Academic Year/course:
2022/23
3354 - Bachelor's degree programme in Global Studies
23264 - Bachelor's Degree Final Project
Información de la Guía Docente
Academic Course:
2022/23
Academic Center:
335 - Faculty of Humanities
Study:
3354 - Bachelor's degree programme in Global Studies
Subject:
23264 - Bachelor's Degree Final Project
Credits:
10.0
Course:
3
Teaching languages:
| Bachelor's Degree Final Project: | Group 1: English |
Teachers:
Xavier Ferrer Gallardo, Manuel Olle Rodriguez, Jordi Mir Garcia, Anna Denissenko Denissenko, Meritxell Ferrer Martin, Gennadi Kneper , Jorge Alberto Luengo Sanchez, Alfonso Antonio Bermudez Mombiela, Lucila Mallart Romero, David Martin Block Allen, Pol Dalmau Palet, Marta Jorba Grau, Claudia Maria Paredes Guinand, Francisco Javier Garcia Fernandez, Ieva Stoncikaite Dargyte, Pablo Hernandez Sau, Maria Teresa Segura Garcia, Stephen Howard Jacobson Finberg, Guillermo Martinez Taberner, Albert Presas Puig, Antonio Luna Garcia, Rosa Cerarols Ramirez, Mireia Trenchs Parera
Teaching Period:
Third Quarter
Schedule:
Presentation
The BA dissertation is a compulsory course of 10 ECTS to be completed in the third year of the BA in Global Studies. It is an individual and supervised project — an in-depth, thoroughly researched, and original piece of writing that establishes your ability to examine a specific global issue. The BA dissertation is the culmination of your academic experience in the BA in Global Studies. Through it, you will demonstrate your mastery of the knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout the degree.
Associated skills
General skills
CB 1: That the students have demonstrated to possess and understand knowledge in an area of study that starts from the base of the general secondary education, and is usually found at a level that, while it is supported by advanced textbooks, it also includes some aspects which imply knowledge coming from the vanguard of their field study.
CB 2: That the students know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and they possess the skills that usually are demonstrated through the elaboration and defence of arguments and problem solving within your area of study.
CB 3: That the students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their study area) to make judgements that include a reflection on relevant social issues, scientific or ethical.
CB 4: That the students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialized and non-specialized public.
CB 5: That the students have developed those necessary learning skills to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
Transversal skills
CT 1: To communicate effectively in English and in different languages to the mother one.
CT 2: To show knowledge about the implications of new ideological, political, economic and technological forms that act in the contemporary global society from a globalized and cosmopolitan perspectives.
Specific skills
CE 1: To describe the global phenomena that affect the whole of the world population, from a transdisciplinary perspective.
CE 2: To analyse global phenomena form the local-global dialect.
CE 3: To build a comprehensive vision based on knowledge of the conceptual and methodological foundations of the different disciplines that constitute a global knowledge.
CE 4: To reflect critically on globalization and its challenges, taking into account ethical, cultural, environmental, human rights, gender and social justice considerations.
CE 5: To recognized the cultural, religious and values diversity for the understanding, management and resolution of conflicts and global problems.
CE 6: To raise and solve global problems through different methodologies of the disciplines that form the degree.
CE 7: Design, plan and manage global outreach programs and strategies in public institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and large international corporations.
Learning outcomes
After completing the dissertation, you will be able to:
- Identify, frame, and resolve an appropriate research question.
- Plan, execute, and deliver a piece of rigorous research in the form of a dissertation.
- Locate and summarise relevant information in the published literature on your topic, critically assessing the merits of different concepts, arguments, and policies, and positioning your research in relation to it.
- Present your research competently and clearly through good academic writing and, where relevant, the use of figures.
- Present substantive and realistic conclusions, indicating directions for future research and policies.
- Critically discuss the limitations of your research, defending your approach and choices.
- Where applicable, recognise and address the ethical issues involved in your research.
- Liaise with local actors, experts, and/or public and private bodies.
- Liaise with your supervisor in a proactive manner, by requesting appropriate guidance when needed and responding to their feedback.
