Postgraduate Course: Research Skills and Methods in Celtic and Scottish Studies (CELT11052)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course introduces students to the sources, methodologies and core skills involved in research in Celtic and Scottish Studies. It is also intended to assist them with the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study by examining topics such as advanced critical thinking, research design and publishing. Students gain familiarity with the University's extensive range of material and digital archives - including those of neighbouring institutions (such as the National Library of Scotland and National Records of Scotland) - in addition to special collections, unpublished theses and manuscripts, and a variety of key monographs and journals. The course is delivered via a series of seminars and workshops covering the specifics of working in Celtic and Scottish Studies, as well as touching upon the potential for different types of interdisciplinary research. By the end of the course, students will be capable of producing a full scholarly literature review and bibliography, and be competent in managing and presenting their research. |
| Course description |
1 Introduction: critical thinking and research design
2 Referencing, bibliographies and the MHRA style
3 Key printed sources in Celtic and Scottish Studies
4 Working with electronic and material archives
5 Working with manuscripts
6 Quantitative methods in Celtic and Scottish Studies
7 Fieldwork methodology
8 Focussing and staging your research
9 Ethics and copyright
10 Oral presentations
11 Bringing it all together: writing your dissertation
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Formative Assessment Hours 88,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
84 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Literature review and bibliography (85%): 4000 words
Oral presentation (15%): 15 min
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| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided on a short formative exercise (sem 1) - a research proposal - which you will be expected to utilise while you plan your dissertation. You will also gain written feedback on a more formal literature review (sem 1). Finally, you will receive oral and written feedback from several staff members on an oral presentation on your dissertation topic (sem 2). This session and the feedback that results from it provide a valuable opportunity for reflection during the early stages of your dissertation work. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate experience of acquiring, systematising and integrating a variety of scholarly sources;
- demonstrate awareness of common issues in Celtic and Scottish Studies research (e.g. the advantages and disadvantages of oral versus written sources, the need for linguistic awareness when working in translation and the role of archives);
- prepare themselves to conduct theoretically and methodologically sound research in Celtic and Scottish Studies;
- manage issues relating to copyright, confidentiality and data protection;
- demonstrate competence in transferable skills, e.g. close engagement with texts, critical evaluation of source material, independent reading, coherent and clearly structured writing, oral presentation, group discussion and time management.
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Reading List
ARMBRUSTER & LAERKE (eds). 2008. Taking Sides: Ethics, Politics and Fieldwork in Anthropology, Berghahn Books.
FEINSTEIN, C. & THOMAS, M. 2002. Making History Count: A Primer in Quantitative Methods for Historians, Cambridge University Press.
HUDSON, P. 2000. History by Numbers: An Introduction to Quantitative Approaches, Bloomsbury.
PUNCH, M. 1986. The Politics and Ethics of Fieldwork, SAGE publications.
RIDLEY, D. 2012. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students, SAGE Publications.
OLIVER, P. 2010. Understanding the Research Process, SAGE Publications.
PEARS, R. & SHIELDS, G. 2013. Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide, Palgrave Macmillan.
WALLACE, M. & WRAY, A. 2011. Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates, SAGE Publications.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | RSMCS |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr William Lamb
Tel: (0131 6)50 3624
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Alan Binnie
Tel: (0131 6)51 1822
Email: |
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