Final Year Project in Politics and International Relations

The Final Year Project allows students to develop an independent research and writing project on an approved topic and supervised by a member of academic staff in the Department. It is open to students who attained a 2.1 average in their second year of study.

The project usually takes the format of a 10.000 word dissertation, but other formats are possible. It is accompanied by a compulsory seminar that provides training and guidance on how to design, research and write/present the project. The seminar runs throughout terms one and two and is intended as a forum in which students present their ideas and get feedback from peers as well as a forum for support and guidance on their project.

Students wishing to undertake a Final Year Project should start planning towards the end of the second term of the preceding year. They must submit a title and a short synopsis (max. 500 words) of the topic to their chosen supervisor and to the FYP convenor for approval at the beginning of the academic year. Approval will depend on the feasibility of the proposal and the availability of appropriate supervision.

Prerequisites

Requires at least 2.1 average in year 2

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

• Understand and engage with a key issue or problem in the area of international relations and politics.
• Show their ability to undertake a literature review and position themselves within it
• Organise their ideas through theoretical and empirical material and plan, develop and present an argument in relation to this.
• Show their ability to effectively gather, manage and organise relevant data in support of their argument.
• Demonstrate their ability to work independently or in a team under the guidance of an academic supervisor.
• Demonstrate good academic research practice, analytical skills, and competence in academic writing or another format of presenting their project

Workload

This module will be taught over 20 weeks with:

• 1 hour lecture per week 
• T2: Additional 1 hour tutorial per week 

Method of assessment

Dissertation: 100%

Suggested reading

• Turabian, Kate L. 2013. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Eighth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Smith, Karen, Malcolm Todd, and Julia Waldman. 2009. Doing your undergraduate social science dissertation. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Judith Burnett. 2009. Doing your Social Science Dissertation. London: Sage
• Roselle, Laura and Sharon Spray. 2008. Research and Writing in International Relations. London: Pearson Education.
• Jegede et al., 2020. Writing Successful Undergraduate Dissertations in Social Sciences: A Student's Handbook (2nd Edn.), Abingdon: Routledge

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules