Postgraduate Course: Work-based Dissertation (MSc Childhood Studies) (PGSP11464)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Dissertation |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 60 |
ECTS Credits | 30 |
| Summary | Students will undertake a 15,000 word dissertation linked to a work-based placement on a topic related to Childhood Studies issues, to be submitted by a date specified in the University Regulations, usually mid-August. The dissertation will comprise a 12,000 word research paper and a 3,000 word project diary. The placements generally consist of eight weeks of on-location research with a host organisation in the UK or overseas, from our network of contacts, which includes NGOs, charities, social enterprises, think-tanks and government bodies.
The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarship in which a student is expected to formulate and sustain a substantive piece of independent research in Childhood Studies. Previous placement students have produced briefing papers, literature reviews, project progress reports, field monitoring reports, grant proposals, annual reports, policy documents, and field based research outputs. The final 3,000 word diary will be submitted alongside the research paper, and fortnightly draft submissions will also be required.
The work is expected to engage critically and analytically with the literature in the field, building upon relevant concepts and theories introduced in the taught elements of the degree and deploying a range of primary and secondary sources as well as appropriate data-analytic and bibliographic skills. Each student will be allocated a research supervisor by the end of the second semester to advise on and oversee her/his research progress.
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| Course description |
Students undertake a 15,000 word dissertation linked to a work-based placement on a topic related to Childhood Studies issues, to be submitted by a date specified in the University Regulations, usually mid-August. The work placement provides an ideal opportunity for a student to undertake research in a real life environment, for a defined purpose.
Outline Content
The work is expected to engage critically and analytically with the literature in the field, building upon relevant concepts and theories introduced in the taught elements of the degree and deploying a range of primary and secondary sources as well as appropriate data-analytic and bibliographic skills.
The placements generally consist of eight weeks of on-location research with a host organisation in the UK or overseas, from our network of contacts, which includes NGOs, charities, social enterprises, think-tanks and government bodies.
Each student will be allocated a research supervisor by the end of the second semester to advise on and oversee her/his research progress.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Undertake independent work on a topic chosen in conjunction with a host organisation, drawing on knowledge and insights from courses taken within the MSc in Childhood Studies
- Display and extend their research and analytical skills, training and knowledge acquired in the previous coursework, and apply them to the agreed project
- Exercise and consolidate their time-management, task-management, and self-motivational skills in the planning, conduct, and execution of their research
- Develop and refine their communication and presentational skills
- Demonstrate attention to the relevant data analysis, referencing, and bibliographic skills necessary to complete the report
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
tbc |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Kay Tisdall
Tel: (0131 6)51 6415
Email: K.Tisdall@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian MacDonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: gillian.macdonald@ed.ac.uk |
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