Meeting rooms, IT and library facilities.
Students will not be required to employ resources outside the University (e.g. conference attendance), and where they choose to do so will not expect financial or other assistance from the University

The module will commence with four, weekly workshops in which the concept of a learning contract is first explained, and then, by way of group discussion, constructed. The learning contract will include dates and times for at least four four supervisory meetings with the module tutor. These meetings will discuss the evolving nature of the project, and help solve any problems that may arise, as well as monitor the progress of the project towards its goals.

Opportunities for study and research frequently arise outside of a formal classroom setting. This module seeks to recognise and give credit to learning experiences that may lie outside the traditional classroom environment, while at the same time formalising and monitoring the process of giving credit, and encouraging planning and reflection with respect to these learning experiences. In a word, it encourages students to design and execute a programme of academic study leading to defined assessment ends. These learning experiences could include:

Internal and external conferences, colloquia or speakers; lecture series offered at other levels and/ or in other subject areas; postgraduate reading groups; sustained discussions on professional mail list servers; newly published books, special edition paper or e-journals, or other publications; radio, TV or internet broadcasts.

Registered on PgC, PgD, MA in Modern Continental Philosophy

The learning contract will assess [Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7]

The portfolio, equivalent to approximately 3,500 words, assessment is a negotiated form of assessment. It may contain simply a traditional academic essay, or perhaps book reviews, conference reports, or perhaps an oral presentation at the Department's Research Seminar. The precise form of assessment will be determined in the learning contract, where the student must show that this form is most suitable to the contextualised learning outcomes of the project. This portfolio will assess all outcomes.

Becker, Howard S. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing It . University
of Chicago, 1998.
Blaxter, et al. How to Research. Open University, 2001.
Booth, et al. The Craft of Research. University of Chicago, 2003.
Burnham, Douglas. Philosophy Research Handbook for Students. Continuum, forthcoming.
Coombes, Hilary. Research Using IT. Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.
Wisker, Gina. The Postgraduate Research Handbook. Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.