an academic and scientific point of view. In a more specific way, the aims of this study-unit are: - to give the candidate the opportunity to explore and make an in-depth study of a theme related to Catholic School Leadership; - to test the student's ability to undertake a research endeavour in Catholic School Leadership while being guided by a Supervisor; - to give the student the opportunity to show originality and research potential in any related to Catholic School Leadership. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - read and understand research papers related to Catholic School Leadership; - sustain an in-depth critical analysis of different leadership situations in Catholic Schools; - apply theoretical knowledge to practical and concrete situations; - articulate in writing the results of the research undertaken. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate critical skills in the analysis of a broad range of texts related to Catholic School Leadership; - discuss complex critical issues in a a coherent and convincing manner; - orally, and in writing present the results of their own research in the area of Catholic School Leadership; - apply their competence in research to the specific area of Catholic School Leadership and to their personal formation. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - The Chicago Style Manual (16th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. (available UOM and online at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html) Supplementary Readings: - Booth, W.C., Williams, J.M. & Colomb, G.G. The craft of research. (2nd ed.). Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2003 - Robson, Colin. Real World Research: A Resource for Users of Social Research Methods in Applied Settings. 3rd ed. Chichester, West Sussex ; Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 - Cohen, Louis, Lawrence Manion, and Keith Morrison. Research Methods in Education. 7th ed. London ; New York: Routledge, 2011 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | **September Assessment Session: Students who fail to obtain an overall pass mark will be re-examined in the Dissertation. However, the resit availability for the Oral Examination is at the discretion of the Board of Examiners. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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