B0156 - BACHELOR THESIS LABORATORY

Learning outcomes

The thesis laboratory guides students in the process of designing and writing their BA thesis. Therefore, the seminar will address key issues about research questions, theory testing, case selection, data and information gathering and analysis. Students will be encouraged to move the first steps toward their own research by testing alternative theories, hypotheses and research strategies.

Course contents

This course is reserved exclusively for students in the Bachelor of European Studies programme. Students of other programmes are not allowed to take this course in their programme.

Language of the course: English.

The course offers students a platform to develop and discuss their bachelor thesis and to acquire practical skills for the correct management of the thesis-related workflow and follow-up. On the one hand, students receive valuable feedback towards the successful finalization of their bachelor thesis and are able to present and discuss their thesis with their peers. On the other hand, they learn horizontal skills that can be useful during and after their work on the bachelor thesis: for instance, the best strategies to work under pressure while ensuring own’s physical and psychological wellbeing, the use of an inclusive language and terminology, opportunities to transform the thesis into an academic output.

Objectives

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• use their analytical skills to conduct research under supervision;
• present and report, clearly and comprehensively, both orally and in written form knowledge concerning questions of European Studies;
• formulate research questions, understand academic literature, collect and analyze data, critically reflect on research findings;
• present their research results meeting scientific-academic standards;
• plan the workload within a given timeframe and take care of their physical and mental wellbeing while writing their research results;
• manage the follow-up of their thesis work and defense.

Readings/Bibliography

The course material is made available on Toledo. As a general reference, the recommended reading is:

Turabian, K. L., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations (Chicago University Press, 9^th edn, 2018).

Teaching methods

Blended learning

This course consists of:

• Online lectures
• Online seminars in which students work in groups and practically engage with the teaching materials from lectures.
• On-campus seminars (mock presentations), in which students present their research and receive feed-back by their peers and mock juries. In certain cases, mock presentations might be held online.

Assessment methods

Type: Continuous assessment without exam during the examination period
Assessment method: Paper/Project, Presentation.

The grading scale of this course unit is pass/fail.

This course includes the following evaluation:

• submission of two homework assignments;
• brief presentation of each student’s thesis during the seminar sessions, and feedback to the presentation delivered by other peers.

Students must meet both requirements to pass the course.

Determination of the final result

The evaluation is graded by the lecturer(s), as communicated via Toledo. The grading scale of this course unit is pass/fail.

When submitting assignments, the agreed deadline is respected. Possible deviations are not negotiable. If special individual circumstances have arisen, one should contact the ombuds service before the deadline. If the deadline is not respected, the assessment of the component in question will be counted as a 0-score within the weighted final result, unless for a valid reason a new submission date is determined after the application.

Students are responsible for submitting work that is free of fraud. Irregularities, in particular with regard to authorship (e.g. plagiarism and the improper use of genAI), will be punished with the sanctions provided for in the BAES exam regulations.

Retakes

The evaluation characteristics and determination of the final result of the resit are identical to those of the first examination opportunity as described above.

Teaching tools

The slides and other teaching materials will be available on the platform Toledo. The lecture slides are an integral part of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Nicola Maggini