Master's Dissertation
Code: 42987 ECTS Credits: 10| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 4313800 International Relations, Security and Development | OB | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Eduard Soler Lecha
- Email:
- eduard.soler@uab.cat
Teachers
- Maria Ester Barbe Izuel
- Laura Feliu Martínez
- Francesc Serra Massansalvador
- Carlos Daniel Martin Faus
- Alessandro Demurtas
- María Alejandra Peña Gonzalez
- Olivia Isabell Glombitza
- Oriol Costa Fernandez
- Juan Pablo Soriano Gatica
- Blanca Camps Febrer
- Lluc Vidal López
- Guillem Farres Fernandez
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are none to start the process but there are to present the TFM in the public defense and in the final evaluation. This must have the approval of the supervisor.
In any case, students should know that:
to. It is a mandatory project for all students.
b. The coordinator will provide the student with a form to be filled stating the topic and the approach. On that basis, a supervisor will be assigned. Previously, a list of the topics that each available supervisor/supervisor considers to be a priority will be provided, that is, they are the ones that are active in their research and knowledge transfer programs. This will facilitate the match between the topics of interest of the students and those of their possible supervisors.
c. There will be a public defense of the research project
d. The process will conclude with the submission of the TFM according to the established procedures and calendars indicated in the guidelines that will be submmitted at the beginning of the course
e. The TFM can be written in Spanish, Catalan and English.
Objectives and Contextualisation
- Demonstrate competency in all aspects related to the preparation of academic or applied work, as explained in the content section.
- Analyze the international reality and recognize its complexity using the theoretical tools covered in the Master's Degree, while maintaining a forward-looking vision (trend projection and early identification of emerging topics).
- Analyze, synthesize, organize, and plan projects and work related to the field of study.
- Conduct research in the scientific literature, exhibiting expertise in accessing and utilizing specialized documentary and bibliographic resources in the field of International Relations, and integrate this information to develop and contextualize a research topic.
- Apply theoretical frameworks, approaches, and conceptual elaborations in the analysis of international relations.
- Design, plan, and execute a project on international relations that adheres to the criteria of academic rigor and excellence.
- Conduct a diagnosis of international relations, security, and development issues in countries, regions, and areas within the proposed international system. Generate useful guidance for decision-making if the work has an applied dimension.
- Possess and comprehend knowledge that serves as a foundation or opportunity for originality in the development and/or application of ideas.
- Integrate knowledge to formulate regulatory assessments, where applicable.
- Effectively communicate conclusions and knowledge to both specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
Learning Outcomes
- CA24 (Competence) To generate innovative and competitive professional and/or research-related proposals based on the conclusions presented in the Final Master's Degree Project.
- CA25 (Competence) To draft a research project on a topic of international relations that includes all phases (design, planning and implementation) and meets the criteria of rigour and academic excellence.
- CA26 (Competence) To use inclusive and non-discriminatory language when drafting and presenting the Final Master's Degree Project.
- CA27 (Competence) To identify issues related to international relations, security and development in the proposed countries, regions and sectors within the international system and propose viable and sustainable solutions.
- KA21 (Knowledge) To design a socially and ethically responsible research project.
- KA22 (Knowledge) To recognise guidelines for intervention in matters of security and development, particularly in the context of peace processes and peacebuilding, from different theoretical perspectives.
- KA23 (Knowledge) To reflect the complexity and implications of current sociopolitical processes in the research project.
- SA25 (Skill) To apply the knowledge acquired by solving problems in diverse and/or little-known settings, within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the research project.
- SA26 (Skill) To identify the most appropriate qualitative and interdisciplinary methodologies for analysing the topic addressed in the Final Master's Degree Project.
- SA27 (Skill) To structure the transmission of information on a particular research project in accordance with the appropriate guidelines and with specialised language.
- SA28 (Skill) To use scientific literature to gather information that helps approach and contextualise a research topic, demonstrating a command of specialised documentary and bibliographic resources on matters of international relations.
- SA29 (Skill) To systematically apply the appropriate methodological instruments in the research project.
Content
1- General.
a. This is a mandatory project for all students.
b. There will be public defense of the research project.
c. It can be written in Spanish, Catalan and English.
2. Possible Project Types
A. Academic
This is an unpublished work that clearly shows that the methodological criteria and the various instruments necessary to be able to carry out its own research are mastered, that is, to prove that it is possible to investigate topics specific to the master’s degree (international relations, safety and development).
It must be in a scientific article-like format in a specialized journal, with all its sections brief and clear summary of 150 words; identification of keywords; research questions and hypotheses; analysis guideline + theoretical review + status of the issue; development of the problem; conclusions; literature and possible annexes.
It is only recommended for people who are oriented to academic life (doctoral thesis, subsequent studies...)
B. Applied
It is about applying the knowledge learned in the Master's Degree to the preparation of a report, "policy paper" or state of the issue aimed at presenting in an orderly manner a problem for eventual political decision-makers, interested persons...
It should have a brief and clear summary of 150 words; identification of keywords; questions to be answered and objectives; development; recommendations, literature and sources, and possible appendices.
