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Research Skills in Languages and Cultures

Module description

This module is ideal for anyone considering a dissertation or further study – or if you just want to learn more about research. The module takes you through the process of preparing a research proposal and literature review, introduces you to key methodologies for research in languages and cultures, and embeds you within the university research community.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will equip you with the skills you need to design, carry out, analyse and present a research project. This includes both general skills, such as formulating a research question or understanding research ethics, and specific methodologies. The module also aims to introduce you to the research community at the university, through attendance at research seminars, where researchers present their work. From both your classes and the research seminars, you will learn more about how researchers structure and present their arguments effectively.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Formulate a research question and design a project to answer that question
• 2. Demonstrate understanding of a range of research methodologies and processes

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Critically evaluate scholarship in a relevant field
• 4. Present ideas clearly in writing or orally

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Conduct independent study, including preparing material for group discussion
• 6. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment

Syllabus plan

Topics may vary from year to year but are likely to include:

• Formulating a research question
• The literature review
• Working with archives
• Interviews and oral histories
• Digital methods
• Research ethics
• Structuring and presenting ideas effectively

Alongside your lectures and seminars, you are expected to attend at least three research seminars hosted by research centres and institutes at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, such as the Centre for Translating Cultures, the Global China Research Centre or the Centre for Medieval Studies.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

The reflection on research papers is expected to be on papers presented at research seminars during the term. If you are unable to attend these due to mitigating circumstances, the re-assessment can be a reflection on published research articles.

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Drucker, Johanna. The Digital Humanities Coursebook: An Introduction to Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship (New York: Routledge, 2021)
• Gournelos, Ted, Joshua R. Hammonds and Maridath A. Wilson (eds). Doing Academic Research: A Practical Guide to Research Methods and Analysis (New York: Routledge, 2019)
• Pickering, Michael. Research Methods for Cultural Studies (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Key words search

research skills, research methodology