Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (MSc Buddhist Studies) (DIVI11094)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
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 | An independent research project culminating in a written dissertation of 15,000 words, addressing any area of Buddhist Studies. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course offers students the opportunity to engage with a particular topic in the study of Buddhism through their own independent research, culminating in a dissertation of 15,000 words. Students are encouraged to pursue their own distinctive academic interests, informed by the themes and topics they have encountered in taught components of the MSc Buddhist Studies, and perhaps making use of their academic backgrounds prior to enrolment in this MSc programme. The dissertation will demonstrate advanced knowledge of the chosen subject, the ability to identify appropriate research questions and to develop appropriate research strategies to explore those questions, the ability to develop a sustained argument, as well as effective academic writing and presentation skills.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The content of this course will fall within the broad area of Buddhist Studies. Students will work with a supervisor as identified by the Programme Director of the MSc Buddhist Studies. The supervisor will provide guidance at all stages of the preparation of the dissertation and be available for consultation on a meeting schedule agreed with the student at the beginning of the course. The supervisor will guide the research process by suggesting appropriate literature, advising on shaping the research material into an argument suitable for a 15,000-word dissertation, and accompany the writing process by commenting on drafts and the academic presentation of the material.
Student Learning Experience Information:
This is a course based on independent research. Students are expected to take charge of their work schedule and independently structure their time for research and writing. Regular consultations with their assigned supervisor are essential for the successful completion of the dissertation. Students are encouraged to seek the advice of the supervisor at the beginning of the course and agree a schedule of meetings which allows for the timely completion of the dissertation. Supervisors will usually read only a single draft of each component of the dissertation, so students will need to plan their work in order to make best use of this feedback.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
600
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
588 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% dissertation (15,000 words) |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided by the supervisor at regular intervals, according to a mutually agreed schedule, through a mixture of written comments on drafts and oral discussion. Substantial feedback will usually only be offered once on each element of the dissertation. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Plan and deliver a sustained piece of independent research of appropriate scope, with well defined questions, methods and sources;
- Identify and locate research resources within their dissertation area;
- Critically engage with scholarship, including theoretical and methodological frameworks relevant to their area of research;
- Develop clear and sustained arguments and support those arguments with appropriate evidence;
- Produce an extended piece of writing that observes appropriate academic conventions including around referencing.
|
Reading List
| There is no reading list ¿ students are expected to develop their own Bibliography with the support of their supervisor. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Curiosity for learning and openness to different perspectives.
Willingness to engage across disciplinary boundaries and to approach texts in new ways.
Finely-tuned skills of close reading and critical analysis.
Ability to construct a sustained written argument.
|
| Keywords | Dissertation,research,Buddhist Studies |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Naomi Appleton
Tel: (0131 6)50 8976
Email: Naomi.Appleton@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
|
|
University Homepage