INTS4010 DISSERTATION Academic Year 2023-24 Summer Semester

Java Python Academic Year 2023-24

Summer Semester

INTS4010 DISSERTATION,

60 CREDITS;

MODULE HANDBOOK

Key information

Attendance monitoring and attendance policy

Students  must  attend  all  teaching  activities  necessary  for  the  pursuit  of  their  studies,  undertake  all associated  assessments  and  attend  meetings  and  other  activities  as  required  by  their  School  or  the University. Where  students face  difficulty  in  attending sessions,  it  is their  responsibility to  inform the relevant Student Service Centre of this fact and to  provide  a satisfactory explanation.  Repeated  non- attendance  without  explanation  can  result  in  a  penalty  or  recommendation  for  suspension.  The attendance  policy and procedure of the  Faculty of Humanities and Social Science can  be found in the FHSS student handbook. Full regulations for student attendance and study can be found in the Quality Manual.

Penalties

Penalties to assessment will be incurred in the following circumstances:

1.    Late submission: an absolute  reduction of 5%  per working day late. Students are reminded that the deadline  is BY 3pm. Therefore,  students  are advised to  upload their  coursework  early  in advance  of  the  deadline.  Late  submission  due  to  slow  upload  is  not  acceptable  grounds  for waving a late penalty.

2.    Word  Count  Penalty: Coursework that exceeds or falls short of the given word limit by  10% is marked down 1% per 1% over or under the limit.

3.    Plagiarism and cheating in exams: this is an extremely serious academic offence. Plagiarised work can  result in a zero  mark for the  piece of work or for the  entire  module and  University-level disciplinary procedures. The University’spolicy onAcademic Misconductis detailed in the Quality Manual and further details on plagiarism and other case of Academic misconduct can be found in the appendix.

Circumstances Affecting Students’ Ability to Study and Complete Assignments

Coursework: If you have serious problems in completing your coursework on time (e.g. because of illness of more than 7 days or other personal difficulties out of your control), you can request an extension for an agreed length of time. You should apply for approval with appropriate evidence to theStudent Hub located in Portland. Extensions are not given on grounds of computer failure, pressure of work, or where several deadlines happen to fall on the same day since you will have had plenty of advance notice of these. Applications for an extension to coursework must ordinarily be made BEFORE the deadline.

Exams: A student who considers that they are not fit enough to attend a timetabled examination or a student who is unwell during a scheduled examination such that they believe that their performance has been affected should submit an extenuating circumstances (EC) claim within 7 days of the timetabled examination.

If there are circumstances affecting your ability to study, please consult with your Personal Tutor and/or other support services in the University. Full details of the Policycan be found inthe Quality Manual and details of the EC procedure at UNNC can be foundhere.

Marking Criteria

Marking criteria can be found at the end of this module handbook and in the FHSS student handbook. You are encouraged to consult this to understand how your work will be assessed and the standard it must reach to achieve a mark in each category.

Literacy Support

The university has sources for further support for improving your academic skills. All students can make use  of the  university’s  Writing  Lab.  Self-enrol  in  the  Writing  Lab  section  on  Moodle  for  more  details http://moodle.nottingham.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=42520          or          send          an           email          to [email protected]  The School of IS has a study skills series on organising your study and essay writing available on the School Moodle page.

Further  information  on  university  regulations  can  be found  in  the  FHSS  student  handbook  and  the university’s Quality Manual. Key policies and marking criteria can be found in the appendix.

Module Aims and Learning Objectives

The dissertation is an extended piece of research or policy-oriented report in the field of global or

transnational politics. All students will have a supervisor appointed at the end of the Autumn semester and they will be expected to consult regularly with their supervisor during and towards the end of the   project. All dissertation students will be required to make use of both primary and secondary material  and incorporate this into their dissertation.

