POLI7020 Politics Honours Thesis (18 units)

2019

18

1 x 3-hour seminar weekly

1 Admission into HBA-Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
1a Admission into HBBSC-Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours)
Must Satisfy: ((1 or 1a))

Associated Majors: Political Studies (Honours), Public Policy (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 Social and Policy Studies. Honours theses in excess of 20,000 words will not be accepted for assessment. 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 the first semester. Students should choose a thesis topic and obtain the agreement of a member of staff to act as their supervisor before the end of the previous December.

The topic aims to:

• Give 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 quite particular issue
• Enable a student to show originality in the writing of an extended piece of argument (15 to 18,000 words long) 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 and interantional studies.
• Adequately prepare the student for postgraduate work.

On completion of this topic students will be able to:

1. Manage a piece of sustained research and writing (between 15,000 to 18,000 words in length)
2. Work in an independent way, largely taking responsibility for the form, argument and quality of the final thesis
3. Understand the critical need to employ reliable research methods
4. Support an extended argument with appropriate and convincing evidence by way of well-organized footnotes and bibliographic support
5. Compose a level of originality in some aspect(s) of the thesis submitted.