Researching and Writing the MA EPA Thesis
Volledige vakbeschrijving
The MA EPA Thesis trajectory starts at the beginning of the academic year with the course ‘Mastering Academic Research Skills and Methods’ (MARSAM – EPA4510), which runs from periods 1 to 3. In periods 4-6 (February to June) students follow the course ‘Researching and Writing the EPA Thesis’. The main deliverable in this course - the EPA thesis - consists of 8000-10000 words (excluding bibliography and annex) and should be structured as an academic research paper. It should contain a clear and narrow research question; literature review; theoretical or conceptual framework; methodology; data collection and analysis (from primary sources) and the balanced and critical interpretation of results in comparison to existing knowledge. Students work with a thesis supervisor (coach) who meets with them on a regular basis to guide them in the research process, providing valuable feedback.
Doelstellingen van dit vak
After completion of this course, students are able to:
- identify and formulate clear research questions that help to direct the research & writing process
- use theoretical perspectives in order to examine the chosen research question
- conduct a comprehensive literature search and bibliographic analysis, and assess the quality of the selected sources
- find, assess and critically analyse primary and secondary data
- critically reflect upon the relations between theories, concepts, methodology, and empirical findings and use these insights to build an academic argument and position themselves in an academic debate
- plan, carry out and finalize their own research within a fixed time‐frame
- write a complete academic thesis of appropriate structure and length in understandable academic English that is well-documented, including quotations, footnotes, in-text references and a reference list (APA)
- engage with and incorporate constructive (academic) feedback
Aanbevolen literatuur
- Blaikie, N. (2007). Approaches to Social Enquiry: Advancing Knowledge. 2nd ed., Cambridge: Polity.
- Grix, J. (2019). The Foundations of Research. (3rd ed.) London: Red Globe Press -
- MacmillanToshkov, D. (2016). Research Design in Political Science, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.