Universität Wien

128302 KU Toolkit for Research and Writing (MA Literature) (2023S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Please note that this class is being taught onsite. As the class includes regular peer-to-peer feedback, in-class writing activities and work in groups or pairs, attendance is a crucial path to the competences that you will be acquiring.
You may not miss more than two sessions (i.e. 2x90 minutes of class).

  • Thursday 09.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 16.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 23.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 30.03. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 20.04. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 27.04. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 04.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 11.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 25.05. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 01.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 15.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 22.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 29.06. 16:15 - 17:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course provides students with a theoretical and practical toolkit for the writing of an M.A. thesis in literary and cultural studies. The emphasis of the course is not so much on the WHAT, but on the HOW of a research project, i.e., on the whole process of planning, organising and carrying out your thesis project.
Topics covered include, among others, the stages involved in a research process, research methodologies and critical approaches, information research and the use of databases, working with primary texts, as well as formal aspects of a research paper like citation styles and plagiarism.

We will discuss:
- how to find a topic and identify gaps in research about your material;
- the process of working from interest to topic to thesis statement;
- argumentative patterns and the creation of a table of contents;
- the relevance of editing, correcting and re-reading your own texts.

If participants already work on a thesis project or have an idea they would like to work on, they will have the opportunity to present and discuss these ideas to/with the group. Ideally, you will bring an idea or outline for your thesis project to the course, because you can then use our discussions and the portfolio tasks to actually work on your project. However, students do not have to have a project, yet. By the end of term, some of you might have arrived at a concrete research and writing plan. Overall, students will be given the chance to develop a potential MA thesis project over the course of the class.

Assessment and permitted materials

1. Regular attendance and preparation of session material (students may miss two sessions)
2. General participation in class, including individual contributions as well as work in groups or pairs
3. Expert group presentation on assigned readings or individual presentation of your thesis project
4. Four portfolio tasks (oral and written) in the course of the semester

Ensure compliance with the standards of good academic practice and the correct application of the techniques of academic work and writing.
Plagiarized and fraudulent performances (also in single tasks) lead to non-grading of the course (entry of an 'X' in the transcript).
In case of doubt, the course instructor may invite students to a grade-related conversation (plausibility check or "notenrelevantes Gespräch") about submitted partial performances.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- Active participation and contributions in class: 20%. This includes:
a) Writing assignments in class
b) Preparation of assigned texts & active participation in discussions
- Portfolio tasks (combined): 50%
- Expert presentation or individual presentation: 30%

Students must attain at least 60% of each task to pass the course.

Marks in %:
1 (very good): 90-100%
2 (good): 80-89%
3 (satisfactory): 70-79%
4 (pass): 60-69%
5 (fail): 0-59%

Examination topics

• Input phases combined with classroom discussion
• Student input from your expert session or individual presentation
• Students' research projects (portfolio and expert presentation)

Reading list

Fabb, Nigel, and Alan Durant. How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2005. Online Edition.
Dunleavy, Patrick. Authoring a PhD. London: Palgrave, 2003.
Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2004.
Pope, Rob. Textual Intervention: Critical and Creative Strategies for Literary Studies. London and New York: Routledge, 1995.
Wisker, Gina. The Postgraduate Research Handbook. 2. ed. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Relevant excerpts from these publications will be provided at the beginning of the semester via moodle.

As for primary texts and material for close reading exercises, this depends on the participants' individual projects and will be decided upon with the group.

Association in the course directory

Studium: MA 844(2)
Code/Modul: MA 2.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-0116

Last modified: Th 09.02.2023 11:29