Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Objectives

The objective of this module is:

• to provide students with additional factual and theoretical knowledge within the subject areas of the other modules of the semester, and to give them the opportunity to reflect on theories and their usability in specific contexts in a critical manner.
• to gain experience in collecting and processing data and information in order to analyse a particular problem
• to gather experience in working in a team of people with different competencies, academic and cultural backgrounds and to practice discussing potentially controversial issues while respecting other people’s opinions
• to practice working actively in an English-language project process and to practise academic writing in English 
• to train students in identifying and delimiting a suitable research problem for the project and creating an appropriate research design which will enable them to complete the project within a set timeframe.
   

Contents

Students form groups and define a problem within the other modules of the semester. The group will work on the problem independently. The university provides academic supervision.  Students must discuss various theories and select one or several, which they deem to be relevant. Unless it is a purely theory-based project, students must discuss which type of empirical data might be relevant in this context and organise the data collection. The topic of the project must be formulated as a problem, and students must seek to answer this problem. The answer must be based on theoretical reflection and – unless it is a purely theory-based project – be empirically grounded. Purely descriptive projects are not acceptable.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• possess additional factual knowledge of theories and practices within the fields covered in the other modules of the semester and can reflect on these on a scientific basis
• possess further knowledge and understanding of the themes within these fields and various approaches to the study of these.

Skills

• can identify and delimit a research problem and create a research strategy suitable for answering the problem statement
• can apply their knowledge to select theories that serve the analytical purpose and at the same time remain critical to these theories.
• can collect empirical data systematically in order to solve a problem within the other modules of the semester and reflect critically on this process
• can integrate theory and empirical data on an interdisciplinary basis
• can communicate in written and spoken academic English

Competences

• can reflect and argue on the basis of scientific knowledge
• can work purposely on an answer to a given problem and within a set deadline
• can work in a team of people with different competences and cultural backgrounds.

Type of instruction

The module consists of the written student project. The project must be written in groups of 3 to 6 students. 

Exam

Exams

Additional information

Danny Raymond is responseble for the projects in Copenhagen.

Lise Rolandsen Agustin is responseble for the projects at Development and International Relations in Aalborg.

Søren Dosenrode is responseble for the European Studies.