Learning Outcomes 1-5

Students will select a topic in consultation with tutors; define the parameters of their chosen project; select appropriate research methods; and undertake independent research to produce a dissertation which makes a contribution to knowledge-production in the area of sociology.

This is a distance learning module that is designed to offer the student on-going supervision throughout the often solitary activity of completing a dissertation. Working with the dissertation module handbook, the student will initially work with the module tutor to design / select a topic of enquiry and a relevant literature and other research sources, fashion a manageable research problem and design a chapter by chapter plan. At this stage the student will be allocated to an appropriate supervisor who will have responsibility for guiding you to completion of the dissertation. It will be the joint responsibility of the supervisor and student to design a schedule for the undertaking of the dissertation in relation to appropriate targets of progress. The process will involve the student submitting drafts of work to the supervisor for advice, reworking the materials in the light of comments and fashioning a final version.

Biggam, J. (2011) Succeeding with Your Master's Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Handbook, 2nd ed., Maidenhead: Open University Press

Directed reading will be supplied to each student in consultation with their dissertation supervisor.

A networked computer capable of accessing the internet and running applications such as Blackboard and Adobe Acrobat
A Word Processor compatible with Microsoft Word
Access to library resources, journals, databases