Module Outline (updated 19 July 2018)
There are two sections to the module.
The first part, which takes place in the autumn term, focuses on some key challenges inherent in doing research. These challenges include developing a research topic; identifying suitable secondary sources in libraries; quickly and effectively reading such sources for an author's main argument; understanding the stakes of different methodologies when analysing visual materials; and gaining ethical approval before embarking on research involving human participants, such as interviews.
The second part of the module, which takes place in the spring term, shifts attention to arming students with the basic knowledge to begin work on their dissertations: for example, about the mechanics involved in constructing a persuasive written argument, or about the main components of a research proposal. In this part of the module, students will spend much of the class sessions iteratively working with one another to improve drafts of their dissertation proposals--partly to hone the writing of these proposals, but just as importantly to strengthen the research questions and approach underpinning their dissertations.
There is no written assessment for this module, but attendance is compulsory. Students who fail to attend at least 70% of the scheduled teaching events will be regarded as having failed the module.
Aims of this module:
* To encourage students to reflect upon research at postgraduate level;
* To cultivate a critical attitude to the use of art-historical resources;
* To raise the level of presentation skills among postgraduate students;
* To develop an understanding of the role of critical debate in research; and
* To provide a structured route into the development of MA dissertation proposals.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, students will have:
* had the opportunity to engage in discussion regarding the nature of research;
* acquired an understanding of critical reading for art historians;
* received feedback on presentation skills in a supportive environment; and
* been given structured support in developing an MA dissertation proposal.
By the end of the module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:
* define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant;
* seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information;
* process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments;
* compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure;
* write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications;
* be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them;
* think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches;
* maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong; and
* think critically and constructively.
There are two sections to the module.
The first part, which takes place in the autumn term, focuses on some key challenges inherent in doing research. These challenges include developing a research topic; identifying suitable secondary sources in libraries; quickly and effectively reading such sources for an author's main argument; understanding the stakes of different methodologies when analysing visual materials; and gaining ethical approval before embarking on research involving human participants, such as interviews.
The second part of the module, which takes place in the spring term, shifts attention to arming students with the basic knowledge to begin work on their dissertations: for example, about the mechanics involved in constructing a persuasive written argument, or about the main components of a research proposal. In this part of the module, students will spend much of the class sessions iteratively working with one another to improve drafts of their dissertation proposals--partly to hone the writing of these proposals, but just as importantly to strengthen the research questions and approach underpinning their dissertations.
There is no written assessment for this module, but attendance is compulsory. Students who fail to attend at least 70% of the scheduled teaching events will be regarded as having failed the module.
Aims of this module:
* To encourage students to reflect upon research at postgraduate level;
* To cultivate a critical attitude to the use of art-historical resources;
* To raise the level of presentation skills among postgraduate students;
* To develop an understanding of the role of critical debate in research; and
* To provide a structured route into the development of MA dissertation proposals.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, students will have:
* had the opportunity to engage in discussion regarding the nature of research;
* acquired an understanding of critical reading for art historians;
* received feedback on presentation skills in a supportive environment; and
* been given structured support in developing an MA dissertation proposal.
By the end of the module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:
* define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant;
* seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information;
* process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments;
* compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure;
* write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications;
* be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them;
* think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches;
* maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong; and
* think critically and constructively.