2023-2024 / DMEM0012-1

Final dissertation

Durée

10h AUTR

Nombre de crédits

 Master en sciences politiques, orientation générale10 crédits 

Enseignant

Julien Pomarède

Langue(s) de l'unité d'enseignement

Langue anglaise

Organisation et évaluation

Enseignement durant l'année complète

Horaire

Horaire en ligne

Unités d'enseignement prérequises et corequises

Les unités prérequises ou corequises sont présentées au sein de chaque programme

Contenus de l'unité d'enseignement

The final dissertation constitues an important step in a student's degree. It aims at crystallizing the scientific knowledge and skills aquired at the university, from the Bachelor to the Master, into a coherent research. The final dissertation should include a delimited object of study, a research question, a literature review, exploitable empirical date and a methodology.

The students will have the opportunity to exchange with their respective supervisors during the research process, to ensure a qualitative evolution of the thesis. 
 


 



 

Acquis d'apprentissage (objectifs d'apprentissage) de l'unité d'enseignement

By the end of their final dissertation, the students should:

  • be able to articulate a coherent research in political science
  • have aquired a consolidated experience in practicing the different component of the research process (formulating a question, reviewing the relevant literature, advancing a hypothesis or argument, constructing a theoretical framework; defining concepts, variables and relationships; and designing a test of the hypothesis or argument)
  • be in capacity to use and exploit a method
  • be able to orally defend their work

Savoirs et compétences prérequis

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Activités d'apprentissage prévues et méthodes d'enseignement

The final dissertation is mostly a personal work but regular meetings with the supervisor are highly encouraged. The students will also beneficate from the methodological formation delived in the Preparatary seminar to the final seminar, which aims at guiding them in the different steps of the research process.

Mode d'enseignement (présentiel, à distance, hybride)

Cours donné exclusivement en présentiel


Explications complémentaires:

The final dissertation is mostly a personal work. The students are expected to be significantly autonomous in their research project. Regular meetings with the supervisor are of course encouraged to ensure the quality in the progress of the project.

 

The dissertation is formally achieved with the oral defence, which consists in a scientific discussion with the jury.

 

Lectures recommandées ou obligatoires et notes de cours

Howard Becker. 1983. Writing for social scientists: how to write and finish your thesis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Janet Buttolph Johnson Reynolds, Jason D. Mycoff. 2016. Political Science Research Methods. London: SAGE Editions.

Sandra Halperin, Oliver Heath. 2017. Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

David Marsh. 2002. Theory and methods in political science. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Modalités d'évaluation et critères

Examen(s) en session

Toutes sessions confondues

- En présentiel

évaluation orale

Travail à rendre - rapport


Explications complémentaires:

Submission of master's thesis:

Students must submit their dissertation on the MatheO platform for the first day of the January session, for June 1 for the first session or for the first day following August 15 at the latest for the second session.

The platform provides for the on-line conclusion of a licence agreement. The version submitted online and the date of the on-line submission are considered proof of submission. Students must agree with their promotors and reviewers as to how a bound, printed copy should be submitted.

The dissertation is defended orally. The defence takes place in English.

The quality of a dissertation is not connected to its volume. The publication must consist of 20,000 words, +/- 2,000 words excluding footnotes, in A4 format, excluding any bibliography or annexes.

 

Stage(s)

Remarques organisationnelles et modifications principales apportées au cours

Students must submit their dissertation plan during the year they are registered for the Masters, as part of their registration for the Dissertation Preparation Seminar, no later than 31 December. The dissertation plan is a document containing:

  • a presentation of the issue and an initial research question;
  • a proposed methodological approach
  • a plan of your work for the rest of the year of the Master
  • a bibliographical review on the theme of the dissertation.
To be considered valid, the dissertation plan must be accompanied by the written agreement of the potential promoter, who must be a member of the University teaching staff, a doctor holding a research doctorate, or a teacher in one of the programmes organised by the Department of Political Science. The dissertation plan and written agreement should be sent electronically to the Secretariat of the Department of Political Science. Failing this, the dissertation plan will not be considered by the Jury, which meets no later than 20 January.

When the plan has been approved, students who have included the dissertation in their curriculum are asked to make contact with their promoter before 15 February.

Students must submit their dissertation on the MatheO platform no later than: - the first day of the January session1 , for June 12 for the first session - for the first day following August 15 at the latest for the second session.


For more details, please refer to the following document containg the instructions for submitting the Master thesis : https://www.droit.uliege.be/upload/docs/application/pdf/2023-09/sc_po_-_reglement_tfe_master_60__anglais_2022-2023__en-1.pdf

Contacts

Dr. Julien Pomarède
Associate Professor in International Politics, Departement of Political Science

https://www.uliege.be/cms/c_9054334/en/directory?uid=u240686

Bât. B31 International Politics
Quartier Agora
place des Orateurs 3
4000 Liège 1
Belgique

Office R.77, level 0
email: julien.pomarede@uliege.be

Association d'un ou plusieurs MOOCs