Course Catalogue

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Independent study resulting in dissertation of 15,000 words in length, on a research topic of the student's own devising, in consultation with a supervisor.

3-4 supervisorial meetings of 30 minutes to an hour each as arranged between student and supervisor.

Standard entry to Masters at College level

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A dissertation of 12-15000 words - 100%

This course aims to:

■ enable students to develop and sustain an argument in an area of the student's personal research interest relating to fantasy in the period 1800 to the present day

■ promote an engagement with other scholarly, critical, or theoretical arguments relevant to that area

■ promote an engagement with fantasy literature and/or other forms of fantasy based on careful critical analysis

■ encourage the application of acquired research and writing skills to a supervised project.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

■ identify an appropriate fantasy-related research topic and/or formulate a research question suitable for development in a dissertation

■ identify and evaluate an appropriate range of primary and secondary material for inclusion in an extended piece of writing at this level

■ construct a coherent and convincing argument based on scholarly analysis of the source material

■ Organise their work into a coherent project of 12-15,000 words

■ apply the research methods and skills acquired in the taught element of the programme to the needs of supervised independent study.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.