AM5002 - American Studies Extended Essay

This is an individual project which is negotiated between student and appointed tutor. There is therefore no set teaching syllabus but individual tutoring sessions and student workshops will be organized on a regular basis. The workshops will provide you with information on sources, appropriate research skills and practice, and managing the essay. These sessions will emphasise the need for you to develop the interdisciplinary nature of your research project and engage in informal peer assessment. Thereafter, you will meet with your supervisor on a one-to-one basis for tutoring sessions. These offer the opportunity for formative feedback and for discussing plans for future work.

Your academic development will be supported through engagement with your peers, academic tutors, and programme leaders. Academic support is provided through workshops and through individual tutorials which allow specific issues to be addressed and to promote progress in academic development. The module tutor will be accessible within publicised office hours and via email. Your peers will provide you will a collaborative learning environment, and your programme leader will guide you through the requirements and expectations of your course. You will also be supported through individual engagement with the academic literature and resources available on the eLearning Portal. Formative feedback will be on-going throughout seminar activities and essay tutorials.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. An in-depth knowledge of a particular topic related to the concerns of the discipline of American Studies.
2. An awareness and understanding of the range of scholarly literature and information concerning a particular topic.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

3. Ability to develop a grounded and focused interdisciplinary research question concerning a particular topic.
4. A capacity for structured, critical and analytical argument in a written form, and for the formulation of an appropriate response to a well-defined problem.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. An ability to understand and apply the ethical considerations required of the researcher undertaking research into a particular topic.

The assessment strategy for the module corresponds with the module’s learning outcomes and learning and teaching strategy. Assessment is by a 4,000 word extended essay, submitted at the end of semester 1. Additional formative assessment includes the submission of a 500-word proposal and plan, and the optional submission of a 1,000-word draft section.

The summative and formative assessments will address MLOs 1-5.

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Please find details of this module in the other sections provided.