INTR7015 International Relations Honours Thesis (18 units)

2018

18

1 x 150-minute seminar weekly

1 Admission into HBA-Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
1a Admission into HBIR-Bachelor of International Relations (Honours)
1b Admission into HBIS-Bachelor of International Studies (Honours)
Must Satisfy: ((1 or 1a or 1b))

POLI7000 has been successfully completed

International Relations (Honours)

A thesis of between 15,000 to 18,000 words to be written under the supervision of a member of the academic staff in the School of International Studies. The thesis must provide evidence of the student's abilities in researching and evaluating information; constructing, testing and defending an argument (i.e. thesis); and critically examining the dominant literature and theories in their area of enquiry.

Thesis work-in-progress seminars are held in first semester. Students should choose a thesis topic and obtain the agreement of a member of staff to act as their supervisor in the previous year.

The topic aims to:

• provide a student scope to develop a special research interest under the supervision of an individual staff member
• provide the chance to enhance research skills to an extent not possible earlier in the degree, by working in an intensive way and reading widely on a particular issue
• enable a student to show originality in the writing of an extended piece of argument of 15,000 to 18,000 words in length which is fully supported by an extensive range of evidence, most often of a primary kind
• provide the opportunity to examine directly some of the academic literature in political, public policy and international studies
• adequately prepare the student for postgraduate work.

On completion of this topic students will be able to:

• manage a piece of sustained research and writing, between 15,000 to 18,000 words in length
• work in an independent way, largely taking responsibilty for the form, argument and quality of the final thesis
• understand the critical need to employ reliable research methods
• support an extended argument with appropriate and convincing evidence by way of well-organized footnotes and bibliogaphic support
• compose a level of originality in some aspect(s) of the thesis submitted