• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Module Information

BA Dissertation

Module description

This module offers you the opportunity to undertake a piece of research, on a topic of your choice, which enables you to display your skills in tackling specific geographical issues in depth. The dissertation must be your own work in all phases including design, data selection/generation, data processing and analysis and data interpretation and project write-up. It is supported by individual and group tutorials with an advisor, and by one-to-one meetings.

GEO3311 is a compulsory module which covers the execution and completion of a 45-credit dissertation in the BA programme.

The 45-credit dissertation module is examined through a 10,000-word dissertation and should take you 450 hours to complete.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The point of the dissertation is to give you an opportunity to display your skills in tackling specific geographical issues in depth. The essence of the work is that you are able to demonstrate your ability to undertake your own independent and original piece of research.

The dissertation must be independent and original in all its phases including design, data selection/generation, data processing and analysis and data interpretation and project write-up. The aims of the dissertation are for you to develop:

• Knowledge of a specific geographical topic
• An understanding of the challenges of doing ethically sound geographical research
• The ability to deal with practical research problems
• Skills in designing research and linking its subject-matter to a range of bodies of geographical knowledge
• Skills in negotiating the complexity of ‘real world’ processes
• Transferable skills in inter-personal communication, data selection/generation and analysis, report writing, and effective time management.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Identify and work with research questions/problems appropriately, judge critically and evaluate evidence/previous research and provide a critical interpretation of data
• 2. Explain in depth the nature of your chosen research problem and its relevance to the field(s) of study and to the relevant published literature
• 3. Present your results and analyse them in terms of the original aims as you demonstrate an appropriate approach to data collection and analysis
• 4. Present substantive, relevant and realistic conclusions and indicate directions for future research in the area
• 5. Develop and sustain a reasoned argument and critically evaluate your conceptual and methodological approach

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Plan, design and execute a piece of rigorous geographical research, including the production of a final 10,000-word dissertation
• 7. Undertake effective data selection/generation using appropriate methods
• 8. Gather, interpret, evaluate and combine different types of geographical evidence and information
• 9. Recognise the ethical issues involved in human geography research including through the completion of the module ethics pack and risk assessment.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 10. Undertake independent research (e.g. in library, online), effectively, responsibly and with consideration of ethical and health and safety issues
• 11. Structure a major piece of research work, and present it competently and clearly (e.g. write coherently, create and use diagrams, figures, appendices)
• 12. Work independently (i.e. personal motivation, decision making, awareness, responsibility, and management skills, including setting and work to deadlines)

Syllabus plan

You hand in a dissertation proposal at the start of Term 3 of the second year as part of the module GEO2338. You are assigned an interim advisor who provides feedback on the proposal in summer term. Data gathering / analysis is carried out from the start of Autumn term in Year 3. Support in Year 3 is provided through bi-weekly dissertation tutorials and periodic one-to-one communication with advisors. The dissertation is handed in on the Monday of Week 10 of Term 2. You have group tutorials across Terms 1 and 2 of the final year, in addition to themed asynchronous ELE resources on dissertation work which will be made available during term 1 of the final year. You are asked to seek your advisor as and when necessary and other members of staff where appropriate in line with department guidance.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Detailed advice and reading lists are provided in a Dissertation Handbook and via ELE.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Key words search

Dissertation