- Department: English and Related Literature
- Credit value: 40 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2024-25
The English and History Bridge Dissertation with Creative Practice is one of the most exciting and ambitious modules of your degree. Building on your Personal Research Plan (‘Texts and Histories’, Level Two), you will produce a sustained piece of work on a topic of your choosing (subject to approval) that bridges English and History.
The English and History Bridge Dissertation with Creative Practice is your opportunity to undertake a substantial interdisciplinary research project (7000-8000 words total), combining a critical essay (of at least 4000 words) with a practice-based creative component. Together, these should form a cohesive English and History research project, investigating a topic of your choosing (subject to approval).
The practice-based component might include the following:
a portfolio of creative or non-academic writing
a critical edition of a text or historical source (or collection of texts and historical sources)
an external engagement project
a print publication (e.g. in collaboration with Thin Ice Press)
a translation project
NB: This is not a comprehensive list of every possible practice-based component. These are indicative examples only.
You will be allocated a bridge dissertation supervisor who will offer tailored support throughout the process, and you will attend lectures that guide you through the challenges of refining your topic, structuring your research, and writing an extended piece of critical prose. You will learn how to engage critically with existing scholarship, identify your own original contribution to your chosen field, and develop and sustain an argument and creative practice.
The module will help you to undertake extensive independent research, communicate your critical insights and close textual readings to a range of readers and audiences, and present your research clearly and persuasively. You may extend and develop ideas that have fascinated you in previous English and/or History modules, or undertake interdisciplinary research in an area that you have not previously studied.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 1 2023-24 to Semester 2 2023-24 |
The aims of this module are to enable English and History students to develop key skills in independent research and writing, with appropriate academic guidance and writing support. The module will offer students the opportunity to explore one element of their literary and/or historical interests in considerable depth. It will further enhance students’ core skills in research and writing, library and IT use, and transferable skills in communication, time management, and organisation.
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with an appropriate range of primary texts and historical/literary sources, as identified by you, and the ability to undertake independent research on a focused topic.
Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with relevant contextual, critical, creative, and theoretical materials and approaches in English and History.
Evaluate key debates within the relevant critical and creative fields, or historiographical and theoretical frameworks, dealing with your chosen research topic.
Produce independent arguments, ideas, and textual analyses which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, research, management of a creative project, and writing skills.
In Semester One, English and History combined course students will have two 30-minute supervision meetings with their (bridge) dissertation supervisor. Your first supervision meeting will include a discussion of your research proposal from the Texts and Histories core module. Your second supervision meeting will focus on either a short piece of writing of up to 2,000 words or a plan or outline of the whole (bridge) dissertation of up to 1,000 words. We all work differently, and it is up to you to decide whether you would like to submit a draft or a plan first. Please remember that you must complete both of these exercises: if you choose to submit a plan now, you will still have to submit a draft in the next meeting.
In Semester Two, you will have two further 30-minute supervision meetings with your (bridge) dissertation supervisor. Depending on what you submitted for the previous meeting, your third supervision meeting will focus on either a short piece of writing of up to 2,000 words or a plan or outline of the whole (bridge) dissertation of up to 1,000 words. Your fourth supervision meeting will discuss the final shape and structure of the (bridge) dissertation.
You are welcome at all stages to use staff open office hours (English) and student hours (History) to seek advice and ask questions.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
None
The total word count for this interdisciplinary research project of 7000-8000 words must combine a critical essay of at least 4000 words and a linked practice-based creative component.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
Key texts will depend on the subject of the bridge dissertation (with creative practice) research.