| CODE | IFC5003 | ||||||
| TITLE | Dissertation | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 30 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Laws | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will assist students in obtaining a deeper knowledge on ombudsman legislation and related institutions of governance at the national and supranational levels. Through fieldwork research, documentation analysis and literature review, students will be able to enhance their understanding and critical appraisal of the ombudsman system, together with other institutional frameworks related to good governance. In particular students will have the opportunity to relate how ombudsman law, good governance and service excellence within the public administration contribute towards a better quality of life, ethical leadership, and political/social/legal development. Study-unit Aims: The aim of the Dissertation is to develop the student's ability to address an open-ended research project, to review critically relevant literature related to the topic under study, to critically assess, and draw conclusions from, the results of the research work undertaken and the bibliography of the sources of information, or advice, referred to. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) demonstrate a greater awareness of the knowledge issues in the field of study, and at the interface between the different fields related to the topic of study; (b) to apply a systematic and scientific methodology to generate solutions to specific problems in the field of study; (c) take responsibility for contributing to knowledge and practice in the field of study. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) apply problem-solving techniques in research, so as to systematically address problems in the field of study, and to integrate knowledge from other different fields which may be of relevance to the specific area of research; (b) source archival or other information related to the field of study, to critically assess published literature related to the field, and competently refer to such literature in a research report; (c) prepare a well-referenced and well-structured research report, illustrating a set of research questions, the methodology adopted to address these questions, and outlining the answers to the questions by well-argued conclusions, so as to demonstrate a mastery of the issues explored as well as competence to disseminate the information gained from research work; (d) orally present a set of conclusions arising from work carried out in answer to a set of research problems, to explain the information gained from the research work. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Jill K. Jesson with Lydia Matheson and Fiona M. Lacey, "Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques", Sage Publishers, 2011. - Diana Ridley, "The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students", Second Edition, Sage Publishers, 2012. - Inger Furseth and Euris Larry Everett, "Doing Your Master's Dissertation - From Start to Finish", Sage Publishers, 2013. - Gina Wisker, "The Post-Graduate Research Handbook", Palgrave Study Skills, Second Edition, 2008. - Kumar Ranjit, "Research Methodology: A Step-by-step Guide for Beginners", Third Edition, Sage Publishers, 2011. Latest editions of the above books will be ordered after senate approval. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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