Master's Dissertation
Code: 43815 ECTS Credits: 12| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4316204 French as a Foreign Language and Linguistic Diversity | OB | 0 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Anna Corral Fulla
- Email:
- ana.corral@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- (fre)
Prerequisites
None.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The objective of this module is the elaboration of an original and unpublished work of reflection and research, carried out by the student under the supervision of a specialist who is part of the teaching staff of the Master. This work will be evaluated by a committee of three evaluators in public session.
The Master's Thesis aims to initiate the student in the research methodology so that he can successfully propose and carry out research in some specific aspect of the FLE in exogenous contexts and linguistic mediation in French and in multilingual fields, as well. how to defend it orally in front of the academic community.
Therefore, the main training objectives of the Master's Thesis are:
- To propose an investigation (to limit the subject, to obtain information and to look for the necessary resources, to elaborate an experimental protocol),
- To apply an appropriate methodology to the object of study (in order to obtain data, analyze and interpret them)
- To draw conclusions from the results obtained and open future perspectives
- To adapt the written discourse to the academic situation, both in terms of style and the structuring and use of typographic techniques
- To adapt the oral discourse to the situation of presentation of the research work.
Competences
- Analyze the social, cultural and linguistic dimensions of various training situations in the context of a very good level of French, including situations which demand intermediation, mediation between languages and/or the management of plurilingualism and multiculturalism.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Design and carry out research into a problem linked to teaching French as a foreign language and linguistic diversity.
- Organize and plan the content of a work of research (article, monograph) and/or an oral presentation (class, report, paper).
- Select and use existing teaching resources with the aim of planning and carrying out teaching activities and adapt and produce teaching resources in different formats (written, audio, multimedia) which can be used for teaching practice and teaching of French as a foreign language.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
Learning Outcomes
- Adapt a specific teaching resource for use in the classroom in French as a foreign language to non-classroom type teaching.
- Analyze a case concerning the presence of the French Foreign Language in areas characterized by linguistic diversity and mediation.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Establish research designs in the area of French as a foreign language according to linguistic-cultural baggage, specific aims and the learning context.
- Evaluate the possibility of factors occurring which form a learning situation and recommend actions to carry them out.
- Identify and interpret a range of teaching situations for French as a foreign language.
- Organize and plan the content of a work of research (article, monograph) and/or an oral presentation (class, report, paper).
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
Content
The Master's Thesis is an original research paper written by the student of the master's degree in agreement with the tutor and subject to evaluation by a committee of three teachers of the same master's degree in public session. The research must be based on some of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course and aims to demonstrate:
The acquisition of the knowledge received.
Reflective and critical ability.
Systematic knowledge of basic fields of study and mastery of skills and associated work methods.
The ability to use appropriately in professional and academic contexts the specific resources for study, work and research.
The ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments and in broad or multidisciplinary, multicultural and multilingual contexts, related to FLE.
The ability to present and defend the results obtained.
Two training activities are included in this work:
- Carrying out a work of a minimum of 50 pages, in which a specific study topic is developed within the framework of the subjects included in the Master's Study Plan.
- The oral and public defense of work before a thesis jury specifically set up for this purpose by three professors from the same master's degree. Exceptionally, the participation in the jury of professors of other studies may be considered.
Methodology
The methodology adopted in the elaboration of the TFM will depend on the chosen topic and the corresponding tutor.
The following general considerations should be taken into account regarding the characteristics of the research work:
1. The TFM must be an original and unpublished work of reflection and research in the strict sense. It will be presented as a research paper of a minimum of 50 pages.
2. Studies that are not original or unpublished will not be accepted. Total or partial plagiarism committed will result in immediate suspension of the module.
3. Papers must comply with the "TFM Publication Rules". A guide to writing the TFM (structure and other formal aspects) will be published in the Moodle space.
4. The TFM must be written and defended orally in French.
5. The work can only be submitted and defended with the approval of the tutor. The tutor must ensure the process of preparing the TFM with the corresponding face-to-face tutorials (at least four) and has the right not to authorize the presentation of those works that he considers insufficient or that have failed to meet the deadlines presentation or any of the established rules.
6. The methodology adopted in the elaboration of the TFM will depend on the chosen topic.
7. The cover of the work will include the full title, the name of the author, the name of the tutor, the name of the master's degree and the course.
8. A final copy of the TFM, signed by the tutor, must be deposited to the secretariat of UISAD (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UAB, Building B). Works will not be accepted outside the established deadline.
Structure
- 29th September, at 4.30 pm: previous session of the enrolled students for the TFM with the coordinator of the module to expose the guidelines that needto be followed for a good individual development of the TFM
- In October, each student will present a proposal tothe coordinatorof a subject for his or her work (provisional title, brief summary). The module coordinator will assign a tutor to each student according to the characteristics of the chosen subject.
