SA349     
Dissertation

This information is for the 2018/19 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Kitty Stewart

Availability

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Social Policy, BSc in Social Policy and Economics, BSc in Social Policy and Sociology and BSc in Social Policy with Government. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Social Policy, BSc in Social Policy and Criminology, BSc in Social Policy and Economics, BSc in Social Policy and Sociology and BSc in Social Policy with Government. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.

Course content

A dissertation of no more than 8,000 words on a topic to be approved by the candidate's Academic Advisor. It is designed to allow a detailed and thorough exploration of an area of interest to the student. The dissertation should be on a topic area within the field of the degree programme; it may involve original fieldwork, or the analysis and appraisal of existing literature.

Teaching

9 hours of workshops in the MT. 2 hours of seminars and 1 hour and 30 minutes of workshops in the LT.

Students will be allocated an Academic Adviser who will supervise their dissertation. In addition to individual supervision meetings, there will be five compulsory workshop sessions in Michaelmas Term to help students plan and structure their work on the dissertation, as well as two optional troubleshooting sessions (one in Michaelmas and one in Lent Term). Presentation seminar sessions will be held in early Lent Term: all students will be expected to make a brief presentation on their topic and will receive feedback from staff and peers.  

Formative coursework

Students taking this course are required to agree their dissertation title with their Academic Advisor and submit it to the Departmental Tutor no later than Friday 7th December 2018.

Indicative reading

Students will be expected to draw extensively from the reading they have undertaken throughout their programme of study. Advised reading:  H Dean, 'Doing projects in social policy', in P Alcock, et al (Eds) The Student's Companion to Social Policy, Fourth Edition, Blackwell, 2012.

Assessment

Essay (100%, 8000 words) in the ST.

Submission is due on the first week of ST  - full deadline details will be confirmed to all candidates. Precise details on format and presentation will be issued by the Department.

Student performance results

(2015/16 - 2017/18 combined)

Classification % of students
First 39.8
2:1 46.6
2:2 11.4
Third 1.1
Fail 1.1

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2017/18: 36

Average class size 2017/18: 36

Capped 2017/18: No

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information