EL4510: DISSERTATION IN SCOTTISH LITERATURE (2018-2019)

Course Aims: This course aims to provide students with an opportunity to pursue the individual specialized study of Scottish literature. it will afford students the opportunity to set literature in historical, theoretical and linguistic contexts according to the intellectual avenues a given student wishes to pursue. The distinctive feature of the dissertation is that, unlike any other English courses, the teaching process is through one-to-one supervision with an appropriate member of staff, and the topic of the dissertation while mediated by the advice of the supervisor, is the student's choice. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of: 1. theories and key issues relating to the study of literature 2. literature's relationship to historical, theoretical and/or linguistic contexts 3. significant works and movements of Scottish literature as well as key critical frameworks and an appropriate and precise critical language for their analysis and discussion. B: Intellectual and Practical Skills. Students will develop the ability to: 1. engage in critical thinking, through the evaluation and challenging of abstract ideas, using appropriate research methodologies and synthesising ideas drawn from a variety of source to enable reflection upon key questions relating to the study of Scottish literature; 2. read texts closely, identifying patterns (repetitions, developments, sites of difference and disunity) 3. engage with the process of learning in a constructive and self-motivated fashion, by following their own research interests. Content: This course will provide students with guidance on writing a dissertation on a topic of their own choice in Scottish literature and approved by the programme co-ordinator for the Head of School.

This course may not be taken with any other dissertation course.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

More Information about Week Numbers

1st Attempt: One 8,000 word dissertation (100%). Resit: For honours students only: candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit a new dissertation.

Formative feedback will be given orally in response to supervision discussions, chapter plans etc.

Oral or written feedback will be given upon request as most students will have completed their degree by the time the dissertation is marked.