- In November, first guiding session and discussion with the tutor
- During the second semester, the rest of the guiding sessions (at least three)
- 6th February: Drafting of a report containing a brief exposition of: a) presentation of the TFM; b) starting hypothesis; c) objectives; d) state of the art in the literature; e) working methodology; f) provisional index; g) significant progress; and h) doubts and problems. Length of the report: 4 pages (8.400characters with spaces) maximum. This report must be sent to the tutor and the module coordinator within the deadlines established by the TFM calendar.
- 2nd June: The tutor must be able to read a first draft of the full TFM.
- 21thJune, before 2 pm: TFM deadline for submission; a copy must be sent, by e-mail and in pdf format, to the module coordinator (ana.corral@uab.cat) and to the master's degree coordinator (xavier.blanco@uab.cat). A final copy, signed by the tutor, must also be submitted to the secretariat of the UISAD (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UAB, Building B). The TFM will not be accepted after this deadline.
- 23thJune, each student must send, by email and in pdf, a final copy of their TFM to the tutor and members of the panel.
- 5th – 11th July: Public defense session and work evaluation
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorial sessions and draft corrections | 75 | 3 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 9, 5 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Reading of bibliography, personal study, research, elaboration of the work | 175 | 7 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 9, 5 |
Assessment
MONITORING:
There will be a minimum of 4 tutorial sessions:
1. Session: work proposal with summary, research approach and bibliography
2. Session: follow-up tutoring
3. Session: submission of 50% of the work and planning of the rest
4. Session: submission of the finished version of the work to review and preparation of the oral presentation
Assessment:
The assessment of the module will be based on the presentation and public defense of the chosen research work. The work, presented with the approval of the tutor, will be evaluated by a panel formed by the tutor of the work and by 2 other professors of the master's degree. The weight of each part on the final grade is as follows: written part (80%) and oral defense (20%).
The public defense session should last maximum one hour and be distributed as follows:
- 15-20 minutes of exposure for the author of the work;
- 25-30 minutes for court members (10 minutes maximum for each)
- 15 minutes of debate / reply / deliberation
The level of French will be taken into account in the TFM.
A detailed scale of the evaluated criteria will be published in the Moodle space.
The members of the panel will fill in a report of the evaluation of the TFM, duly signed by all three, which will be delivered to the UISAD.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Plagiarism: The total or partial plagiarism of any exercise, examination or paper will automatically be considered FAILURE (0). PLAGIARISM is to copy fromunidentified sources, either a single phrase or more, presenting it as your own production. It constitutes a serious offense.
“No avaluable”:
If the final paper is not handed in on the delivery dates stablished , the student will obtain a NO AVALUABLE.
“Matrícula d’Honor”:
The qualification Matrícula d'Honor will be awarded by the Teaching Committee taking into consideration the TFM mark and the average mark of the whole degree (75% TFM, 25% transcript).
Revision of the grade:
The process of revision of the grade will be carried out following the established procedures.
Reassessment:
Reassessment is not applicable in the TFM.
Publication in the DDD:
If the student wishes his / her TFM to be published in the UAB Digital Repository of Documents (DDD), as long as the TFM meets the quality requirements to be published (qualification of 9 or more and with the approval of the tutor), on the day of the TFM defense, the student must sign and deliver to the TFM coordinator the consent document prepared by the Humanities Library.
In the event that the monitoring and/or presentation cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation of the Master's Thesis | 20% | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 9, 5 |
| Presentation of the writing work | 80% | 40 | 1.6 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 9, 5 |
Bibliography
Students are referred to the following list of academic writing references and style manuals:
Boutillier, Sophie et Uzinidis, Dimitri (2015). Rédiger un mémoire ou un rapport de stage. Paris : Studyrama.
Eco, Umberto (2016). Comment écrire sa thèse. Paris : Flammarion.
Fragnière, Jean-Pierre (2016). Comment réussir un mémoire. Paris : Dunod.
Kalika, Michel, Mouricdu, Philippe et Garreau, Lionel (2018). Le mémoire de master. Paris : Dunod.
Nzete, Paul (2008). Conseils pour rédiger et présenter un mémoire ou une thèse. Paris : L’Harmattan.
Roche, Didier (2007). Rédiger et soutenir un mémoire avec succès. Paris : Éditions d’Organisation.
Online resources :
Université de Montréal : « Citer selon les normes APA »
https://bib.umontreal.ca/citer/apa?tab=108
Mendeley Institucional UAB :
https://www.uab.cat/web/estudia-i-investiga/mendeley-institucional-1345718283901.html
Software
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