ASSIGNMENT 2, DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
Word length: 1000 words
Weighting: 5%
This assignment requires you to write a proposal for the research project that you will complete by the end of your final year, and submit in the form of a 10,000 word dissertation (Assignment 3). The proposal must follow the format described below.
STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
Complete all of the following components of your dissertation proposal.
1) Short Title (not included in word count)
2) Research Question – 50-100 words
3) Thesis Statement – 50-100 words
4) Project Detail – 850 words in total, composed of the following subsections:
Outline of topic (400 words)
Approach (150 words)
Preparation (150 words)
Objectives and milestones (150 words)
GUIDELINES FOR DISSERTATION PROPOSAL EXERCISE
1) Short Title
The title should succinctly sum up the project as a whole. It does not need to take the form of a question (although it should obviously reflect some aspect of your Research Question): most titles are statements.
2) Research Question (50-100 words)
This is a summary and focused statement of the question that your research will address. A good way to phrase this is to complete the following sentence: ‘This dissertation asks how / why / if / whether / to what extent …’.
3) Thesis Statement (50-100 words)
This is a summary statement of the thesis or argument of your dissertation. A good way to phrase this is to complete the following sentence: ‘This dissertation argues that …’.
4) Project Detail (850 words)
Your proposal should address the following points. You are advised to use these subheadings in your proposal.
(i) Outline of topic (Suggested length: 400 words)
The outline of topic will identify the primary texts you want to analyse (up to six is usually an appropriate number). It will also discuss the critical context for the dissertation, describing the intellectual field(s) in which your research question is located. This description should refer to the current state of knowledge concerning your topic, including any recent debate on the subject. You should indicate why the dissertation is important, by explaining the particular contribution to knowledge and understanding in this area that you intend to make.
(ii) Approach (Suggested length: 150 words)
This section asks you to outline your intellectual approach, by describing the critical methods you plan to use to address your research question. Your supervisor will not only want to know what you are going to work on, but also how you plan to go about it. Key methodologies used in English Studies include strategic reading, close analysis, and the critical interpretation of texts within appropriate historical and theoretical frameworks. You might also describe how you will tackle any practical obstacles you envisage having to overcome in the completion of your project.
(iii) Preparation (Suggested length: 150 words)
This section should describe the study you have already completed for your dissertation. You can describe relevant modules you have taken (or will take), and the preparation you have completed during the Research Training phase of ESH6000 English Research Dissertation. Note that A-level study is not relevant here. As well as the names of modules, please explain briefly what aspects were relevant (e.g. ‘the material on gender and sexual difference in ESH102 Reading, Theory and Interpretation’).
(iv) Objectives and Milestones (Suggested length: 150 words)
In this section, identify the intellectual and practical outcomes you aim to achieve during your six months working on the dissertation. Examples include: a critical debate you hope to evaluate; an argument you plan to develop; a piece of evidence you hope to analyse; or a chapter timetable to which you will adhere.
Writing the Dissertation Proposal
Your dissertation proposal will require research and reflection. Build on the work we have done in class, your initial posts for the Continuous Assessment forum, and discussions with your supervisor, but leave sufficient time for editing and revision. Except for the short title, all parts of the proposal should be written in proper sentences (no notes or sentence fragments). Whilst it is anticipated that your proposal will have emerged from the ideas you have been developing during the Research Training workshops, we will accept your proposal of a new idea providing this is approved in advance by your academic supervisor. In developing your proposal, you are advised to ask your Cluster tutor and members of your Research Cluster to comment on your plans (though your final submission should, of course, reflect your own work).
Assessment and Next Steps
Your proposal will be assessed by your dissertation supervisor, and (providing it meets basic disciplinary and intellectual standards) will be formally accepted as your dissertation topic. You will receive your mark and feedback for the proposal shortly after the end of Reading Week. The Research Training workshops that follow during weeks 8-10 will help you to develop your project further, in preparation for a further meeting with your supervisor before the end of the semester.
ETHICAL CLEARANCE
Any project that anticipates conducting research involving human participants, their data, or samples, requires QMUL Ethics Committee clearance.We work on the assumption that no undergraduate dissertation project in the Department of English falls under this category.If you DO envisage conducting research involving human participants, please contact the module convenors before submitting this assignment. Note that our likely recommendation will be that such research activities cannot be supported within the parameters of ESH6000 English Research Dissertation.
ASSIGNMENT-SPECIFIC CRITERIA
Development of a research proposal that is viable, achievable, and specific in focus.Clear articulation of project outline, methodology, and aims.Identification of specific research materials (primary and secondary texts) for the project.Research potential of proposed dissertation, appropriate for a final-year undergraduate in English Studies at QMUL.Clarity of writing and presentation.
