PP3DIS: Dissertation in Philosophy

Module code: PP3DIS

Module provider: Philosophy; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 40

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Professor Maximilian De Gaynesford, email: r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded: IN TAKING THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT TAKE PP3ILM (Compulsory)

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 12 September 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The Dissertation in Philosophy offers those who have already studied a good deal of Philosophy to engage in original and independent research, under the supervision of a member of staff and the with regular guidance from the module convenor. The main aim of this module is to produce a dissertation: an extended essay of no more than 10,000 words that displays the independent research you have done throughout your third year. As this is a philosophy module, the topic of your dissertation must be philosophical, but this encompasses an incredibly wide range of topics, including all of the topics you will have studied in previous modules. Unlike dissertations in other subjects and other universities, the assessment for the dissertation module does not solely consist in your final essay. Instead, there are three forms of assessment: 

• An assessed research proposal: This is worth 10% of your final mark and is due halfway through Semester 1  
• An Oral Presentation: This is worth 25% of your final mark and will take place halfway through Semester 2.  
• The final dissertation: This is worth 65% of your final mark and will be due at the end of Semester 2.  

In spreading the assessment across the year in this way, the module is designed to push you to work continuously on your dissertation throughout the year. However, the dissertation is still primarily a project that you are in charge of, and it will be up to you to ensure you are making the requisite progress throughout the year – to decide on a topic, write a research proposal, produce an oral presentation, and finally submit a dissertation.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

• Explain and critically assess a key idea, topic, thinker, or text from either the history of philosophy or some contemporary debate.
• Show an ability to plan, organize and carry out a substantial piece of independent research.
• Identify, select and deploy in cogent argument a wide range, where relevant, of appropriate resources and relevant evidence.
• Demonstrate, where relevant, a confident awareness of and engagement with critical debates surrounding the selected topic.
• Have an overview of the literature (primary and/or secondary) in the area and will know how to develop and present a bibliography.
• Exercise skills of editing, proof-reading and formal presentation to high standards of scholarly accuracy.

Module content

Before undertaking the module, students will be required to submit an Initial Research Proposal, under the guidance of their Academic Tutors, which will then be used as a basis to allocate supervisors. At the beginning of Semester 1, students will plan and begin on their research programme under the guidance of their supervisors. They will work on their first assignment, the Assessed Research Proposal. They will then work on their second assignment, the Oral Presentation, which will take place during Semester 2. They will submit their final assessment, the dissertation, at the end of Semester 2.

Due to the abstract nature of philosophical theory, students will develop skills in critical thinking and the general evaluation of arguments. Their examination of a topic at length and in detail will help to prepare them for potential further work at postgraduate level.

By the end of the module students will also be able to:

• Use a variety of IT resources (including word-processing software and on-line information resources)
• Organise their time effectively
• Show independence and initiative in planning their research and organizing their supervisions

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This is an independent-learning module, under the guidance of a supervisor and with regular input from the Module Convenor and from the Library who will share their expertise on conducting research. 

Your dissertation supervisor should be your first point of contact when seeking advice for your dissertation. You are entitled to two-three hours of supervision each semester. Usually, this will consist of one or two meetings to discuss the work you have done thus far on your dissertation and what you need to do next. You should not expect your dissertation supervisor to be an expert on the topic you are writing on. They may well have some expertise in the relevant area, but the primary role of the supervisor is to guide you in your independent research and provide feedback on the work you produce. Similarly, the onus is primarily on you to find the appropriate background readings on the topic you are interested in, even though your supervisor may well have a number of suggestions.  

Study hours

At least 10 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Examples include: working on a research plan and reading list, discussing relevant debates with the supervisor.

Reassessment

Additional costs