121-430 Environmental Studies Coursework

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours in environmental studies.

The subject comprises three components: a course of lectures and seminars on the principles and practice of environmental or social impact assessment; preparation of an extended review of the literature related to the subject matter of the student's individual thesis, covering both specific research in this area, and also the broader context within which the survey is situated; research modules covering two methodology areas chosen from the following possible list: Geographical Information Systems; SPSS; Writing Skills for Thesis Students; Library Skills; Questionnaire Design; Survey Analysis; Managing Your Thesis; Ethics in Research; Researching Culture; Using Computers in Research; Research Design; Evaluation Research; Observation Methods; Introduction to Statistics; Painting as an Entry to History; Researching Vulnerable Groups; Storytelling and Narrative Analysis; History and the New Critical Theory; Geocomputing; The Sociological Intervention; Planning a Fourth Year Research Project; Field Methods; and Research for Professional Practice.

Literature review of 6000 words. Practical exercises on research methods for two elective modules totalling 5000 words. An essay and short seminar papers totalling 5000 words. Two oral presentations (totalling 40 minutes) on research proposal and research results. Attendance at departmental and other prescribed seminars is compulsory, as is completion of two methodology modules.