ATS4205 - Methods and topics in international studies - 2018

This core unit allows students to build advanced skills in interdisciplinary research designs and methods for International Studies. It will enable students to identify, navigate and synthesise various disciplinary approaches to complex problems in International Studies at an advanced level. Students will build expertise in the collection and analysis of the raw data and primary sources required for interdisciplinary research in International Studies. They will also practice crafting the forms and genres of advanced research projects in their component parts, from the conceptualisation and development stage to writing up the final work.

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. formulate and write major research projects in International Studies;
2. collect data/sources and identify methodologies in International Studies, and apply these to different research problems;
3. place the relevant academic literature in its epistemological, cultural, and ideological contexts;
4. interpret and evaluate contemporary debates in International Studies;
5. communicate the significance and innovation of their research in summary form, both in writing and orally;
6. design, research and write a major genre of academic writing, the journal article, which is the form that approximates most closely the Honours thesis.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

International studies