Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

This is an Honours module taught by Central and East European Studies. It can be taken as part of the MA Honours Social Science or Arts Programme. This course will provide CEES single and joint honours students with an opportunity to undertake a period of substantial independent research (i.e. dissertation) on a topic chosen in consultation with an academic supervisor.

Regular meetings with a supervisor to be individually arranged

Mandatory entry requirements
Entry to CEES Honours normally requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over CEES 2A and CEES 2B as a first attempt or 15 (Grade B) over CEES 1A and CEES 1B as a first attempt.

Independent Research in CEES or in other subject or dissertation in other subject.

None

■ 2,500-word project proposal (with an embedded literature review) due in the first semester of the senior honours year (30%)

■ 10-12,000-word dissertation due in the second semester of the senior honours year (70%)

Students will be exempt from self-plagiarism and will be able to re-use materials from their project proposal in their final dissertation.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The Honours Dissertation option offers CEES single and joint honours students the opportunity to devise an original research proposal and to conduct substantial independent research on their chosen topic under the guidance of a supervisor. It encourages the use of various research methods, and aims to generate enthusiasm and interest among students in the general discipline of Central and East European Studies.  The Dissertation is a compulsory requirement for students taking single Honours CEES. Joint honours students can elect to do either a CEES dissertation or a dissertation or equivalent in their other subject.

Students will benefit from the expert knowledge of staff in areas where they have made a particular research contribution as well as specialised education in the study of Central and East European Studies in both its empirical and theoretical aspects. 

Students who have completed an Honours Dissertation in Central and East European Studies will:

■ have a specialised knowledge of a specific cultural, economic, historical or political area of analysis and country within the field of Central and East European Studies;

■ be acquainted with a range of methodologies;

■ possess a detailed knowledge of the culture, economics, history and politics of the region;

■ be able to evaluate theories and analyse critically the arguments of scholars;

■ have acquired the disposition to approach any subject of enquiry in an open-minded, rigorous and undogmatic manner and the skill to construct arguments and express their own views in a logical and lucid fashion;

■ an ability to work independently using their own initiative to produce work containing a substantial element of originality.

None