Course Title: Minor Thesis

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Minor Thesis

Credit Points: 24.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

LANG1234

City Campus

Postgraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 2 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 2 2014

Course Coordinator: Caroline Norma

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 8306

Course Coordinator Email: caroline.norma@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 37.5.1A

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Prerequisite: HUSO 2079 Research Strategies, with a grade of at least DI (70%)


Course Description

This course requires you to conduct independent research under supervision. A research proposal for your thesis should be prepared during the HUSO2079 Research Strategies, and discussed with potential supervisors prior to enrolling in this course.

The thesis must be submitted at the end of the semester in which you are enrolled in this 24 credit point course.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Plan and design an independent research project
- Write a scholarly literature review
- Apply appropriate research approaches and methods
- Present a research project, explaining how the findings contribute to scholarship and/or professional practice



Overview of Learning Activities

With the assistance of a supervisor, you will carry out the research project you previously designed in the Research Strategies course. As part of this process, you will come to terms with the major existing literature on the subject, investigate new sources, gather and organise relevant data, sustain an interpretative discussion, and present the argument in a logical and coherent form. Through this process, you will gain experience in discovery, critical analysis, problem-solving and interpretation.

The supervision process is critical to the success of this course. Your supervisor is your personal adviser and critic. He or she should assist you in locating relevant sources, people, sites and organisations, recommend appropriate methodological and theoretical readings, advise about the organisation and structure of the argument, help you refine your topic if necessary, and read and criticise your manuscript. Your supervisor should give you assistance and support, as well as presenting you with a continual intellectual challenge. For this reason, you should be in regular weekly contact with your supervisor. While your supervisor is your primary adviser, you should still feel free to consult with others in the School who may be able to help you with your work. It is only common courtesy, however, to inform your supervisor about this. You should call on the Course Coordinator to resolve any conflicts or other problems arising from your work in this course.


Overview of Learning Resources

The individual nature of thesis writing determines that no single set of resources will be used; students will draw their thesis topic from what have been salient issues for them during the program, and will have the complete suite of RMIT resources in Translating & Interpreting to draw on, including extensive archives of texts, dialogues, audio-visual and written material.


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on your development of the above learning outcomes. The assessment will be in the form of a 10,000-12,000 word Minor Thesis.