2011-2012 YEAR THREE - Cardiff University

MC3103 Dissertation Autumn & Spring
40 Credits
TUTOR: Dr Kerry Moore – Co-ordinating Tutor
Conditions of Enrolment
Any student wishing to enrol for this module should have attained, or have
the potential to attain, an overall average of above 60% for work undertaken
in their second year of study.
The Dissertation
The dissertation involves two semesters of independent research on a
problem or question identified by the student. A supervisor will be
appointed to advise and oversee the different stages of the research and
students will be offered a short series of seminars on Approaches and
Methods for Media Research. The research may be primarily theoretical in
nature, for example, surveying and addressing the relevant literature /
research in a particular field. Alternatively, the research may be based upon
empirical work and involve the collection of data using social scientific
methods and techniques such as surveys, interviews, participant and nonparticipant
observation. In either case, a specific thesis or argument is
developed throughout the dissertation and substantiated with appropriate
evidence. Ideally, a combination of empirical and theoretical research will be
undertaken.
Dissertations completed by previous students have covered such broad areas
as Islam and Western media, violence and the media and gender issues. In
each case, a highly specific question is tackled and contextualised within the
general area. The more specific the question the better.
Permission to take this module will depend upon your grades and be subject to
approval of your dissertation proposal. You will be assigned an individual
Dissertation supervisor.
Methods of Assessment:
Assessment will be based on production of a 10,000 - 12,000 word
dissertation, subject to approval of a thesis proposal, the whole worth the full
100% of the marks.
Methods of Teaching:
Lectures, seminars, independent and guided study.
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YEAR 3