German Studies Dissertation (20 credits) I
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MLAC3140 | Modern Languages and Cultures | 3 | 20 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- MLAC3140
- School
- Modern Languages and Cultures
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
This module involves in-depth study of a topic in German Studies, and will normally relate to a second year German module. Teaching will consist of regular individual consultations with a designated tutor. Possible topics could include linguistics (for example, the use of Anglicisms in German), German cinema, German history, theatre, literature, gender studies, Heimat.
The dissertation may be 10 or 20 credits, depending on what is most appropriate for your individual programme of study. A 10-credit dissertation is 4,000 words in length, and a 20-credit dissertation is 7,000 words. Dissertations may be written in English or in German.
Target Students
Available for Year 4 students of German. Not normally open to Combined Honours students except Law with German Law and German. Students must normally have an average of 60 or above in Part 1 to be able to take this module and a topic and short plan for the project must be submitted before the start of the final year. The dissertation can only be taken if the subject considers that there is a member of academic staff willing and qualified to supervise it.
Co-requisites
Modules you must take in the same academic year, or have taken in a previous year, to enrol in this module:
Classes
- One 30-minute tutorial each week for 8 weeks
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 4 weeks
The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies operates an attendance policy. The details of this policy can be found in the student handbook on Workspace and in module handbooks. There will be an introductory plenary sessions. After a further up to four 1-hour initial plenary session with the module convenor students have six individual consultations with a designated supervisor at regular intervals over the two semesters, each lasting up to 1 hour.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework 1: One 5,000 - 7,000 word essay in English or German
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of German culture, history, linguistics and/or literature through independent and supervised work on an extended research project in a given area of their choice from the German Studies syllabus. Students will also develop their ability to write in an appropriate academic register in English/German.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
Students will enhance their knowledge and critical understanding of modern German history and society and/or German literature and culture and/or knowledge and (critical) understanding of aspects of the linguistics of the German language and its varieties (A2, A3, A6).
Intellectual Skills:
Students will develop their ability to gather, process and evaluate critically information from a variety of sources in English and German (B1), to reflect critically and judge in the light of evidence and argument (B2), to understand and apply complex ideas, to describe and analyse relevant problems to their topic (B3, B4),and to apply the appropriate techniques and concepts to the analysis of literary, cultural, and/or historical materials and/or the use and status of German in the German-speaking countries (B5, B6 or B7)
Language Skills:
Students will enhance their ability to read German in different registers (C3). Those writing in German will develop their ability to write effectively in German using appropriate vocabulary (C4).
Transferable Skills:
Students will enhance their ability to work productively on their own (D4), to assess their own progress (D6), to organise and manage their working time to meet deadlines (D7), and to use IT effectively both as a means of communication and as a source of information (D8).