Examples include:
a. A report on a well-defined topic for use by an agency or decision-maker that must have reliable and well-ordered information: status of international negotiations, application of agreements, changes in an international region or body. It is about defining the status of the issue, the actors involved,the agenda of debate, positions, possible scenarios, etc.
b. An analysis of the evolution and status of the issue of some reports derived from an organization (Human Development, Global Development, Global Burden of Violence...) or from a specific area of a specific academic literature (e.g. the debate on why violence resurfaces in Central American countries after peace agreements, ...). In this case, it is about choosing a universe, focused and concrete, of analysis (X reports, X articles..), analyzing them, ordering them and drawing conclusions about similarities, differences, trends in progress, points of debate.... thinking that they were of interest to enter into the matter.
c. A policy paper in the strict sense of the word: a report directly aimed at recommending courses of action for different actors (government, intergovernmental bodies, civil society, etc.) on a given topic. It is based on the problem statement, the various ongoing scenarios and the possible evolution and possible actions or policies are recommended, in an argumentated manner.
3. Formal requirements for both cases (academic and applied)
a. Maximum length of 10,000 words (including references and footnotes)
b. It should be based on clear questions and well-defined objectives. Without questions, it is not possible to perform a TFM. And they must be questions that can be answered with the space limits mentioned and therefore on topics that can be obtained without resorting to post-fixation fieldwork.
c. The introduction must specify the objectives, the questions to be answered or the questions to be answered, the hypotheses and variables (if any), the chosen approach and the structure or sections of the work. In the case of the work applied, it is essential to say what the audience or type of reader is to whom it is addressed, so to say the "customers" or recipients.
d. There must be a section, however brief, of conclusions and/or recommendations, that resumes and tries to answer thequestions tobe answered.
e. Regarding the references, use an abbreviated citation system (Harvard,Chicago or APA) inside the work and in the final section of the literature used, fully cite all sources and references (including electronic ones).
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Oral defence | 2 | 0.08 | CA26, KA23, SA27 |
| Trainings and informative meetings with the TFM coordinator | 16 | 0.64 | CA25, KA21, SA26, SA29 |
| Tutorials with the supervisor | 8 | 0.32 | CA24, CA25, CA27, KA21, KA22, KA23, SA25, SA26, SA28, SA29 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Study, literature search, reading and analysis | 220 | 8.8 | CA24, CA25, CA27, KA21, KA22, KA23, SA25, SA26, SA28, SA29 |
There are three stages to completing the TFM:
1. Identification of the topic of study and assignment of the superviser
For this step, an informational meeting will take place with the module coordinator and a list with the descriptors of research topics of the people available for the supervision of the works will be previously shared with the student.
Subsequently, the student will send a proposal or pre-project specifying the object of study, the temporal or geographical limitation, the work methodology, and the work modality most appropriate to the subject and the interests and skills of the student. For research projects, a research question and a work hypothesis will be added and for research work, the suitability of the work to a political or social need of an organization or collective will be motivated. Finally, a first commented literature will be added with at least 5 references from books, articles, or reports that have addressed the same topic or employed a similar theoretical or analytical framework.
After consultation with the faculty and students, the module coordinator will assign a supervisor who will be connected to the student. To this end, topics that are explicitly included among the descriptors that appear in the list of teachers' specializations will be prioritized. We cannot guarantee the accompaniment of unexperienced topics among our teachers
2.Elaboration and research process.
Depending on the specific needs and/or preferences of the student and faculty, the TFM may be submitted for evaluation in July or September.
The student will publicly defend his/her research project before a court consisting of two or three faculty members, whose role will be to assess the strength of the project, the ability to participate in an academic and/or professional debate on how to improve a research project and provide suggestions for further development of the project.
This pre-plan and its defense is equivalent to 30% of the TFM's mark and its results must be taken into account to assess the advisability of presenting the TFM in July or September.
3.Final work presentation and evaluation
Students will present their work through the virtual campus for the final assessment. The work will be evaluated by a panel made up of three people, one of whom is the supervisor through a rubric that the students can consult through the virtual campus and according to the criteria established in the TFM guide of the MURISD (document available through the virtual campus too).
The supervisor's grade corresponds to 50% of this part of the grade and the other two, 25% each
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final project | 70% | 2 | 0.08 | CA24, CA25, CA26, CA27, KA21, KA22, KA23, SA25, SA26, SA27, SA28, SA29 |
| Public defence of the pre-plan | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | CA24, CA25, CA26, CA27, KA21, KA22, KA23, SA25, SA26, SA27, SA28, SA29 |
The assessment consists of two parts
- The evaluation by a court and the coordinator of the module of the soundness of the research project and of the solvency in its public defense (30%)
- The evaluation by three professors (including the supervisor) of the final work. For this, at the beginning of the process, an evaluation rubric will be shared with both students and teachers to establish what the requirements and objectives are, as well as the translation in a numerical format of different levels of achievement of the objectives in content and form.
The ordinary assessment takes place during the first week of July. Exceptionally, students may opt for an advanced assessment in February if the TFM is the only subject that the student must pass to obtain the master's degree. Also in an extraordinary way, the supervisors can agree with the TFM coordinator that the work does not meet the minimum requirements to be presented in July and in an exceptional and reasoned way it can be presented in September. In order to be able to opt for it, students must submit the available version of the work at the same time as the rest of the classmates.
Bibliography
There is no generic literature. The coordinator, and in particular supervisors, will be able to advise specific literature on research methods and techniques, writing process or on the topic addressed in the TFM
In the evaluation, the diversity of sources will be assessed and it will be taken into account that the contribution of both male and female authors is adequately reflected.
Software
Does not apply
Language list
Information on the teaching languages can be checked on the CONTENTS section of the guide.