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MA Museum Cultures Dissertation

Overview

  • Credit value: 60 credits at Level 7

Module description

The dissertation, at 15,000 words, forms the largest and most important piece of coursework that students complete on the MA. It is designed to allow students to tackle a more substantial subject that the shorter essays of the core and options allow. This will provide invaluable experience in being able to structure and write a lengthy argument in a coherent and persuasive way.

The MRes option to take a long dissertation of 30,000 words provides students who aim for an academic research career with a stepping stone towards a PhD thesis. The dissertation is designed to test fully the research methodologies and skills attained in structuring and writing intellectually rigorous academic work that the student has been developing throughout the earlier stages of the MA and MRes programme. The student is expected, in collaboration with his/her supervisor, to develop a timetable for individual research and writing.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • critically analyse a range of written texts, exhibitions, museums and other media
  • read critically and analyse primary and secondary literature
  • effectively blend original ideas with an existing critical body of work.