- Work independently, developing time management and personal organisational skills.
Sustainable Development Goals
The dissertation is a comprehensive report that examines the status of one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in the country where you are completing your third-year academic exchange.
Please refer to the UN Sustainable Development Goals website for a complete list of goals.
In examining the status of your chosen goal in the country where your academic exchange takes place, you will frame the topic in two ways:
- You will explore one SDG (such as “Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation”) or one specific target within one SDG (“Target 6.B: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management”).
- You will set your analysis at the national (for instance, France), regional (Brittany), or local (Paris) level.
Prerequisites
In order to submit the dissertation in early June, students must: 1) already have completed their study abroad term(s) or 2) be completing them at the time of submission.
Contents
1. THE FOUR ASSIGNMENTS
1.1. Research proposal
The research proposal is one of the most important stages in the dissertation. Though no one expects your finished dissertation to look exactly like your proposal — your project will almost certainly evolve as you research and write — it is important to get your initial ideas down in writing.
This three- to four-page document should contain:
- Title (see section 5.2.; do not include a cover page!)
- Abstract and keywords
- Research topic: what is your dissertation about?
- Which SDG you have selected and why (and, where applicable, which target you have selected within that SDG and why).
- Which national, regional, or local area you have selected and why that goal is relevant in this area.
- Major questions: brainstorm at least three analytical questions you would like to answer. You probably have basic questions at this point (“Do Aboriginal Australians face housing discrimination?”). Try to push beyond these to formulate the higher-level questions that will guide your research (“Why do Aboriginal Australians face housing discrimination? How does it relate to previous events and trends?”). Remember that not all questions can be answered in a BA dissertation.
- Preliminary annotated bibliography: list at least eight scholarly works on your topic, to demonstrate that there are enough academic sources to develop the project. After each reference, summarise in a sentence or two why you think this work deserves your attention.
- Relevant coursework: list three completed university courses that have prepared you to work on your topic and explain in one or two sentences why you think they are relevant to your research. For courses at UPF, indicate the name of the professor who taught them.
- Proposed dissertation timeline: plan how you will organise your dissertation workload on a fortnightly or monthly basis, indicating study abroad period.
After reviewing your research proposals and consulting with potential supervisors, the BA dissertation coordinator will draft a provisional assignation of supervisors. The assignation will be approved by the coordinator of the BA in Global Studies.
1.2. Outline
This six- to seven-page document should outline your dissertation’s structure, listing each section and summarising its main argument or idea. It should not only expand your research proposal but also improve it, through your supervisor’s feedback on the research proposal.
1.3. Full draft
The full draft is a substantial and coherent piece of writing of about 30 pages that contains all dissertation sections in the appropriate format. Not meeting this requirement will result in a 0 in this submission.
The more polished the full draft is, the better. How polished should it be, exactly? Have a very explicit discussion with your supervisor about their expectations. If your supervisor is distracted by rushed writing or missing references, you may not get the feedback you need.
1.4. Dissertation
Please refer to the structure provided above, as well as to the BA dissertation Handbook, for more details on this final submission.
2. STRUCTURE
The full draft and the dissertation must include the contents indicated below.
- Cover page and plagiarism declaration
- Abstract (200‒250 words)
- Table of contents
- Table of figures (if applicable)
- Introduction (2‒3 pages)
- Literature review (3‒5 pages)
- Global (and regional, if relevant) situation regarding selected SDG (3‒5 pages)
- Position of the selected country regarding selected SDG (10‒12 pages)
- Historical background
- Current situation
- Main indicators/figures/data
- Main actors (local, regional, and international/global)
- Adopted measures
- Results (with particular emphasis on obstacles and limitations to success)
- Expectations for the next 5 to 10 years
- Evaluation and recommendations (4‒6 pages)
- General evaluation of the position of the country regarding the selected SDG
- List of specific recommendations (as specific and comprehensive as possible, including analysis of advantages and disadvantages, risks, costs, etc.)
