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Research Project - HIS00140M

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  • Department: History
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. David Clayton
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
    • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

Module summary

This module is only available to those completing the Postgraduate Diploma and so as an alternative to the Dissertation. Students undertake an independently researched project, receiving support, advice and feedback from a dissertation advisor as they collect source materials, analyse these materials and write up draft findings. They will have three supervision meetings to discuss the feasibility of the project and to provide feedback on one draft chapter, as set out below.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2023-24

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

  • Develop skills of source analysis and interpretation for secondary literature
  • Develop students’ powers of historical argument
  • Develop basic project design skills, including project and information management, independent working and the ability to research secondary materials independently

Module learning outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will:

  • Have carried out independent research, collecting the relevant secondary materials
  • Have presented and completed a piece of independent research that demonstrates the ability to use and evaluate published historical sources
  • Have shown the ability to present research in accordance with scholarly conventions used in a consistent manner.

Module content

Students will attend three one-on-one meetings with a dissertation advisor. They have the opportunity to receive feedback on a 2,000-word formative essay or literature review.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Research Project		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

The project will be between 3,000-4,000 words and set out using the standard University conventions, following the Chicago style manual.

Reassessment

None

Module feedback

Students will receive written and verbal feedback on their draft essay. Students are also encouraged, if they wish, to make use of their advisor’s student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.

For the summative assessment task, students will receive a mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.

Indicative reading

We encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading, building on the use of these texts on the Research Training module.

  • Booth, W., Colomb, G. William,s J, The Craft of Research (Third edition, University of Chicago Press, 2008).
  • Hare, J, Wells, J., Baker, B., Essential Skills for Historians: A Practical Guide to Researching the Past (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019).
  • Barber, S., Peniston-Bird, C., History Beyond the Text: A student’s Guide to approaching alternative sources (Routledge, 2009)


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.