The Dissertation is an individual piece of work, supervised by a member of staff, in which students undertake a sustained exercise in research and investigation into a film and/or visual cultures topic of their own devising. The Dissertation builds on the skills and knowledge developed in L5, and requires a high degree of independent research and planning, as well as demonstrating skills of critical understanding, structuring arguments, and clarity of expression.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Subject-specific content will be determined by the dissertation topic. Generic content will include:
Students will be allocated an individual dissertation supervisor at the start of Teaching Block 1, who will support them to develop a viable dissertation proposal through formative feedback during taught sessions. The Department reserves the right to refuse a student the right to do a dissertation if the proposal is not submitted in good time, and may reject a proposal on grounds of impracticality or ethical considerations, but further formative feedback will be provided to allow the proposal to be re-developed. Once the project is approved, the student is entitled to regular one-to-one supervision sessions during both teaching blocks. Meetings will usually take place every 2-3 weeks, variable depending on the phase of the dissertation. Initial meetings will last one hour, before reducing to 30 minute sessions once the research is underway. Students are responsible for contacting supervisors regularly and arranging supervision meetings - the onus is on the student as this is an independent research/writing module.
The module will make use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas for communication and dissemination of information between students and staff as well as making online learning materials available to all.
All courses based in the Kingston School of Art offer students free access to the online video tutorial platform Lynda.com. This provides a wide range of subjects to choose from, many with downloadable exercise files, including software tutorials covering photography, graphics, web design, audio and music, CAD and Microsoft Office software, as well as courses on Business and Management skills. Some of these are embedded in the curriculum and offer additional self-paced learning, others may be taken at will by students wishing to broaden their employability skills in other areas.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 14 | |
| Guided independent study | 286 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The module will be assessed through the writing of a 10,000 word dissertation, (A1). Formative feedback on draft sections of the dissertation will be provided through one to one supervisions.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate the ability to plan, research, develop, and write a dissertation; | A1 |
| Display good understanding of, and insight into, a research topic; | A1 |
| Provide evidence of appropriate levels of research and independent scholarship | A1 |
| Work independently under occasional supervision to deadlines; | A1 |
| Present ideas in a coherent, and well-structured manner, written in good English; | A1 |
| Demonstrate a good awareness of, and ability to use, academic conventions appropriate to a dissertation. | A1 |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 word dissertation (A1) | Coursework | 100% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS a requirement that the element of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Berry, R. (1995) The Research Project: How to Write It, London: Routledge
Dawson, C. (2009) Introduction to Research Methods: A Practical Guide for Anyone Undertaking a Research Project, London: How to Books.
Kumar, R. (2010) Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, London: Sage Publications.
Messenger Davies, M and Mosdell, N. (2006) Practical Research Methods for Media and Cultural Studies: Making People Count, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Fico, F. G. (2005) Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research, London: Taylor and Francis.
Students will be advised on recommended dissertation-specific reading as part of their supervision and research.