Learning Outcomes

a Knowledge and understanding

• A1 Gain knowledge in specific issues areas of globalisation and transnational politics

bIntellectual skills

• B1 Identif INTS4010 DISSERTATION Academic Year 2023-24 Summer Semester y and evaluate key problems associated with a specific topic in the field of globalisation

• B2 Local, select and evaluate crticially and at an advanced level a variety of primary and secondary resources

• B3 Devise research topics and develop basic skills in investigating in and writing about these.

c Professional practical skills

• C1 Plan, research and writeup an original piece of research

• C2 Develop individual analysis and interpretations of data within the broad framework of current analysis of world politics.

d Transferable (key) skills

• D1 Demonstrate initiative in their approach to topics and show evidence of advanced critical and original thinking

• D2 Gain specific knowledge of particular issue areas of global governance

• D3 Take responsibility for their own work and continued professional development

Assessment

Coursework

Coursework 100% Masters Dissertation of 15,000 words

This word limit includes any citation such as footnotes and in-text references), but not your bibliography

and appendixes. The word limit DOES include your abstract but not your cover sheet. The School of

International Studies applies a word count penalty on submissions 10% over or under the word count.

That means for the dissertation you have a wide acceptable range before any penalty is applied.

Acceptable ranges: words 13,500-16,500 for PG dissertations of15,000 words

DEADLINE: Monday 19th of August 2023

Please note that unlike other coursework, the mark and feedback for the dissertation is not returned to students within 15 working days.

The DT writing guide goes into more detail about the expected content and  expectations for the dissertation. It also has a check list for your dissertation.

Referencing

All coursework must be referenced thoroughly, clearly indicating your sources.  Poorly referenced

coursework will be marked down as it will not demonstrate academic technical skills (refer to marking   criteria). More serious cases, such as failing to indicate references, will be reported as plagiarism within the academic misconduct policy (see policy on Academic Misconduct at end of handbook).

General Points:

(1) The School uses the Harvard and Oxford citation methods. You may use other systems but must remain consistent in practice.

Resources: There are many resources and training available through ALDC. In addition, many universities have made their guides available. Here area few comprehensive ones:

•    Harvard (from University of Nottingham School of Education UK)

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ttzelrn/m-level-

toolkit/introductory/documents/HarvardReferencingGuide250918.pdf

•    Oxford (from Victoria University)https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/oxford-referencing/getting- started-with-oxford-referencing

Remember also that you can visit the Writing Lab at UNNC:

https://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/cele/the-writing-labunnc/the-writing-labunnc.aspx

(2) PAGE NUMBERS AND QUOTES: Citations must be TRACEABLE. Direct quotations MUST have a page number. For example, in Harvard style.

Benedict Anderson (2006, p. 6) defines nations as “an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” .

This essay follows the definition of nation as “an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (Anderson, 2006, p. 6).

(3) PAGE NUMBER AND ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS. Check with your module convenor if they have additional requirements with page numbers in citations.

You will notice that citation styles have some differences. Some module convenors may

additionally require you to specify the page number clearly FOR ALL CITATIONS (director indirect) wherever possible and FOR ALL REFERENCES to ideas expressed in the literature.

In this instance, wide ranging page numbers such as 20-57 or 265-311 should not be used. The exception is when there is a longer description or concept explained in a chapter or a book.

(4) EXPLANATORY FOOTNOTES. Within Harvard style, any footnotes are EXPLANATORY and are not used

for citations. For example, if you use a concept which is likely known to be unknown or a contentious fact, then you can explain it in detail in a footnote. But please note, in both Oxford and Harvard citation styles,   explanatory footnotes ARE counted in the word count of your coursework.

Coursework Format and Submission

(1) Written work must be word-processed using 1.5 lines or double-spacing on A4 paper with adequate margins. It should normally be in a point 12 font (Times New Roman), with page numbers for each page.

(2) With anonymous marking, do not put your name on your coursework. Student ID only.

(3) Keep to the word count of your assignment. Coursework that exceeds or falls short of the given word limit by 10% is marked down 1% per 1% over or under the limit.

In both Harvard and Oxford styles ALL footnotes and citations are included in the word count. Your bibliography at the end of your written work is NOT included in the word count.

(4) Students are advised to upload their coursework early to Moodle in advance of the deadline. Late submission due to slow upload is not acceptable grounds for waving a late penalty.

Late Penalty: Coursework submitted later than 3pm on the day of the deadline is marked down 5% per working day late

For example, an essay submitted to Moodle at 3:32pm on the day of the deadline is marked down 5%