Master Thesis I: Researchplan

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4022224DNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (D) Master - preliminary level.

Semester

1st and 2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

De studenten die dit opleidingsonderdeel opnemen zijn reeds geslaagd op Seminarie OF Rechtsmethodologie III.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Law and Criminology

Department

Metajuridica

Educational team

Niels Van Dijk (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

6 contact hours Lecture
204 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

The course aims to teach the students how to write a research plan, necessary for writing their master thesis. The student acquire the necessary research skills, more specifically concerning the formulation of a research question and the underlying questions, with respect to the choice and usage of the correct research method, concerning the independent and scientific analysis of a subject and with respect to the structure of legal texts. As a final result the students write a research plan.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Masterproef I: onderzoeksplan, Teksten, Eggermont, F., Canvas
Handbook (Recommended) : Praktijkboek Rechtsmethodologie, Eggermont, F., Smis, S., & Paepe, P., Scheurs, W., Brugge, die Keure, 9789048644810, 2022
Digital course material (Required) : Juridische verwijzingen en afkortingen, Interuniversitaire commissie, laatste versie van het V&A-boekje, te vinden online

Additional info

Not applicable.

Learning Outcomes

Practical skills

•   The student can independently design an original academic research project, including an adequate state of the art, problem statement and realistic delineation of the research.
•   The student can independently draft a precisely formulated research question and divide it into relevant sub-questions.
•   The student is able to select and describe suitable and relevant methods for the planned research.
•   The student can describe how the research parts will proceed and interact, identify and remedy possible problems, and critically discuss the expected results.
•   The student can independently go through the steps of legal processing and prepare a relevant tentative bibliography.
•   The student is able to draw up a clear and feasible time schedule for the different parts of the planned research and can link it to a preliminary table of contents.
•   The student is able to deal adequately with feedback from the supervisor and incorporate it effectively into the research plan.
•   The student is able to verbally present and defend adequately and convincingly the form, structure and content of a self-written research plan.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Presentation determines 50% of the final mark.
SELF Paper determines 50% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Presentation category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Defence researche with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Researche plan with a relative weight of 50 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The reseach plan has to be submitted on April 30. More information about how to submit the research plan is provided on Canvas. After the deadline has passed, a student receives one penalty point for each day of delay.
During the presentation the student is required to explain their research plan. During the defense the student is required to answer some questions about the research plan. The presentation and defense are assessed by the holder of 'Master's thesis I: research plan'. The concrete way in which the presentation and defense take place is clarified on Canvas. In principle, the presentation and defense take place two weeks before the start of the June term. Participation is mandatory.
GRADING
The research plan is graded on 20 points by the student’s supervisor. The professor of 'Master's thesis I: research plan' grades the oral presentation and defence of the research plan through a Pass/Fail system. A ‘Pass’ is equivalent to the supervisor's grading, a ‘Fail’ is equivalent to a 0.
The final grade is calculated by taking the average of the two gradings. In case of a Fail by the professor of MP I, the average final grade cannot exceed a 9/20.
RETAKE
The student who does not deliver a final research paper or who does not present or defend his research plan, is referred to the second exam period. In that case he has submit a research paper on August 16 at the latest. The same rules apply as during the first exam session, but the presentation and defense will be held during the second exam session.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context