Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (MSc in Science and Religion) (DIVI11010)

Course Outline
School	School of Divinity	College	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Dissertation	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	60	ECTS Credits	30
Summary	An opportunity to engage with a particular topic in the Science/Religion field in depth through research, culminating in a 15,000 word dissertation.
Course description	Academic Description: This course contains the research dissertation which is at the heart of the MSc in Science and Religion. It offers students an opportunity to engage with a particular topic in the Science-Religion field in depth through their own personal research, culminating in a 15,000 word dissertation. In this, students are encouraged to pursue their own distinctive interests, perhaps making use of their academic backgrounds prior to embarking on the MSc, and/or exploring an issue of interest that has arisen in the taught components of the MSc. Either way, the exercise of researching and writing the dissertation is a key learning outcome of the whole MSc programme, whether the students are going on to further research, teaching, or another area altogether. Syllabus/Outline Content: The content of this course will fall broadly within the Science and Religion field. Approval for the specific content will have been gained by the student successfully proposing their project in the course, Approaches to Research: Science and Religion. The project will be carried out in collaboration with a suitable supervisor, who will advise the student on relevant literature, and the direction of research. Student Learning Experience Information: There are no classes or taught components to this course, and students are expected to structure their own research and writing, in collaboration with their supervisor. Students are encouraged to keep in regular contact with their supervisor, and to submit drafts of the dissertation for comment and advice in good time before the final deadline. A schedule of work and meetings should be drawn up with the supervisor at the commencement of research.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Full Year
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 600 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 588 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	A dissertation of up to 15,000 words: 100%.
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Read widely in the scholarly literature relevant to a particular area of interest to the Science-Religion field Engaged critically with the scholarship, forming their own distinctive views on the subject Demonstrated their ability to engage critically and to defend a thesis by planning and writing a 15,000 word dissertation Learned how to observe appropriate academic conventions with respect to style, tone, paragraphing, footnoting and referencing