Quality Assurance MRes in Humanities Programme Specification Information for students: the programme specification is the definitive document summarising the structure and content of your degree programme. It is reviewed and updated every year as part of Keele s Curriculum Annual Review and Development process. The document aims to clarify to potential and current students what you can expect from the study of the subject over the course of your programme. Introduction This document provides a summary of the main features of the postgraduate taught MRes in the Humanities. It explains what a student can expect from studying Humanities at Masters level at Keele University, and includes information about what a student will be able to do if s/he takes full advantage of the opportunities provided during the course of this programme. Names of programmes Mode of study Single or Dual Honours Duration MRes in Humanities Full time and part time n/a One year full time / two years part time As part of the HEFCE Wider Information Set (WIS) requirements, we provide a table detailing the External Examiner and their home institution by programme. The table also provides the last examiners report and the school response to that report. The report and response are only available to internal users (with Keele University login and password). http://www.keele.ac.uk/qa/externalexaminers/reportsandresponses/pg 1. What is the philosophy of the Programme? The MRes Degree, located within the Research Institute for Humanities, offers postgraduate taught programmes in the discipline areas of American Studies (Literature and Culture; History and Politics); English Literature; Film; History; Media, Communications and Culture; Medical Humanities; Musicology and Music Technology; Philosophy; Russian; and Victorian Studies. This programme offers students the opportunity to produce a substantial piece of independent research and writing and to develop wide-ranging research skills. It forms an excellent foundation for doctoral (PhD) work. It is also ideal for students who wish to undertake an independent research project for personal and professional development. It encourages practical, analytical and critical research skills and project management capacities relevant to a variety of professional and intellectual contexts.
PROGRAMME OUTCOMES: The ability to construct, develop and write an extended dissertation, portfolio or project based on independent research. This is developed through all elements of the programme but most specifically through the Research Skills in the Humanities Module and the dissertation, portfolio or project. It will be assessed through a project outline plan and the dissertation, portfolio or project itself. An understanding of the sources and resources available for the dissertation, portfolio or project and of the methodological debates relevant to it. This is developed through the Research Training programme, specified quantitative and qualitative modules from the Social Science Research Training programme (as appropriate), and for the MRes in each discipline, usually through an individual research orientation module in which students work with their supervisors on the field within which their dissertation is located, covering a range of directed reading, research planning, language or other discipline-specific training, or other approved module. Assessment is through an annotated bibliography, and a variety of essays or literature reviews (of 4-5,000 words.) An understanding of the place of a specific research topic within current debates and methodologies in relevant disciplines and within the humanities and social sciences generally. This will be developed through the Reflective Practice in the Humanities, and the discipline-specific core module (e.g. Approaches to Historical Research, Approaches to Music, etc.). Assessment is through the reflective diary and, normally, methodological essays. Project management skills, including defining and planning a project, meeting deadlines, and recording and reflecting on outcomes. These are developed through all elements of the programme and will be assessed, particularly, through the thesis plan, the reflective diary and the dissertation. The MRes offers students the opportunity to produce a substantial piece of independent research and writing, portfolio of compositions or performance, or a Media/Music Technology Project, under the supervision of specialised scholars, and to undertake wide-ranging, systematic training in research skills. Students will plan, research and write an extended dissertation, portfolio or project, locating their specific topic within the context of relevant debates within their discipline and the humanities and/or social sciences more generally. The course is an ideal preparation for students who wish to proceed to doctoral research in the humanities and social sciences, and also develops practical, critical and analytical research skills that can be deployed in a variety of professional and intellectual contexts. Engagement with this programme will enable you to further develop your intellectual, personal and professional capabilities. At Keele, we call these our ten Graduate Attributes and they include independent thinking, synthesizing information, creative problem solving, communicating clearly, and appreciating the social, environmental and global implications of your studies and activities. Whilst you will undoubtedly have already developed these skills and abilities to varying degrees, such existing capabilities can always be deepened and enriched. Our educational programme and learning environment is designed to help you to develop further as a well-rounded postgraduate who is capable of making a positive and valued contribution in a complex and rapidly changing world, whichever spheres of life you engage in during and after your studies at Keele. Please refer to the programme webpages for a statement of how you can achieve the Keele Graduate Attributes through full engagement in the programme and other educational opportunities at Keele. 2. How is the Programme taught? The MRes in Humanities combines a number of different teaching modes. The Research Training modules are compulsory attendance. They are delivered through sessions led by a range of academics from different disciplinary backgrounds. Other teaching mechanisms include small group discussions, and sometimes individual presentation. The Individual Research Orientation is a tailored module, with bespoke delivery modes. It involves further training relevant to the specific topic, as arranged individually with the dissertation supervisor (e.g. Latin or palaeography), or
