Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (MSc Language and Intercultural Communication) (REDU11092)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Dissertation |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 60 |
ECTS Credits | 30 |
| Summary | The Dissertation is a major study of approximately 12,000 words that demands from course members a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides students with the opportunity to identify and explore a topic that has implications for their professional development, while interrogating critically the relationship between professional practice, academic theory and the design, ethics and interpretation of research. |
| Course description |
There are a number of dissertation types that may be considered appropriate (e.g. desk-based research, empirical research). Students in discussion with their supervisor and with the MSc Dissertation Director should decide the focus and design of the study. Whether empirical or not, the dissertation should demonstrate a critical understanding of research design, data collection and analysis, presentation and research ethics.
Before writing the dissertation and/or collecting any data, students must submit a detailed dissertation proposal and they must obtain ethical approval for their project. If the proposal is satisfactory and the ethics application is approved, a student may begin work on the dissertation. Students will receive support and guidance from their supervisor while developing their proposal and while carrying out the project.
In addition, students will be able to access school level support in the form of evening lectures and a week of sessions covering different aspects of research design, data collection and data analysis. MSc Language and Intercultural Communication students will also receive research support specific to the field of language and intercultural communication.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 50 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
600
(
Lecture Hours 12,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
576 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework«br /»
«br /»
12,000 word dissertation«br /»
«br /»
Thereafter, assessment is carried out in terms of:«br /»
- knowledge and understanding of concepts;«br /»
- knowledge and use of the literature;«br /»
- critical reflection of theory and practice;«br /»
- application of theory to practice;«br /»
- planning and implementation of research/investigation;«br /»
- constructing academic discourse;«br /»
«br /»
The work is assessed integratively with approximate equal weighting to the six components above. |
| Feedback |
Students will receive significant feedforward guidance on various aspects of their dissertation from their supervisor, including detailed individualised comments one draft chapter.
Students will present a poster outlining their proposal for formative feedback at a dissertation conference to which all academic staff and doctoral students are invited. Students will receive feedback/forward on their written proposal from their dissertation supervisor. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Specify a topic of enquiry suitable for a dissertation, justifying its theoretical significance, professional relevance and practical feasibility
- Identify and reflect critically on relevant up-to-date literature, research, reports, policy and other scholarly evidence with specific reference to the research process used
- Justify the approaches and techniques used to collect and analyse evidence, discussing the implications of these decisions in terms of the status of the evidence and the findings based upon it, as well as demonstrating that the study complies with relevant ethical guidelines
- Examine critically the contribution and limitations of the study undertaken, paying particular attention to the implications the findings have for future language and intercultural communication research, theory, policy and/or practice
- Present work that follows appropriate academic conventions in relation to style, tone, structure (paragraphing, sectioning of the text) paraphrasing, proof-reading and referencing
|
Reading List
Dasli, M. & Diaz, A. R. (Eds.). (2017). The Critical Turn in Language and Intercultural Communication Pedagogy: Theory, Research and Practice. New York: Routledge.
Dervin, F. (2016). Interculturality in Education: A Theoretical and Methodological Toolbox. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dervin, F., & Simpson, A. (2021). Interculturality and the political within education. London: Routledge.
Dervin, F., Moloney, R., & Simpson, A. (Eds.). (2020). Intercultural competence in the work of teachers: Confronting ideologies and practices. London: Routledge.
Jackson, J. (Ed.). (2020). The Routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication. New York: Routledge.
Zhu, H. (Ed.) (2016). Research Methods in Intercultural Communication: A Practical Guide. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge and understanding: Students will develop their knowledge and critical understanding of concepts and theories relevant to language education and intercultural communication.
Knowledge and understanding: Students will develop their knowledge and critical understanding of methods relevant to analysing and conducting research on language and intercultural communication (e.g., discourse analysis, conversation analysis).
Critical analysis: Students will demonstrate a critical analysis of theoretical and empirical knowledge relevant to language and intercultural communication research.
Research and enquiry: Students will produce their own research project based upon an area/topic/theme relating to language and intercultural communication research.
Autonomy and accountability: Students will design their own research project based upon an area/topic/theme relating to language and intercultural communication research through receiving feedback and feedforward guidance from a knowledgeable audience.
Communication and IT skills: Students will present their research projects in writing to a knowledgeable audience and readership using supporting textual data and discursive devices.
Evaluation: Students will demonstrate evaluation skills in receiving feedback and feedforward support on their research project on language and intercultural communication. |
| Keywords | Dissertation,Language and Intercultural Communication,Research,Ethics,Research design |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ania Byerly
Tel: (0131 6)51 4032
Email: ania.byerly@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Hanna Albrecht
Tel: (0131 6)51 6012
Email: Hanna.Albrecht@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage