This module focuses on the skills of advanced research writing, providing the training needed to research, plan and communicate with confidence for an academic audience. The course will trace the process through which research is consolidated and prepared for the academic essay, highlighting the importance of structure, signposting and clarity of expression. The course will enable students to refine and develop the skills of constructing a sophisticated argument which engages critically with appropriate scholarship and is clearly articulating an intervention. The module is research-led, meaning the topic through which such skills are developed will be chosen by the course convenor to reflect her/his own research interests. The course will therefore also engage directly with current, innovative research and allow students to gain an understanding of the discipline's larger research community and activities.
Total Contact Hours: 55
Private Study Hours: 245
Total Study Hours: 300
Main assessment methods:
Digital Portfolio – 30%
Essay (5,000 words) – 70%
Reassessment methods:
Like for Like
Indicative Reading List:
Corrigan, T. (2015). A Short Guide to Writing About Film. Ninth Edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Scott, R., Snaith, A. & R. Rylance. (Eds.). (2001). Making Your Case: A Practical Guide to Essay Writing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Scott, R. & Chapman, P. (Eds.). (2001). Grammar and Writing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Zemach, D. (2005). Academic Writing: From Paragraph to Essay. Oxford: Macmillan.
The reading list for the module's research topic will vary from year to year and is dependent upon the choice of the course convenor.
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Craft an appropriate research question to explore a specific topic within the study of film, clearly identifying an intervention in existing scholarship
2 Effectively organise and synthesise research in the development of a central argument and essay plan
3 Produce a piece of advanced academic writing appropriate to postgraduate level which effectively communicates original ideas and abides by academic, and film-specific, conventions
4 Reflect upon the writing process and analyse the purposes of academic writing within the discipline
5 Explore and engage with innovative research taking place within film studies, understanding how diverse ideas contribute to the larger research landscape of the discipline
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Critically analyse and make use of reading material and conceptual frameworks;
2 Give sustained attention and concentration to examine the details of texts;
3 Demonstrate advanced skills of cogency, structure and presentation of arguments;
4 Communicate appropriately according to purpose.
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