ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
Assignment type: PJ-Proj
Weighting of assignment: 80%
Size or length of assessment: 7,000 words
Unit learning outcomes: On completion of the unit, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of critical awareness and application of theoretical and methodological perspectives relevant to an investigation of our chosen research topic
2. Synthesize, evaluate and defend the findings of your research and communicate the results in a focused, logically organized, appropriately concluded format and referenced according to the format and standard of the Harvard system.
What am I required to do in this assignment?
You are required to write a 7,000 word Independent Project (there is a 10% leeway so you can write 7,700 words), using one of the following methods:
• Substantive literature review
• Desktop research – secondary analysis project that addresses a proposition you wish to analyze in-depth
• Content Analysis of policy documents, print media, social media, TV and/or film
• A Discourse Analysis
Your project must include the following sections:
• Title page (with the title of research/research question, student number and word count)
• Abstract (approx. 200 words)
• Table of contents
• Introduction (research question, aims and objectives, background, a brief introduction of methodology, theory, relevant policy, and a paragraph outlining the project structure).
• Theory or policy (e.g. history of policy development) after introduction, rather than including them in the Introduction chapter. Theory and policy should be properly discussed in relation to your research topic, either in the introduction or in a separate section.
• Methodology – the discussion of the method you chose, your search strategy, ethics.
• Findings – present themes you found through the analysis of the literature (and other types of sources, depending on your research method). This section must provide answers to your question.
• Discussion – link your discussion to theory. Also think about what your findings mean to policy and practice.
• Conclusions (and recommendations/suggestions).
