POL6707 Work based Learning Dissertation
Work-Based Learning Dissertation [MA]
The Work Based Learning Dissertation [WBLD] offers students the opportunity to work with an external collaborative organisation to produce a piece of independent research on a topic which is tailored to their needs but still submitted as an assessed academic piece of work. It is an initiative set up by the Department as part of our 'Business in the Community' project. The aim is to give students a broader experience of engaging in independent research and to integrate real experience of the world of politics into their degree programmes.
Students interested in pursuing a WBLD are encouraged at the earliest possible stage to establish contact and develop research projects in collaboration with an external organisation. An application form to undertake a WBLD has to be completed by the end of Week 12 in the first semester, requiring a research project title, a detailed project proposal, and agreement of collaboration with an external organisation. Examples of collaborative organisations could include pressure groups, voluntary organisations, think-tanks, charities, bureaucrats, local government, business, political parties, politicians etc. These organisations need not necessarily be based in the UK and can be international.
Here is a selection of previous work based learning dissertations undertaken by our students to give you an idea of the sort of project you could work on:
- Imagining Local Partnerships on Global Issue. A Case Study of Asylum Seekers Integration in Sheffield.
- The Next Epicentre of the HIV/Aids Virus 0 A Comparative Study of India and Sri Lanka.
- Your Council - Your Say! A Comparative Analysis of Transparency and Participation Policies in Sheffield City Council and Riga City Council.
- Blackburn. A Town Divided. Biculturalism and its Malcontents.
- Effective Development: A Case Study of Partnership in Sierra Leone.
- The Role of Grassroots Networks, Organisations and Engineering in International Development. Engineers Without Borders Uk.
- Addressing Apathetic Young Voters: Why are they abstaining and what is being done to re-engage them?
For a video explaining more about the WBLD, including student testimonies from those who have recently successfully completed one can be downloaded here:
Also, by clicking the link below, an information factsheet can be downloaded which answers some of the more frequently asked questions about WBLDs, such as the application process, timetable and differences from standard dissertation.
Prospective MA students who have been accepted onto their degree programme and are interested in doing a WBLD should start thinking about a potential research project alongside which external organisation they would like to work with preferably before the course begins.
If you want to talk through your ideas concerning a WBLD then please contact Dr. Nasos Roussias:
email : a.roussias@sheffield.ac.uk
Or telephone Nasos Roussias on:
+44 (0)114 222 1655