Master's Thesis

About the course

The course is about independently defining, setting up and carrying out a research assignment (thesis/essay) that you have decided on and outlined in discussion with a supervisor. The written essay is presented in a final seminar. An important part of the seminar is to analyse and reflect on the design of different kinds of investigations, your own as well as others.

In the final seminar, the author is expected to give an oral presentation of the essay and should also be able to answer questions and reflect on the independently written investigation. Furthermore, you also have to start a discussion on another essay by acting as an opponent and actively participating in the discussions on the essays that are presented in each seminar group.

On completion of the course, you are expected to:

• have gained the insights and skills required that make it possible to participate in a meaningful way in the knowledge-seeking process that utmost, in a seminar with others, is about trying to prove the validity of an argument
• independently define, set up and carry out a research assignment with relevance to the theory formation of the field and the chosen problem
• collect and analyse data relevant to the theory and research problem at hand, being aware of the limitations of the material
• be able to interpret and analyse the material and draw conclusions in a considerate way
• in dialogue with others, be able to analyse and reflect on the design of other investigation assignments, and thereby be able to consider other standpoints that might apply, as well as communicate such standpoints to others.