Program Overview

HUMA420 - Honours Thesis A

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Honours graduates in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences need to be able to identify, respond to, and solve complex and emerging problems and challenges in a wide range of professional contexts through engaging in original and methodologically appropriate research. In this unit, students will advance their understanding of a specialist field by developing a thesis that responds to a researchable question and contributes new knowledge to the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences and advances the common good.

Campus Offering

• The unit is offered at the NAT campus.
• Study modes may vary, and unit offerings may be subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

Prerequisites

• There are no prerequisites for this unit.

Incompatible Units

• HUMA400 - Honours Thesis A (Full-Time)

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. Autonomously formulate a complex research project according to the methodological and ethical conventions of the field of study.
2. Apply advanced cognitive and technical research skills in the chosen field of study.
3. Critically analyse and evaluate an original research problem in the form of a thesis or creative arts project and exegesis.
4. Transmit an advanced scholarly, theoretical, and/or technical contribution to knowledge in the form of a 15,000-word thesis or creative arts project and 7,500-word exegesis.
5. Utilise advanced communication skills of clear and precise thesis writing and answer questions about it in an oral setting.

Content

Topics covered in thesis supervision sessions will normally include:

• Ethics
• Primary and secondary research approaches
• Goal setting and time management
• Skills in reporting and analysis
• Scholarly critique
• Argumentation
• Citation
• Writing, editing, and preparing the thesis for examination

For creative projects and exegesis, topics will include:

• Research skills
• Contemporary artistic practice and related theoretical discourse
• Creative independent practice-led research
• Project planning and goal setting
• Managing and presenting a major creative project
• Advanced critical and creative thinking and problem-solving
• Ethics
• Preparation of an exegesis/dissertation
• Writing, editing, and proof-reading

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) summative assessment consists of either a 12,000-15,000 word original thesis or a Creative Arts project/portfolio with a 7,500-word exegesis, demonstrating advanced knowledge and skills in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Overview of Assessments

• Assessment Task 1: Honours Research Thesis (15,000 words) or Creative Project and Exegesis (7,500 words), which accounts for 100% of the unit's assessment.

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

Students will work closely with a specialist supervisor to negotiate a topic of significance in an approved field and develop a question and a methodological approach that can guide their research. The supervisor will engage the student in regular cycles of reflection and critical self-appraisal to incrementally develop a sophisticated and scholarly thesis.

Representative Texts and References

• Byrne, D. Research Ethics. Los Angeles: Sage, 2016.
• Fink, A. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 6th ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2020.
• Hammond, M., and J.J. Wellington. Research Methods: The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. London & New York: Routledge, 2021.
• Iltis, A. S., and D. McKay. The Oxford Handbook of Research Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
• Kumar, R. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. 5th ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2019.
• Leavy, P. The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
• Martin, K. L. Please Knock Before You Enter: Aboriginal Regulation of Outsiders and the Implications for Researchers. Teneriffe, Qld: Post Pressed, 2008.
• McGregor, D., J. Restoule, and R. Johnston. Indigenous Research: Theories, Practices, and Relationships. Toronto: Canadian Scholars, 2018.
• Sullivan, Graeme. Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in Visual Arts. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010.
• Walliman, Nicholas. Your Undergraduate Dissertation: The Essential Guide for Success. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2014.

Credit Points and Year

• This unit is worth 20 credit points and is offered in the year 2026.