Master's Thesis in European Affairs 15 credits

The course implies that the students design and execute a scientific inquiry on their own.

The students should identify a relevant research problem in the field of European Affairs, select an appropriate method, process a comprehensive theoretical and empirical material, and report the findings in the form of a written text.

The work process is guided by a supervisor appointed by the department. Whereas the supervisor provides constructive feedback on the basic structure of the inquiry, the course represents an independent research effort, and responsibility for the final product rests with the authors themselves.

Formal course plan

Syllabus for STVM24 Political Science: Master’s (One Year) Thesis in European Affairs, Second cycle, 15 higher education credits (A1E)

The course was approved by the Board of the Faculty of Social Sciences on November 17, 2011. The syllabus was approved by the Board of the Department of Political Science on November 8, 2011.

The syllabus is valid from the spring semester of 2012.

1 Type of Course

This is a political science course offered to students in the programme Master of Science (Two Years) in European Affairs. The language of instruction is English and the thesis are written in English.


2 Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students shall

• be able to independently formulate a relevant political science research problem in the field of European Affairs, and have the ability to theorise, generalise and discuss this problem in an abstract way

• be able to design, execute and reflect on all stages of a research process

• be able to summarize, review, evaluate and criticize other studies in European Affairs

• be able to communicate the results of learning and research processes to different kinds of recipients within a given time frame, both in writing and orally

• be able to follow the development of research on European Affairs, and master techniques for making proper academic references

• be able to demonstrate a critical attitude towards knowledge, learning, politics and society

• be able to contribute to a common learning environment and to the group dynamic aspects of learning.


3 Course Content

The course implies that the students design and execute a scientific inquiry on their own. The students should identify a relevant research problem in the field of European Affairs, select an appropriate method, process a comprehensive theoretical and empirical material, and report the findings in the form of a written text. The work process is guided by a supervisor appointed by the department. Whereas the supervisor provides constructive feedback on the basic structure of the inquiry, the course represents an independent research effort, and responsibility for the final product rests with the authors themselves.


4 Teaching and Assessment

The course is based on a combination of different teaching and learning activities. These include lectures, individual guidance, self-directed studies and seminars. Students formulate their initial ideas in a short thesis plan that is discussed collectively at a special seminar. Time is also provided for individual meetings with the supervisor. The finished thesis is examined at a concluding examination seminar. Given the nature of writing a thesis, the core activity is nevertheless the student’s individual research efforts.

The assessment of the course is based primarily on the quality of the thesis, but also on how well this is defended at the examination seminar, as well as the author’s efforts when serving as a discussant of other theses in the group.

In addition to the regular examinations, extra examinations will be organised each term.

Participation in the seminars is compulsory.


5 Grades

The grades awarded are A, B, C, D, E or Fail. The highest grade is A and the lowest passing grade is E. The grade for a non-passing result is Fail.
The student’s performance is assessed with reference to the learning outcomes of the course. For the grade of E the student must show acceptable results. For the grade of D the student must show satisfactory results. For the grade of C the student must show good results. For the grade of B the student must show very good results. For the grade of A the student must show excellent results. For the grade of Fail the student must have shown unacceptable results.
At the start of the course students are informed about the learning outcomes stated in the syllabus and about the grading scale and how it is applied in the course.


6 Specific Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the course the student must have passed at least 30 higher education credits of courses in the programme Master of Science (Two Years) in European Affairs, including 15 higher education credits in social science methodology.


7 Other instructions

The thesis should be submitted electronically in accordance with the department’s instructions, and will be published in an open access database belonging to Lund University. It there are serious reasons against publication, exemptions can be granted.