| Unit name | Literature Review |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASCM0034 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Cunningham |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The aim of this unit is to provide students with training and experience in designing a research project, from researching previous work on their topic, identifying outstanding problems and determining what is required, in terms of methods and materials, to solve those problems. The experimental design is crucial: the student must look at available data in the literature and reframe questions that can realistically be tackled. The objective is to produce a coherent, concise, analytical, up-to-date, and accurate report on the various positions in the debate, and to present this to a general palaeontologist/ evolutionary biologist – rather than an expert in the immediate field.
Students read into a research topic and then use feedback from a meeting with their supervisor to produce a written review (in the format of the discipline leading journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution), and prepare a research proposal, including a feasibility study, in the form of a NERC Grant Application. At every stage, these exercises are stringent, and oblige students to raise the quality of their work from undergraduate essay writing, to adhering to the strict standards expected of a professional review or grant application.
On successful completion students will be able to:
Engagement and discussions with supervisor. Asynchronous online materials and, if subsequently possible, synchronous face-to-face lectures
Coursework 100%
An 8-page literature review and project plan in the format of a NERC Standard Grant application.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASCM0034).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
