Masters thesis 2 and seminar

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

The seminar will consist of two blocks of sessions over the year. It will provide support to students in completing their end-of-course assignments, from defining a research topic to drafting their thesis.  
The following issues will be addressed:
- general methodology of social science research; defining and tackling a research topic
- use of traditional and electronic resource materials
- introduction to European information and documentation
- techniques for writing academic papers.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	This seminar has two objectives. Firstly, it aims to introduce students to the methodological aspects of completing a master's thesis. By the end of the seminar, students should be able to apply the skills necessary to define a research topic and to decide how to tackle this topic in their end of course assignment. Secondly, the seminar gives an introduction to the research and critical analysis of European information. It aims to provide specific know-how in researching the type of documentation needed for writing their thesis. This part of the seminar presents the main documentary sources for European affairs: the ECLAS catalogue, the European Union information and communication websites (Europa, EUR-LEX and Curia), Eurobarometer surveys, statistical data (Eurostat), specialist media, etc.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Teaching methods

The first block will involve two general presentation sessions, given by the professor, as well as 8 hours of practical training, in the IT room, on how to access and consult European information and documentation.   
The second block will involve intensive sessions presenting and discussing draft theses, theoretical or conceptual issues, and the research strategies followed by the students. These sessions are intended to encourage interaction between students and teacher, but also among students. They aim to teach a critical and self-critical approach. Presentations and discussions will take place in French or English.

Evaluation methods

For the first annual set of exams, the assessment will be in two parts.
Part 1: Students will attend two or three general training sessions in how to write a dissertation, as well as 8 hours of training on European documentation and information. This training will be assessed, and the mark will account for 25% of the final result.
Part 2: Students will be asked to write an initial 'research note' showing the work done on their end-of-course dissertation. The research note will be assessed by their dissertation supervisor. This will be worth 75% of the final mark.
To have their credits validated at the first exam session, students must be examined on both parts. Unjustified absence or a 'zero' attendance-only mark for one of the two parts will result in a 'zero' attendance-only mark for the whole of the teaching unit.
A mark obtained for one of the two parts of the teaching unit may be carried over from one session to the next during the same academic year, as long as it is not less than 2.5/5 for part 1 or 7.5/15 for part 2. It is not possible to carry a mark over to another academic year.
During the second annual exam session, students will only be assessed on their end-of-course dissertation. Assessment of the dissertation will include a 'defence' of the dissertation, with the dissertation supervisor and a lecturer.

Bibliography

Beaud, Michel, L'art de la thèse, Paris, La Découverte, Coll. Repères, 2006. Berthelot, Jean-Michel, L'emprise du vrai. Connaissance scientifique et modernité, Paris, PUF, 2008. Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., Brady, Henry E., Collier, David (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008. Bryman, Alan, Social Research Methods (fourth edition), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2012. Coman, Tamona, et al., Méthodes de la science politique. De la question de départ à l'analyse des données, Bruxelles, De Boeck, 2016. Harrison, Lisa, Startin, Nicholas, Political Research: An Introduction, London, Routledge, 2001. Lenoble-Pinson, Michèle, La rédaction scientifique, Bruxelles, De Boeck et Larcier, 1996. Marsh, David, Stoker, Gerry Stoker (eds), Theory and Methods in Political Science, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Meyer, Bernard, Maîtriser l'argumentation, Paris, Armand Collin, 2004. Quivy, Raymond, Van Campenhoudt, Luc, Manuel de recherches en sciences sociales, Paris, Dunod, 2006. Rosamond, Ben, Theories of European Integration, Palgrave MacMillan, 2000. Saurugger, Sabine, Théories et concepts de l'intégration européenne, Paris, Presses de Science Po, 2009. Van Campenhoudt, Luc, Introduction à l'analyse des phénomènes sociaux, Paris, Dunod, 2007. Kellstedt, Paul M., Whitten, Guy D., The fundamentals of political science research, Second edition, Cambridge, Cambridge university press, 2013. Burnham, Peter (et al.), Research methods in politics, Second edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan, 2008.

Faculty or entity

EURO