Course unit details:
MA Social Work Dissertation
| Unit code | SOWK60668 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 60 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
The dissertation is an extended piece of written work which affords students the opportunity to focus on a specialist area of professional/practice/policy interest associated with social work. It provides students with an opportunity to consolidate and demonstrate research skills and knowledge developed through course work and their practice learning experiences. It is designed to further embed research mindedness in the qualifying social worker commensurate with the first level of the PCF (professional capabilities framework) and study at Masters level. The dissertation (in whichever format) is designed to enable the student to make strong connections between research, policy, theory and practice.
The course will build on a previous course unit (Foundations of Research) and offer additional teaching to help students to apply knowledge of research methods to the dissertation.
The dissertation can be any of the following type of study:
- Literature review
- Secondary data analysis
- Discourse analysis
- Development of a training or resource product to support an aspect of social work.
The course will offer sessions on each of the above so that students can make an informed choice about the type of dissertation they wish to undertake. Once students have selected their topic and type of dissertations (from the list above), additional group workshops will be offered to support further development of skills, knowledge and application to policy and practice. On-line resources will support each of the 4 options.
Aims
- Develop systematic exploration, enhanced analysis and a critical review and synthesis of a specific area or topic relevant to or specifically concerned with social work
- Develop and refine students ability to’ understand and critically evaluate the complex, contested relationship between theory, research and social work practice
- Enhance students’ abilities to conduct systematic literature searches and apply multidisciplinary theory to social work,
- Consolidate students’ ability to analyse and appraise complex literature and research evidence in a critical, discerning and balanced manner
- Develop and consolidate a sophisticated ability to critically evaluate different methodological issues and research processes, making manifest their strengths and weaknesses
Teaching and learning methods
Generic face-to-face dissertation workshops for all those proceeding to dissertation to prepare them and make explicit the expectations and demand of an M level dissertation.
In addition, each student will have a maximum of up to 12 hours of individual supervision. This includes time for supervisors to read and comment on the student’s draft chapters.
Knowledge and understanding
- Select and investigate in a research-minded manner pertinent material in an area of study relevant to their interests, critically analysing relevant policy, practice, theory, research and their implications for social work.
Intellectual skills
- Demonstrate systematic conceptual understanding that enables evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in social work and/or disciplines relevant to the research undertaken.
- Demonstrate a critical evaluation of a range of methodological approaches and debates in relation to the research reviewed.
- Evaluate the implications of their review for practice and/or future research
- Demonstrate originality of thought and critical awareness in the application of research evidence, theory and policy in social work contexts
Practical skills
- Demonstrate competence in the use of electronic databases and conducting online literature searches
- Organise disparate sources of electronic information
- Act autonomously in planning and implementing a dissertation
- Demonstrate that they are able to take responsibility for own learning
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Write coherently and cogently
- Develop critical thinking and analysis
- Make connections between theory, policy, practice and research
- Synthesise large quantities of information
- Develop organisational and time management skills
- Present work to support the learning and development of others
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 100% |
Feedback methods
Students will receive feedback on draft chapters of their dissertation from their supervisor electronically and via one-to-one tutorials. Other feedback opportunities will be available in class and/or workshop sessions.
Student feedback is obtained through open discussion forums on blackboard, in class discussions, via formal University unit evaluation forms and also qualitative, in house evaluations at the end of the unit.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 8 |
| Tutorials | 12 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 580 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Stephen Hicks | Unit coordinator |