1 Writing a dissertation

2 Overview  Recommendations  Outline of the dissertation  Planning your dissertation

3 Recommendations  Know your departmental guidelines / logistics  Know what your marker is looking for you to demonstrate  When choosing your question, think about what interests you, but also about how you’ll answer. (For instance, look at the resources in your life, what organisation could make a good case study / where / with whom could you conduct research?)  Know the support available to you.

4 Recommendations  Break the 13,000 words into sections, plan each separately  Do the research / case study first, literature review second, knowing the answer already  To begin the literature review, find a research article

5 The classic outline  Question – the more specific, the more marks / less work!  Answer - based on a discussion of the literature / research / case law (literature review)  Test – you test in the real world / a controlled setting the answer you got from the library (case study / research project)  Discussion – compare your theoretical answer with the test results – how do they match up?

6 The sections of a dissertation  Introduction (500 words)  Literature review (3 – 5,000 words)  Case study / research project (3 – 5,000)  Discussion (1 – 2,500 words)  Conclusion/Recommendations (1,000 words)

7 Introduction (500 words)  Paragraph 1  Establish the context (why is the topic important?)  State your question  Paragraph 2  Outline your argument in answer to the question  Paragraph 3  Explain your case study / research and how this tests the argument

8 Literature Review (3 to 5,000 words)  Gives a theoretical answer to your question  Give the background, including the development of research etc.  Discuss competing theories / schools – ending with a winner  Link to the case study by explaining which theory you will be looking for / testing / your expectations

9 Case study, Questionnaire (3 to 5,000 words)  Tests your theoretical answer in the real world  Intro – explain the test, say what you’re looking for  Background – what does the reader need to know?  Relate the events / issues / performance you’ll be analysing

10 Research Project (3 to 5,000 words)  Tests your theoretical answer in the real world / in a controlled setting  Intro – summarise study, state hypotheses  Background – what does the reader need to know?  Methodology – incl. discussion of quantitative / qualitative methods etc., justify your choice of methods  Results

11 Discussion (1 to 2,500 words)  Match the results to the theoretical explanations you were looking for  Intro – restate the test – say what you were looking for  Divide into sections based on the theory / elements of the results

12 Conclusion/Recommendation (500 words)  Draw it all together  Paragraph 1  Restate the question  Summarise your argument in answer to the question  Paragraph 2  Summarise the case study / research findings  Outline the discussion conclusions  Paragraph 3  So what? - significance, next etc…

13 Task 1  Think about your topic and likely question, e.g. ‘How can social movements influence political processes?’  Briefly what is the answer to the question?

14 Planning the literature review  Tips…  Don’t reinvent the wheel, find a journal research article  Sketch out the main positions, be clear on their competing claims and the evidence justifying these (big paper!)  Think about the flow of ideas in the paragraphs – list these and check it makes sense

15 Section outline – Literature review Question – Why was Norway involved in promoting peace in the Middle East in the mid 1990s? 1.Introduction to the argument 2.Definitions of realism 3.Definitions of realism 4.Norway and Internationalism 5.History of Norwegian foreign policy 6.Motives of Norwegian foreign policy 7.Importance of oil transportation to Norway 8.Norway and the Middle East 9.Norwegian conflicts of interest 10.Norway’s voting record at the UN re. The Middle East 11.Limits of Norwegian commercial Interests In the Middle East 12.Norwegian – Israeli relations 13.Problems between Norway and Israel

16 Task 2  Your literature review is the theoretical answer to your question.  Who are the main theorists?  What do they argue?  Who do you agree with, why?  What then is the answer to the question?

17 Example ‘How can social movements influence political processes?’ Resource mobilisation theory (Olson etc.) Framing reality, repertoire of action, resonant message, organisation and structure Political process theory (MacAdam etc.) Political cleavage and opportunity, elite stability & alliances, media utilisation Answer is the combination of both – movements need both a political opportunity to exploit and the capacity to do so

18 Task 3 - Case study / Research project  Given your answer, what test will you apply?  What is the topic of your study?  How will you do the study?  What is interesting / commendable about this?  What theoretical explanation will you be looking to support / dispute?  When will you do this?

19 Example  Compare the experiences of two social movements, one successful the other not. Analyse their progress from the perspective of resource mobilisation and political process theories to establish if these are key elements in successfully influencing policy making. (e.g. the cases of the student and indigenous movements during the constitutional crisis and constituent assembly in Colombia in 1991)

20 Conclusions  See the dissertation as an essay (3 – 5k) in answer to a question, a detailed case study (3 – 5k) informed by the essay you wrote and a third essay (1 – 2.5k) comparing the one with the other.  Plan each section at the level of paragraphs, consider the flow of ideas and overall consistency of what you’re doing.  Don’t describe, be making an argument throughout (even the background sections should introduce only what’s relevant to the flow of your argument)

21 Conclusions  Think about your timing  You need to use this term – Easter is for revision, summer term doesn’t really exist  This term you can ask questions during office hours (and double up your dissertation reading with your exam preparation!?)  End this term with a clear plan  Take a break after the exams, then do the study, then write up your plan (April)  Spend August in the Greek Islands