through attendance on specific modules such as modern foreign language modules. The Dissertation is delivered through your Supervisor. The combination of different delivery modes equips students for the next phase of research or professional career by providing experience of multi-method and multi-disciplinary approaches. Staff teaching on the MRes are members of the Research Institute for the Humanities. Full details and their individual profiles can be found on the page: http://www.keele.ac.uk/rihums/ Graduate Attributes Engagement with this programme will enable you to further develop your intellectual, personal and professional capabilities. At Keele, we call these our ten Graduate Attributes and they include independent thinking, synthesizing information, creative problem solving, communicating clearly, and appreciating the social, environmental and global implications of your studies and activities. Whilst you will undoubtedly have already developed these skills and abilities to varying degrees, such existing capabilities can always be deepened and enriched. Our educational programme and learning environment is designed to help you to develop further as a well-rounded postgraduate who is capable of making a positive and valued contribution in a complex and rapidly changing world, whichever spheres of life you engage in during and after your studies at Keele. Please refer to the programme webpages for a statement of how you can achieve the Keele Graduate Attributes through full engagement in the programme and other educational opportunities at Keele.
3. What is the Structure of the Programme? Learning Outcome Familiarize you with the relevant university regulations and procedures for management of a research degree as well as identifying any issues of research ethics affecting your work. Explore the nature of the supervisorsupervisee relationship, and introduce you to several approaches for time management and stress management. Consider the nature of the research and writing process. Improve your bibliographic skills and introduce you to the most important aspects of information management and retrieval in your general subject area. Enhance your awareness of central ideas and issues within the Humanities. Explore the intellectual connections between your research area and wider fields of study. Be able to identify, describe, and analyse the different traditions in American historiography and American political science, and to design and write a research proposal. The module also involves an introduction to research methods, including databases, and the Internet, plus practical exercises as training for the essays and dissertation. Understand and engage with a range of analytical methods in the field of American cultural and literary studies. This enables you to plan and carry out extended research projects. Be able to draw distinctions between major paradigms in literary criticism and cultural and critical theory, and to give you confidence in applying such theory Module in which this is delivered CORE: Research Skills in the Humanities (15 credits) CORE: Reflective Practice in the Humanities (15 credits) AMERICAN STUDIES Research Methods and Political Analysis Or Methods in Cultural Analysis ENGLISH Criticism, Analysis, Theory Principal forms of assessment (of the Learning Outcome) used Annotated Bibliography 50% Project Outline 50% 4 5 word essay 4 5000 word essay 4,500 word essay and oral presentation
to a range of literary texts, including those related to your individual research proposal. Understand how films function within the cultures of which they are part, as well as the ways in which the formal characteristics of film have developed over time and across diverse cultures. FILM Film Theory 4,500 word essay Understand the methodological debates within the discipline of history - you will make a short presentation at the end of the course and submit an essay, usually relating to the methodological or source/resource issues at stake in your particular topic. Understand the main sources for particular topics and will consider how they should be interpreted in the context of current historiographical thinking. HISTORY Approaches to Historical Research Or Themes in Local History 4 5,000 word essay 3,500-4,000 word essay (60%) and 1,500-2,000 word exercise (40%) Introduce you to the theory and practice of reading culture in general as well as various specific forms and modes of cultural selfrepresentation. MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AND CULTURE Cultural Theory 4,500 word essay In addition to considering the medical humanities as an interdisciplinary area with its own rationale, the module will introduce you to a range of humanities disciplines that deal with representations of illness and medicine: in particular social history, literary history, literary criticism and film studies. Ways of approaching the evidence and sources used in these disciplines will be a key focus, and critical attention will be paid to the way in which illness and medical authority are constructed, and resisted, in ways of talking about and representing MEDICAL HUMANITIES Critical Approaches to Medical Humanities 4,000 word essay
illness and medicine, from poetry, to historiography, philosophy (including the work of Foucault) and filmic representation. Methodological debates within the discipline of music and music technology. MUSIC AND MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Approaches to Music Research 4-5,000 word essay (80%), presentation (20%) Questions addressed will include: What is distinctive about philosophical problems? Can there be progress in philosophy? What would count as progress in philosophy? Are philosophical problems likely to wither away with the progress of natural science? Is philosophy an armchair activity, like mathematics or literature, or can it be experimental? How much and what kind of knowledge can be gained from the philosophical armchair? What is the relationship between epistemology (the theory of knowledge) and ontology (the study of being of what exists)? What is first in the order of logical priority? What is the relationship between philosophy and other disciplines, such as history? Are philosophical problems everlasting or historically transient? Broaden your understanding of the discipline in which the dissertation is located, with a view to reinforcing the research context and improving methodologies within the discipline. PHILOSOPHY Metaphilosophy RUSSIAN Discipline Specific Research Orientation 4-5,000 word essay 4 5,000 word essay Explore, through a range of novels and narratives, major themes and concerns that presently motivate debate about the Victorian period. VICTORIAN STUDIES Narrative and Interpretation 4,500 word essay
Combining directed reading with individual research planning. Plan, research and write a dissertation / project of between 20,000 and 25,000 words, supervised by a member of the relevant discipline. CORE: Individual Research Orientation CORE: Dissertation (90 credits) 4,500 word essay / literature review and oral presentation Where appropriate to the research topic, up to 30 credits of other relevant training can be substituted for the Individual Research Orientation. Modules can be taken from other Masters programmes. Methods of assessment and submission dates must be agreed with the supervisor and Director of the MRes in advance. 25,000 word dissertation Or For students in Media, Communications and Cultures, A Media Project, supervised by a member of the discipline. The nature of this project and balance between practical and critical components will be negotiated and agreed with the supervisor and approved by the appropriate research committee, but at least 25% of the submitted work will comprise an accompanying critical essay. Or For Music students, one of the following: A portfolio of compositions (ca. 20 25 minutes), supervised by a member of the discipline. The compositions may be acoustic, electroacoustic and/or audiovisual. A recital lasting approximately one hour, supervised by a member of the discipline. A Music Technology project, supervised by a member of the discipline. This may consist of purely technological development (e.g. software) or of a combination of technological development and compositions demonstrating the use of the latter. The nature of the project and balance between technological and musical components will be agreed with the supervisor and approved by the appropriate research committee. Exit Routes: Students successfully completing 90 credits of the programme are able to obtain a PGCert.
4. How is the Programme assessed? You will be assessed on a very wide range of skills, and there is obviously no single model of academic excellence. Nevertheless, tutors will be looking in particular for evidence of the following abilities: Research excellence as evidenced in the quality of the material located and selected. The ability to produce clearly structured and coherently argued written work. Critical analysis of existing scholarly interpretations. Analytical depth in evaluating primary sources. The quality of your bibliographic and presentational skills. Writing skills, as evidenced in the production of effective, thoughtful, sensitive and interesting prose. The academic commitment and engagement you bring to your chosen topic One copy of each piece of written work will be returned to you with comments and you are encouraged to arrange feedback sessions with your tutor. The pass mark for modules is 50%. Should you receive a mark below 50%, you are able to resubmit, capped at 50% with a max of two attempts per module in total. 5. What are the typical admission requirements for the programme? Applicants should normally have a good honours degree (2.1 or above) in a relevant humanities subject or, for students undertaking Medical Humanities, a good honours degree in a relevant humanities or social science discipline. However, students from different backgrounds who believe they have the capacity to undertake postgraduate work in the humanities should contact us to discuss their situation. 6. How are students supported on the programme? The relevant Course Handbook will provide you with key information and guidance on structure, content and assessment, including dates for submission of your assessments for the period of your chosen course, and the dates you have to come to study days at Keele. It will also provide you with guidance on some study skills. You will be supported by your Supervisor, in line with University PGT Student Support Guidance. You will have open access to the MRes Director and Course Administrator by telephone and e-mail. You will have access to the Research Training Coordinator during the research training sessions, by telephone and e-mail.. You will have access to other Students, Course Tutors and some course materials within the University s Online learning environment, the KLE. You will have access to Keele's Library Information Services on campus and via the internet. You will have IT support from the University s central IT services. 7. Learning Resources Research Institute for the Humanities - The Institute brings together researchers in the fields of History, English, Film, American Studies, Media, Communications and Culture, Modern Languages, and Music to strengthen and sustain high-quality, innovative and inter-disciplinary research at Keele. It hosts an exciting range of intellectual and creative conferences, colloquia and seminars, as well as international academic conferences. In addition, its series of seminars, research-led music recitals, and workshops contribute to regional and national scholarly networks. Major academic journals are edited from within the Institute, and the Institute celebrates the achievements of our members
through book launches and public lectures. The Institute fosters a high quality, supportive and managed research environment for both individual researchers and teams of collaborative researchers, including postgraduate researchers in the Humanities. The David Bruce Centre (American Studies) - All postgraduate students in American Studies are members of the David Bruce Centre for American Studies, located in CBB 1.030. Its substantial endowment supports the purchase of research materials, research travel and international research exchanges. Various kinds of financial support, including bursaries, research travel grants and interlibrary loan vouchers, are available for American Studies postgraduate students via the Bruce Centre. Detailed information can be found at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/as/dbruce/index.html The principal functions of the Centre are: To encourage and disseminate research and knowledge of the United States and North America To raise the profile of American Studies research through financial assistance to active researchers; fostering of a research culture by means of seminars, travel grants and bursaries; promotion of colloquia, occasional lectures and small exhibits; purchase of research materials To promote the study of the United States and North America within and beyond the academic community. In addition the Bruce Centre hosts a regular series of seminars given by distinguished visiting scholars. Seminars normally take place on Wednesday afternoons and provide a means to meet, question, and debate with some of the leading scholars of American history, culture, literature, and politics. The seminar programme for the 2012-13 session will be announced early in the semester. 8. Other learning opportunities Research Institute for the Humanities Seminars The Institute holds regular seminars throughout the year at which Keele and visiting scholars present their latest research findings. These offer a vital opportunity to engage with emerging scholarship and to participate in intellectual exchange. They also foster a sense of belonging to a research community; of vital importance given the occasionally solitary nature of individual research. For further details, please see: http://www.keele.ac.uk/rihums/newsandevents/calendarofevents/ Postgraduate Symposium There is an annual Postgraduate Symposium in June, which is designed to help to develop skills and confidence in presenting research material, to encourage an active graduate research culture, and to provide the opportunity for presenting a first paper. Details and calls for papers will be announced in the second semester. A presentation workshop will be run before the seminar by the Research Training Coordinator. There is also a dedicated Humanities Symposium which takes place in May. Keele Library and Computing Facilities - Please see the booklet titled Information Services: Library and Computing Facilities for Staff and Research Students, which provides essential basic information. An IT/Library session will be part of the Research Training module, Research Skills in the Humanities (see above). 9. Quality management and enhancement The MRes in Humanities is led by the MRes Director, Dr Philip Morgan. At a School level, it is managed through the Research Institute for the Humanities Postgraduate Committee, under the leadership of the Postgraduate Director. At a Faculty level, it reports to the Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee. The Research Institute for the Humanities Postgraduate Committee, under the leadership of the Postgraduate Director, monitors Postgraduate provision.
The Postgraduate Committee includes postgraduate student representation. The University has a Postgraduate Students Executive Liaison Committee (PSELC), chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, which meets several times during the year to discuss issues of interest and relevance to postgraduate students. Student representatives are invited to attend the PSELC. 10. The principles of programme design The MRes in the Humanities has been designed with reference to, and in accordance with the guidance set out in the following documents: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, September 2004. Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education. http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuringstandardsandquality/code-ofpractice/pages/default.aspx <2.11.11> The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2008 The Arts and Humanities Research Council Research Training Framework: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/what-we- Do/Research-careers-and-training/Pages/Research-Training-Framework.aspx 11. Date on which programme specification was written or revised