Dissertation ProjectModule Details

Rationale
This course is designed to help the students undertake a research project related to Sustainable Development. It provides a clear guide on how to undertake research as well as highlights the realities of undertaking research, including the more common pitfalls. The course is developed to provide the students with a guide to the research process and with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake a piece of research from first thoughts about a research topic to writing a dissertation project. The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the intellectual and scholarly requirements of producing an extended piece of written postgraduate research. The course involves a significant piece of student-directed learning based on a detailed investigation into a key area related to the award. It should take the form of a desk-based study.

The Dissertation requires students to demonstrate:
• Originality.
• A definition of the issue under investigation and a succinct statement of the aims of the study.
• A critical reflection on the theoretical frame established for the study.
• Use of appropriate research methodology: Students are required to conduct desktopresearch only (secondary research).
• The extent to which all of the above result in a set of conclusions which are consistent with the research.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students will be expected to:

(i) Explain the principals involved in planning and executing a research project;
(ii) Conceptualize a research problem and assess it in the context of current knowledge on the subject;
(iii) Operationalize concepts to formulate and to test hypotheses;
(iv) Develop or select appropriate measurement instruments for data collection and hypotheses testing;
(v) Describe the principles for collection and analysis of data and other information; and;
(vi) Design, develop and write reports and review the results of research carried out as part of class project(s).