6 ECTS credits
167 h study time
Offer 2 with catalog number 4014771ENR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
This course aims to provide support during the process of developing the master thesis. To that end there will be about eight contact sessions over the academic year. The course is evaluated by means of a number of documents reflecting the progress made in the process of developing a master thesis (see further).
A first objective of the ‘masterseminarie’ is to communicate all necessary practical information (e.g. format, deadlines, evaluation procedure, etc.) about the master thesis to the students.
In the second place, intensive coaching is provided with finding a suitable topic, developing a research problem and objective and choosing the appropriate research methods. This search results in a final research protocol, which aims to provide a ‘manual’ for further executing the research. In this whole process there is a close collaboration between the student, the promoter and the course responsible of the ‘masterseminarie’.
Third, we try to offer support to our students at the different stages of development of the master thesis. This objective is put in practise in a more or less flexible way, depending of the needs of the students. It consists – among other things – of a rehearsal of science methods, support with empirical research methods, giving directions for reporting and presenting of research results. Perhaps even more important is a general, more informal support function during the collective sessions, allowing students mutually and together with the course responsible to interchange good practises.
Relevant background material will be made available during the seminars. This material will also be made available on Canvas.
The students know how a scientific study is structured and planned, how to search for literature, make references.
The students understand that it is important to reduce the complexity of a research topic into a practically researchable research question;
The students are able to phrase a relevant and univocal research question for the research to be made in their master thesis;
The students are able to construct a relevant and realist research plan upon their research question and to report it in a research protocol
The students are able to evaluate the state-of-the-art and problems related to their research and to address solutions and steps to be made in the next phases of the research
The students are able to present their results to a broader audience in a brief and appealing way
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Practical Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Evaluation:
The results of the assignments in the first term will not be transferred to the second term, with the exception of 'collaboration and presence in the sessions'.
In the case that students don't pass for the masterseminar in the first term, they can hand in a new protocol and state-of-the-art for the second term. Depending of the evaluation, additional elements can be requested (e.g. developing research questions, methods). In that case the student will be personally notified, by the teaching responsible.
In the second term thus one integrated document needs to be handed in (95%), containing in a detailed manner the components of the first term, being the content of the protocol, edited/modified with the current state-of-the-art of your research.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Sociology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)