MA Dissertation Workshop

Dr Tom Leng

Structure of the Session

• Masters?

• What is a dissertation?

• What should it show

• Key components

• How to fail

• How to do better

• Past the BA dissertation

• Past examples

• Timetable

• Other support / questions?

Are you a Bachelor or Master?

sources, argument,

writing, historiography

Credit Rating

• 60 out of 180 credits, i.e. 1/3 of the final mark

What is a dissertation?

• ‘... an individual research project, based on an identifiable collection of primary sources ... . The dissertation represents an original piece of independent research and should be based on a substantial primary source base and demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the secondary literature. Through the dissertation students demonstrate their practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret historical knowledge.’

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (i.e. what the dissertation shows)

• An ability to engage in independent and extended research within a defined area of historical enquiry.

• A capacity to formulate and sustain a logical and, where possible, original historical argument based on the information collected.

• An ability to work from primary sources, providing appropriate evidence to support historical argument, and referencing the sources of the evidence used.

• An ability to write about the past in good English, showing an awareness of History as a literary discipline and a developing sense of literary style.

Key components of a dissertation

• Right topic/scope

• Historiographical context

• Primary sources

• Analysis/methodology

• Argument

• Scholarly apparatus

• Writing

Topics and scopeExample titles: • Naomi Tadmor, ‘The concept of the household-family in

eighteenth-century England’, Past and Present, 151 (1996).• V. Larminie, 'Marriage and the family: the example of the

seventeenth-century Newdigates', Midland History, 9 (1984).• Beverly Lemire, ‘Theft of clothes and popular consumerism in

early modern England’, Journal of Social History (1990).• Peter King, ‘Pauper inventories and the material lives of the

poor in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries’, in Hitchcock, King and Sharpe (eds), Chronicling Poverty: The voices and Strategies of the English Poor, 1640-1840(Longman, 1997).

Context

1. Substantive historical context

2. Historiographical context

3. Methodological context

4. Conceptual context

Structure• 15,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding the

bibliography)

• Chapters / sections

– Introduction – define research questions, rationale for project, limits of approach, historiographical and conceptual contexts, define approach and method, nature of source

– Historiography – historical context

– Primary Source analysis and criticism.

– Conclusion – reflections on historiography, synthesize findings, discuss significance of project, re-examine research questions

How to fail30-49

A dissertation in this range may have ignored presentational guidelines and the conventions of academic writing (including grammar and spelling). Primary sources will be thin, tangential, or inappropriately chosen and so fail to support the argument put forward in the dissertation. There will be little in the way of contextualization; candidates may have read narrowly or failed to engage with the historiography. The absence of any convincing argument will also be grounds for failure.

PlagiarismBoth plagiarism and collusion are strictly forbidden. Any form of unfair means is treated as a serious academic offence and action may be taken under the Discipline Regulations. Where unfair means is found to have been used, the University may impose penalties ranging from awarding a grade of zero for the assignment through to expulsion from the University in extremely serious cases.

If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism then see:

http://learningtolearn.group.shef.ac.uk/ref/ref_plag.html

https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/info_skills/plagiarism.html

How to achieve 70-79•

The dissertation will be well-presented, making full and appropriate use of scholarly apparatus (including the referencing of primary and/or archival sources). It will be written in fluent, lucid and stylish prose, which engages the reader's interest. In terms of research, the dissertation should clearly derive from a well-defined and identifiable primary source base. This research will inform the argument at every stage, and the candidate will demonstrate some sophistication in source criticism.

How to achieve 70-79 (cont.)

• The argument offered in the dissertation should be sustained and convincing, offer perceptive and independent insights, and demonstrate an ability to handle historical concepts and methods with confidence. The candidate should also be able to situate their topic within the wider literature, showing an awareness of current debates and an ability to offer informed and constructive analysis of the work of others.

And more ... ?90+

• ... push the boundaries of existing historiography and suggest major revisions to our understanding of the topic studied.

80-89demonstrate intellectual originality and imagination, and include highly innovative analysis of primary source material. Any argument that convinces the examiner to think differently about a subject should be marked above 80.

BA dissertation vs. MA dissertation

Some comments from examiners:

• Use of theory

• Quantity of primary material

• Original / archive / uncharted primary sources

• More substantial historical and historiographical context

• Not testing others’ arguments, but developing new ones

Past examples1. Case studies of a city, a family, an individual,

in light of a particular issue

2. Comparison of a country’s media coverage of two similar events in context

3. Children’s behaviour over two decades

4. History of a marginal political movement over one century

5. A particular policy area under three presidents

Timetable

1. TITLE FORM Wednesday 19 November 2014

2. 2-page SYNOPSIS FORM 25 February 2015

3. Bibliography, 18 March 2015

4. MA Conference Day on Monday 26 May 2015

5. 2nd Dissertation Workshop with review of past dissertations – April date TBC

6. 12 noon, Wednesday 2 September 2015 – Final dissertation submission!

Other support

• Supervisor

• Other members of staff

• http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/history/staff/academic

• Peer support groups

Any questions?