Master's Dissertation
Code: 43976 ECTS Credits: 9| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 4316481 Teaching Chinese to Spanish Speakers | OB | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Helena Casas Tost
- Email:
- helena.casas@uab.cat
Teachers
- Melinda Dooly Owenby
- Emilee Sarah Moore De Luca
- Andy Morodo Horrillo
- Antonio Paoliello Palermo
- Xianghong Qu Lu
- Maria Dolors Masats Viladoms
- Xavier Pascual Calvo
- Sara Rovira Esteva
- María Carmen Espín García
- Claudia Carolina Vallejo Rubinstein
- Julia Llompart Esbert
- Mireia Vargas Urpi
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of this module is to elaborate and defend an MA dissertation (trabajo de fin de máster, TFM), which will integrate the knowledge acquired in the previous modules. In general terms, it is an MA dissertation that should address a topic related to teaching Chinese as a foreign language. In the MA dissertation, students must demonstrate that they:
- Have acquired the knowledge in which they have been trained in the Master’s degree course.
- Have critical and analytical skills.
- Have systematic knowledge of the basic fields of study and a mastery of the skills and associated work methods.
- Are able to use specific resources appropriately to support study, work and research in professional and academic contexts.
- Are able to present and defend the results obtained.
Competences
- Apply methodology for research, specific techniques and resources for researching and producing innovative results in a certain area of specialisation.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously.
- Generate and manage innovative proposals and projects in professional activity and in research.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Make a comparative analysis of linguistic and cultural aspects of Chinese and Spanish for teaching purposes.
- Recognise the specific characteristics of Chinese language and culture to apply them to the teaching of Chinese for Spanish speakers.
- Relate research in language teaching and learning with teaching practice or learning processes observed in the classroom to make suggestions for improvements from both a theoretical and practical point of view.
- Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
- Work individually and in a team and be able to analyse, interpret and synthesise the information generated.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply methodology for research, specific techniques and resources for researching and producing innovative results in a certain area of specialisation.
- Clearly and precisely explain how Chinese and Spanish differ in a particular linguistic area, for teaching purposes.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously.
- Generate and manage innovative proposals and projects in professional activity and in research.
- Improve classroom work and curriculum design by integrating action research.
- Integrate and apply theoretical knowledge when formulating and solving a specific problem in teaching a particular aspect of the Chinese language or culture.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
- Use research tools independently as a basis for reflecting on matters of professional practice or research in the Chinese-as-a-foreign language classroom, and suggest improvements.
- Work individually and in a team and be able to analyse, interpret and synthesise the information generated.
Content
This module has no particular content, as all students will carry out their MA dissertation individually on a topic they choose, under the supervision and guidance of their supervisor.
MA dissertations must be writtem in Spanish and include the following parts:
- Title page: title, author’s name, NIU and signature, supervisor’s name and signature, name of the MA programme, date, name and signature of the programme's coordinator
- Abstract and key words in Spanish and Chinese
- Index
- Introduction (aims, motivation and structure)
- Theoretical and methodological framework
- Main part of the dissertation (context, analysis, case study, etc.)
- Conclusions
- List of references (only references cited in the dissertation)
- Appendixes (if any)
MA dissertations must comply with the following formal aspects:
- Length: between 20.000 and 25.000 words approximately, excluding appendixes (50 pages)
- Line spacing: 1,5
- Font size: 12
- Font: Arial or Times New Roman for Spanish, Simsun/Songti for Chinese
- Footnotes: Times New Roman 10
- References: Please see Guía de estilo para el uso de palabras de origen chino and follow the guidelines suggested in M5.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Discussions with supervisor | 10 | 0.4 | 2, 3, 6, 8 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Elaboration of the dissertation and preparation for the Viva | 150 | 6 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Reading appropriate bibliography | 64 | 2.56 | 7, 8, 9 |
PLANNING
This module is exclusively devoted to the writing of the dissertation and is based on students’ autonomous work and discussions with their supervisor, as students will write it individually and will present it orally in a viva. Therefore, students must organize their work autonomously. However, there will be a minimum of 4 face-to-face discussions with the supervisor, which are compulsory. These meetings will be useful to solve problems on the structure, content and methodology of the dissertation. In the following planning table, compulsory face-to-face meetings with the supervisor will be set, as well as the dates in which drafts must be handed in.
