| CODE | MCS5090 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Dissertation | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 50 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Media and Communications | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The dissertation study-unit will provide students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project, applying both theoretical content and skills learned in part in their in their undergraduate course of studies, and in part in the first year of the Masters in Media and Communications. Students will select a research topic within an area in Media and Communications in which they would like to specialise. It is expected that students’ placement and two units of mentored practice also be in the same area. The proposal will be reviewed by the Dissertations Committee of the Department of Media and Communications and following approval, students will be assigned a supervisor who is able to provide appropriate guidance for their research. Students will be expected to work independently throughout the dissertation process, whilst keeping in regular contact with their supervisors. The independent dissertation project will entail standard research components including identification and clear statement of a research question, a review of relevant literature, design of an appropriate methodology to address the research question, data collection and analysis, and subsequent discussion of results obtained. Students may also be allowed to create a project related to any of the practical topics they have studied throughout their course of studies. In this case, only very basic empirical research needs to be carried out, with a literature review and a journal providing the written component. However, it is recommended that some form of empirical research be a component of the work, helping to generate technique and/or content for the project. Study-Unit Aims: - To provide students with the opportunity to conduct an independent research project; - To provide students with the opportunity to delve into detail of an area that they are particularly interested in; - To enable students to become expertly familiar with research methodologies and practices; - To develop students' skills in conducting and presenting research; - To enable students to create practical projects in areas pertaining to Media and Communications. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify the main stages in the research process; - identify and distinguish between primary and secondary data sources; - list and explain different methodologies for data collection; - describe different statistical techniques for data analysis; - explain how scientific research can provide insights into different areas of Media and Communications; - create practical projects that provide a product, that pertain to different areas of Media and Communciations. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - work independently on a research project; - formulate and clearly state a research question and/or hypothesis; - design a methodology for data collection; - select and apply appropriate statistical techniques for data analysis; - discuss the implications of research results obtained; - critique his/her own research, identifying both strengths and weaknesses; - cite sources of information in an appropriate manner. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Biggam, J. (2014). Succeeding with your Master’s Dissertation: A step-by-step handbook. UK Higher Education OUP Humanities & Social Sciences. ISBN: 0-3352-6448-4 - Furseth, I., Everett, E., & Everett, E. L. (2013). Doing your Masters Dissertation: From start to finish. Sage Publications. ISBN: 1-4462-6399-1 - Glatthorn, A. (1998). Writing the winning dissertation: a step-by-step guide. Corwin P. ISBN: 0-8039-6678-4 - Hart, C. (2005). Doing your Masters Dissertation. Sage Study Skills Series. ISBN: 0-7619-4217-3 - Wisker, G. (2007). The Postgraduate Research Handbook. Palgrave Research Skills. ISBN: 0-2305-2130-4 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualification: The student will need to be successful in the units given in the first year of the Masters in Media and Communications. | ||||||||
| 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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