GER30200 Research in German

Academic Year 2020/2021

This module offers undergraduate students a foretaste of research in German Studies, through planning and writing a short dissertation (ca. 5000 words, excluding bibliography) under the close supervision of a member of staff.
Students will usually have an area or broad topic in mind, which they will develop into a more concrete project theme in consultation with, and subject to approval by, their supervisors. They will identify primary and secondary sources, write a project proposal and develop a suitable methodology before producing a draft and then final version of the dissertation.
Because dissertations require advance planning and supervisor approval, students must approach the module coordinator in advance of or during the autumn trimester, prior to committing to this module.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, student should be able to:

- Pursue an independent research project in German Studies;
- Plan, organise and execute a sustained and in-depth piece of academic research under the supervision of a member of academic staff;
- Research and develop an adequate bibliography on a chosen topic;
- Complete a short research dissertation (5000 words, excluding bibliography).

Indicative Module Content:

Dissertations produced in this module focus on an area of German Studies and the chosen topic must first be approved by a supervisor. Suitable topics include literary and cultural studies, translation or adaptation studies, comparative projects, popular culture, as well as political or historical topics with a German Studies focus. The idea for a topic or broad area of studies may come from a module taken abroad, or just be a particular interest for which there is no module currently on offer. It is important that the main corpus (material) is in German and can be easily sourced.

The research interests of the supervising staff are at:

https://www.ucd.ie/slcl/research/ourresearch/#German

Dissertations will usually be written in English (or in German for non-anglophone students).

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Tutorial

8
Seminar (or Webinar)

4
Specified Learning Activities

30
Autonomous Student Learning

63
Total

105
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Students will spend the majority of their time working independently, researching primary and secondary sources, reading, writing and correcting drafts of written texts.
In regular meetings with the supervisor, students will receive feedback on their work, as well as advice about the research and writing process and the opportunity to discuss ideas.
There will be several some online plenary sessions earlier on in the trimester in which students will have the opportunity to present their ideas to each other orally, using appropriate visual supports.
Plenary sessions and individual suervisory meetings will be conducted online. However, dependent on mutal agreement, individual supervisors may arrange meetings on campus with their supervisees at a later stage in the trimester if health guidelines and campus restrictions allow.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

This module is targeted at Final-Year students. Students must have passed their level 2 core language modules in order to undertake this module. Students should approach the module coordinator and a member of academic staff in German Studies to agree topic and supervision before registering for the module [this approach should ideally be made at the start of semester 1, even though this is a semester 2 module].


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
GER20060 - German Language II a, GER20070 - German Language II b, GER20070 - German Language II b, GER20170 - Accelerated German Ex-Beginner, GER20180 - Intensive German Ex-Beginners

Additional Information:
Prerequisites: EITHER GER 20060 and GER 20070; OR GER 20170 and GER 20070; OR GER 20180


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Written Proposal including indicative bibliography Week 6 n/a Graded No

20
Assignment: 5000-word dissertation Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

80

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will receive individual oral and written feedback on project plans, bibliographies and draft texts prior to submission. During plenary sessions there will be an opportunity to receive peer feedback on plans for the project and its methodology. Written reports will be available to students after submission and grading is complete.

Name Role
Dr Siobhan Donovan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Gillian Pye Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Jeanne Riou Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Joseph Twist Lecturer / Co-Lecturer