Course Assignment Guidance
The Course Assignment
This is an extended essay undertaken in semester 2. It is an opportunity to undertake detailed independent study on a topic related to one of the modules you are studying at Level Two, with collaborative feedback and support both from a supervisor and from a group of students working in similar areas. The Course Assignment and its associated seminar series and workshop on electronic sources will enable you to develop your research and academic writing skills, as you:
- define a subject area in conjunction with your seminar tutor
- identify relevant secondary literature to assist you in framing your research question
- locate appropriate evidence to support your arguments, which can be drawn from either primary sources or secondary literature
- formulate and structure an argument grounded in that material
- convey the results of that research and argument in clear prose
The course assignment is a discrete exercise and should not be seen as an opportunity to extend an essay you have already written for one of your first semester modules or are writing for one of those you are taking in the second semester. Similarly, while it is in part intended to help you develop the skills you will need to bring to your Level 3 Dissertation, it should not be regarded as the basis for a future Dissertation. Indeed, you will not be permitted to use substantially the same material in your Dissertation as you have in your course assignment.