|
WEEK |
CONTENT |
METHOD |
|
1 |
First meeting with the supervisor to set the aims, content and approach of the dissertation |
Face-to-face discussion with the supervisor 1 |
|
3 |
Handing in the dissertation project, which must include: title, aims, structure, methodology and basic bibliography |
Online discussion with the supervisor |
|
7 |
First draft: handing in 40% of the dissertation |
Online discussion with the supervisor |
|
8 |
Revision of the first draft |
|
|
12 |
Second draft: handing in 90% of the dissertation |
Online discussion with the supervisor |
|
14 |
Revision of the second draft |
Face-to-face discussion with the supervisor 3 |
|
16 |
Final version of the dissertation |
Online discussion with the supervisor |
|
18 |
Preparation for the viva |
Face-to-face discussion with the supervisor 4 |
This module will be taught in Spanish.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| supervisor's grade | 40% | 0.25 | 0.01 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| thesis committee's grade | 40% | 0.25 | 0.01 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| viva | 20% | 0.5 | 0.02 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 |
This MA will conclude with the writing of and public viva for an MA dissertation, which will be about 60 minutes long maximum. The examining committee will be made up of three members, excluding the dissertation supervisor. If the MA dissertation is not submitted on time or is failed, students will have to retake it the following year.
Assessment will include:
- Written dissertation: 80% (40% tutor, 40% examining committee)
- Viva: 20%
The main assessment criteria will be:
- General assessment (20%)
- Suitability of contributions and results (20%)
- Structure (15%)
- Methodology (15%)
- Formal aspects and language level (15%)
- Citations and bibliography (15%)
Irregularities in assessment activities
In case of irregularities (plagiarism, copying, identity theft, etc.) in an assessment activity, the mark of the whole activity will be 0. In case of irregularities in various assessment activities, the final mark of the module will be 0. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (such as plagiarism, copying, identity theft) are excluded from re-evaluation.
Students are encouraged to check the UAB instructions on plagiarism ( http://blogs.uab.cat/dretsautor/category/plagi/) and the ‘Guia explicativa sobre com citar per evitar el plagi’ by the UAB, available on the same website.
Single assessment
This module may NOT be assessed under the single assessment system.
Bibliography
Since each MA dissertation is on a specific topic, bibliography will vary depending on the topic chosen, but here are some basic reference works related to research methodology:
- Casas-Tost, Helena and Sara, Rovira-Esteva. 2015. Guía de estilo para el uso de palabras de origen chino. Madrid: Adeli. <https://ddd.uab.cat/record/180644>
-
Hartley, James. 2008. Academic Writing and Publishing: A Practical Handbook. London: Routledge.
- Koval, Martín; Koval, Santiago. 2015. ¿Cómo se hace un trabajo académico? Material de apoyo del Taller de metodología y redacción académica. EDICIONES INCERTIDUMBRE.
- Mackey, Allison; Gass, Susan M. 2022. 3a ed. Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge.
- Murray, Rowena; Moore, Sarah. 2006. The Handbook of Academic Writing. Berkshire, England: Open University Press.
- Nicodemus, Brenda; Swabey, Laurie. 2016. “Action Research.” In Researching Translation and Interpreting, edited by Angelelli, Claudia V.; Baer, Brian James, 157–67. New York; Oxon: Routledge.
- Nunan, David. 1992. Research Methods in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Rigo, Antònia; Genescà, Gabriel. 2002. Cómo Presentar una Tesis y Trabajos de Investigación. Vic; Barcelona: Eumo, Octaedro.
Software
none in particular
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | second semester | afternoon |