| Semester 1, 2021 Online | |
| Short Description: | Master of Arts Project A |
| Units : | 2 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Student contribution band : | 2021 Grandfather Funding Cl 1 |
| ASCED code : | 090399 - Studies in Human Society n.e.c |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in MSTA or MARA or MAEP.
Students in the MSTA or MARA must have successfully completed HMT4005 or BCA8002 or HMT4007 (or equivalent). Students in the MAEP must have successfully completed PUB8001 (or equivalent).
Other requisites
It is recommended students successfully complete a minimum of four Masters level courses before enrolling in MAR8003.
Rationale
This course has been designed to allow students in the Master of Arts degree to complete a research project and represents the first part of this research process. Students will use this course to undertake structured independent learning under the guidance of a supervisor.
Synopsis
This two-unit course enables students enrolled in the Master of Arts program to commence their research project, which may be either a traditional thesis, or a practice-led thesis with creative work and exegesis. A traditional thesis shall be based on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the supervisor, and may be either the result of original investigations, or embody a critical appraisal or analysis of primary or secondary source material. A practice-led thesis will include an exegesis and creative work/s and will enable students to explore at an advanced level the intersection between theory and practice. The research project commenced in MAR8003 will be continued in MAR8004, and finalised in either MAR8004 (for a 4-unit thesis) or MAR8008 (for a 6-unit thesis).
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- conduct independent research, under supervision;
- develop a research proposal, including defining a topic, developing a research design, sourcing materials/requirements, reviewing relevant literature, incorporating an annotated bibliography and justifying a methodology;
- use effective academic written and oral communication, including a draft thesis chapter or component of the exegesis.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Topics will be determined in consultation with a supervisor from the student's particular discipline. | 100.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=01&subject1=MAR8003)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 100.00 |
| Independent Study | 230.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONCEPT PAPER | 100 | 10 | 18 Mar 2021 | |
| SURVEY OF THE FIELD & PRELIM | 100 | 40 | 07 May 2021 | (see note 1) |
| PROPOSAL AND CHAPTER | 100 | 50 | 04 Jun 2021 |
Notes
- Survey of the Field and Preliminary Proposal
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them, to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Students must attend and complete the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety training program for this course where required. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks . -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations. -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .