Dissertation

Module code: AM3001

The object of a dissertation is for you to make your own contribution to the study of the United States, and to develop your organisational and writing skills. It is intended to provide an opportunity for you to follow up your own strengths and interests, by working independently on a topic of your own selection. It is supervised, but its success rests to a unique degree upon your own motivation, self-discipline and organisational skills.

The dissertation involves challenging individual work on a subject that you yourself discover and become expert upon. It trains you in a number of skills, not least the collection, organisation and interpretation of a mass of primary evidence. It also tests your ability to communicate your argument with clarity and precision, and to present your work efficiently, neatly and on time.