Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
---|---|---|---|
4313157 Advanced English Studies | OB | 0 | 2 |
Students must have passed the taught part of the master’s before they can defend their master’s theses.
The objectives of the master’s thesis module are:
(a) Helping students decide on a research topic and supervisor according to academic strengths and preferences.
(b) Providing students with the guidance needed to undertake graduate-level research on English literature, linguistics, language acquisition and language use, with a special focus on multilingual contexts.
(c) Training students to work autonomously following their supervisor’s guidance.
Students will have to submit a 30-50 page original research paper dissertation. The paper can be on a topic that relates to any of the subjects included in the master’s programme and/or within the area of expertise of professors in the programme.
Students in the Language specialization can choose to carry out an empirically-oriented dissertation (an experimental or ethnographic study with a final written report) or a theoretically-oriented dissertation (for instance, a critical essay on the state-of-the-art that could include descriptive data and linguistic argumentation). Students in the Literature specialization will carry out a dissertation on a topic within their area (for example, history of English and American literature, and critical or cultural studies).
A list of possible master's thesis titles for students to choose from will be provided at the beginning of the academic year. There will be guidance for the selection of master's thesis topics and supervisors.
The Masters Thesis must follow the Departament of English's Paper Guidelines.
CALENDAR
October: General meeting with the MA Theses Coordinator
November-December: Supervisor assignment
January-February: Proposal
March-April: 5-page slice (Literature specialisation) and Workplan (Language specialisation)
May-June: Final draft submission
End of June: Official submission of MA Theses
July: Oral Defence by mid July.
Sudents will have regular meetings with their supervisor to discuss and assess the progress of their master’s thesis. This involves active preparation for supervision sessions and a great deal of autonomous work in data collection, data analysis and writing up.
Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Supervised | |||
Master's Thesis preparation, writing and defence | 300 | 12 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 6, 7, 11, 4, 8, 12, 10 |
The master’s thesis will have to be defended orally before a committee of two members. Students will be assessed on the basis of both the written thesis and the oral presentation.
The TFM coordinator is the person you should contact if you experience problems with your supervisor or to find out about relevant deadlines.
Supervisors have to approve a thesis before it is submitted for its defense.
Students are required to employ non-sexist language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check the website of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiary of any of the exercises will automatically be considered “fail” (0) for the plagiarized item. Plagiary is copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources, presenting it as original work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR FRAGMENTS FROM THE INTERNET AND ADDING THEM WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO A TEXT WHICH IS PRESENTED AS ORIGINAL). Plagiarism is a serious offense. Students must learn to respect the intellectual property of others, identifying any source they may use, and take responsibility for the originality and authenticity of the texts they produce.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Master's Thesis | 100% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 6, 7, 11, 4, 8, 12, 10 |
Bell, Judith. 2010. Doing your research project. A guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science. Open Up Study Skills (5th Edition), UK.
Galvan, Jose L. and Galvan, Melisa C. 2017. Writing Literature Reviews. A guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. London: Routledge (7th Edition).
Hyland, Ken. 2008. English for Academic Purposes. An advanced resource book. New York: Routledge.
Swales, John and Christine Feak. 2000. English in Today’s Research World. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Van Geyte, Els. 2013. Writing: Learn to write better academic essays. Academic Skills Series. London: Collins EAP.
Williams, Anneli. 2013. Research: Improve your reading and referencing skills. Academic Skills Series. London: Collins EAP.
Wray, Alison and Aileen Bloomer. 2006. Projects in Linguistics. A practical guide to researching Language. London: Hodder Education (2nd Edition).