Core Subject descriptions
ASSH901 The Writer: Critic, Analyst, Voice (12 cp)
Our research is only as ever as good as our capacity to communicate it. Developing skills as a writer is an essential part of learning to be an effective researcher; it's how we convince and persuade our readers, challenge beliefs and advocate for a different viewpoint. The art of persuasion relies heavily on our relationship to words and their capacity to spark the imagination and open up new ways of thinking and new worlds. This subject takes students through key aspects of becoming an academic writer and producing high-quality, well informed and effective research that is based in sound argumentation skills, attention to disciplinary genres, style and the development of an academic voice.
ASSH902: The Researcher: People, Places, Methods (12 cp)
What does it mean to be a 'researcher'? How does the researcher produce data, information and facts in a way that is trustworthy and persuasive? This subject takes students through key aspects of becoming a researcher and producing high-quality, well-informed and effective research. The subject investigates the different types of research methods available to researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences: for example, interviews, digital archives, ethnographies, focus groups, participant observation, statistics and surveys. It will familiarise students with a variety of research techniques, protocols, integrity and ethics, and provide hands-on experience with different research methods. It will highlight the connection between academic research and the wider community.
ASSH903: The Project and the Plan (12 cp)
This subject offers a combination of coursework and in-class training in thesis planning, as well as the opportunity to complete a preliminary research project. The project is undertaken under with your supervisor and the subject co-ordinator, and will contain elements such as (for example) a literature review or scoping for a major research project to be undertaken in the 2nd year of the MRes.