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Dissertation

What can students expect from the dissertation module?

The dissertation gives students the opportunity to put together an independent piece of research or analysis of secondary data on a topic of their own choosing, with the support from a dissertation supervisor, plenary teaching, and online learning resources.

It enables students to draw upon and develop both their knowledge and their thinking, to demonstrate their understanding of and ability to integrate both the conceptual and research methods foundations laid in the earlier part of the programme, and to undertake a critical analysis of a topic relevant to sociology.

On completion of the module, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate advanced skills in formulating a research problem and develop an appropriate research design in order to operationalise the research
  • Gain practical experience in using sociological research methods to carry out a specific research project
  • Demonstrate critical skills in linking concepts and theories to the development of a research project

The dissertation should be 15,000 words in length and is compulsory for all Sociology masters programmes.

There are two dissertation workshops held in terms 1 and 2 to help guide students.

Examples of previous dissertation titles: