The course provides basic training in research design, research methods and ethics for students whose Honours thesis topics relate to International, Political and Security Studies in the Asia Pacific. It is required for all students enrolled in the Bachelor of International Security Studies Honours plan, and for all students enrolled in the Asia-Pacific Politics specialisation of the Bachelor of Asian Studies Honours plan.
Students will be trained to pose theoretically sound research questions, design feasible, appropriate research methods and locate their thesis in relation to debates in their discipline. The course aims to help students acquire the skills required to independently design, conduct and write up the findings from a scholarly research project.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Critically engage with disciplinary debates in research design and methodology.
- Design a theoretically and methodologically sound research project.
- Explore a range of methods to research a question in international, political and security studies in the Asia Pacific.
- Develop knowledge in navigating different research approaches and methods.
- Acquire the ability to present research questions, a research design and preliminary findings to an audience of academics and student peers.
- Undertake constructive peer review on scholarly works.
- Produce competent and professional academic writing.
Indicative Assessment
- Thesis proposal presentation (10) [LO 1,2,5,6]
- Refined thesis proposal (2500 words max) (20) [LO 2,3,4,7]
- Annotated Bibliography (1200 words max) (15) [LO 1,3,5,6]
- Peer review of another student's draft introductory chapter (15) [LO 1,4,5,6]
- Draft introductory chapter of thesis (4000 words max) (40) [LO 1,3,4,7]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
This course comprises some 260 hours of activity over 12 weeks. The course comprises a maximum of 10k words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Sandra Halperin and Oliver Heath, Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills (Oxford University Press, 2012)
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 12 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 12.00 | 0.25000 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $8880 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $12000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2589 | 19 Feb 2024 | 26 Feb 2024 | 05 Apr 2024 | 24 May 2024 | In Person | View |