- Conclusion (2‒3 pages)
- Bibliography
- Annexes
- a. Brief bio of interviewee and interview transcript
With your supervisor’s approval, you may slightly modify some sections if doing so helps you to convey your findings more effectively. These small tweaks may not affect essential sections such as the introduction, the literature review and the conclusion.
Neither the full draft nor the dissertation should exceed written 30 pages (that is, the 30-page count excludes cover page, plagiarism declaration, abstract, table of contents, table of figures, bibliography, and annexes).
3. DEADLINES
Date Assignment Mode of submission
10 October 2022, 23:59 Research proposal Turnitin (Aula Global)
5 December 2022, 23:59 Outline Turnitin (Aula Global)
31 March 2023, 23:59 Full draft Turnitin (Aula Global)
1 June 2023, 23:59 Dissertation Turnitin (Aula Global)
After each Turnitin submission, it is your responsibility to check that you have uploaded the correct file and that it is readable. If you upload a wrong or corrupted file, it will be counted as a late submission.
No extensions will be given for any of these deadlines. It is your responsibility to manage your workload to submit each assignment on time. Settling in and studying during your academic exchange might take up more time than you expect — start working early even if you do not anticipate a heavy workload.
If you are unable to submit the dissertation by 1 June 2023, you will not be able to graduate on time. You will have to enrol for the BA dissertation in the 2023-24 academic year, paying the higher re-enrolment fee for the dissertation’s 10 ECTS.
Teaching Methods
The BA dissertation is an individual project undertaken under the guidance of a supervisor. Your supervisor is the first port of call for all matters related to your dissertation. It is your responsibility to keep them informed of your progress so that they can supervise you effectively. You must be proactive in contacting them and asking for feedback — starting with your research proposal, after the publication of the assignation of supervisors in Aula Global.
The role of your supervisor is to:
- Ensure the feasibility of your topic within the 10 ECTS associated with the dissertation.
- Supervise you in the development of your dissertation and provide feedback after the submission of the research proposal, the outline, and the full draft.
- Assess your dissertation, as the internal examiner.
- Where applicable, attend your dissertation defence.
Evaluation
The examiners
Your dissertation will be assessed by one internal examiner (your supervisor) and one external examiner (another academic in the BA in Global Studies who also supervises dissertations). Your final grade results from the grade suggested by the internal examiner (60%) and the grade suggested by the external examiner (40%).
The internal examiner does not only assess the finished product, but also the work that preceded it. Out of the 60% awarded by the internal examiner, 45% corresponds to the finished dissertation. The remaining 15% is based on the research proposal (5%), the outline (5%) and the full draft (5%). Each one of these percentages considers not only whether you submitted the assignment on time but also its quality. For instance, if you submitted an assignment on time but it does not meet the requirements you may not be awarded a 5% for it. Please note that the final dissertation is not included in these three categories, as dissertations not submitted on time will not be assessed.
The defence
Out of all students who receive a final grade above 9.0, those with the highest numerical grades will be asked to publicly defend their dissertation in front of a panel of three professors to obtain a matrícula d’honor (honours) in late June 2023.
Each defence will be no longer than 10 minutes and will have the following structure:
- Student exposition of the dissertation’s content, including objectives, methodology, and conclusions (5 minutes).
- Questions from the panel, followed by the student’s replies (5 minutes). During this phase, the panel will allow the supervisor to express their views on the work undertaken by the student.
Additional information on the defence:
- Students will defend in alphabetical order by surname.
- If an eligible student is not able to travel to Barcelona, they will defend their dissertation via videoconferencing.
- The panel will be made up of professors who teach in the BA in Global Studies but who have not supervised any BA dissertations in the current academic year. Their identities will only be revealed at the defence.
- The only materials panel members will receive are the eligible dissertations — not the examiners’ reports or the grades they have received.
- The panel may award up to 3‒4 matrícules d’honor (depending on the total number of enrolled students) and one Global Studies BA Dissertation Prize.
Recovery
Students who submit the dissertation in June and who are awarded a fail grade will have the option to resubmit an improved dissertation in July. Students who wish to improve a passing grade may not resubmit their dissertation in this recovery examination period. Please note that dissertations submitted in July are not elegible for matrícula d'honor (honours).