First MSc Dissertation Session 2024-5

<style> .reveal { font-size: 32px; } .reveal h1 { color: #1e376d; /* LSE blue */ } .reveal h2 { color: #1e376d; } </style> # MSc Dissertation Workshop I ## GV499 Prof. Kai Spiekermann k.spiekermann@lse.ac.uk [https://hackmd.io/@Spiekermann/MScDissertations#/](https://hackmd.io/@Spiekermann/MScDissertations#/) --- ## Session Overview * Timeline * Rules and regulations * The research topic, question, thesis, argument * Manageability * The right tools --- ## Future Session (WT Week 2) * The literature review * Originality * The writing process * Sagely advice ---  --- ## Supervisor $\neq$ Advisor * The departmental MSc convener will allocate dissertation supervisors based on * your preferences * your topic * availability * We generally recommend that you ask for supervision from the core Pol Theo team * (though there can be plausible exceptions!) --- ## The Winter and Spring Term * This is the time to make use of your supervisors! * Most supervisors will organize a workshop with their supervisees * And offer individual meetings * **Minimum goal: fix the core argument and structure** --- ## A Word About the Summer Break * Main goal: Write dissertations independently * Two meetings with supervisors in so-called "supervision windows" (announced individually) * Dissertation support sessions for more general advice also available **DEADLINE: 19 AUGUST 2024** --- ## Rules & Regulations * Word limit: 10,000 words * Includes footnotes/endnotes * Excludes: cover page, table of contents, acknowledgements, abstract, bibliography, appendices * No penalties for being under the limit * but being significantly under limit might indicate a problem * \>5% over limit may result in mark deductions -- please see MSc handbook --- ## Referencing Guidelines * Different systems allowed * Must be consistent throughout * Tools recommended: * Zotero (open-source) * Endnote (free for LSE students) * More about tools below --- ## Important Notes * **Plagiarism** is an assessment offence * **Self-plagiarism** is also an assessment offence * You cannot use previously submitted material * How are dissertations assessed? * Examples of excellent dissertations available in Dissertation Library on GV499 Moodle * We mark dissertations largely like summative essays * but with more emphasis on success in presenting a compelling, independent argument * Marking scheme provides guidelines --- ## The Research Question Every dissertation needs: 1. A topic 2. **One research question** 3. An answer to the research question ("thesis") 4. An argument supporting the answer --- ## Example Breakdown * Topic: "I want to work on environmental ethics" * Research Question: "What are the conditions under which driving a gas-guzzling car is permissible?" :fuelpump: * Thesis: "Driving a gas-guzzler is impermissible under X, Y and Z conditions" * Argument: Premise 1, Premise 2, ..., leading to conclusion NB: The research question need not be your thesis title --- ## Finding Your Question * Keep track of interesting class discussions * Read broadly around topics * Choose questions that: * Interest you * Play to your strengths :muscle: * Allow contribution to literature Be prepared for initial attempts to fail! --- ## Question Types Questions might address: 1. Current debate in political theory 2. Interpretive question about political text(s)/thinker(s) 3. Application of new theory/method to existing debate 4. Contemporary political issue 5. ... Avoid causation questions (e.g.,. "How did the English civil war influence Hobbes's Leviathan?") --- Credit to Sam Bagg! (**NOT** advice!) ![Types of paper](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/HkCfXVqGyg.jpg =40%x) --- ## Research Questions and Motivation A good research question is * Relevant: we need an answer to that question * It might contribute to solving a real-world problem * ... or a theoretical problem * Sufficiently challenging * It should appeal to experts and (typically) lay people alike --- ## Example A: "Equality of Welfare Defended" * Tackles ongoing debate in political philosophy about the currency of justice * Research question: _Is welfare the most defensible currency of justice?_ * Thesis: Yes, it is! * Argument: many conceivable ways to go here * Would most probably use analytic methods: * Thought experiments * Examples * Reflective equilibrium --- ## Example B: "Menkiti on Personhood" * An interpretive dissertation, focusing on debates about one thinker in the literature * Research question: _How should Ifeyanyi Menkiti’s communal ideal of personhood be understood and is is compatible with individual autonomy?_ * Thesis: His communal view of personhood does not entail, as is often assumed, a rejection of individual autonomy. * Argument: partly close reading, partly appeal to principles of exegesis, partly bringing to bear new ideas for interpreting Menkiti * Methods: * Close analysis of primary and secondary texts * Analytical * Comparative * Contextualist approaches --- ## Example C: "Should Rhodes Fall?" * A thesis motivated by a contemporary political issue * Research Question: _Should tainted statues be removed from public view and on what grounds?_ * Thesis: Yes, they should if this is the most effective way to avoid degrading victims of colonialism. * Argument: Will likely develop a theory about how commemoration can cause relational harms and domination, drawing on background theories of the wrongness of colonialism and how to address historical injustice * Methods: * An analysis of the wrongs involved * A discussion of theories of domination and colonialism * Real-world cases, reflective equilibrium --- ## Many More Ways * This only scratches the surface! * I have not said anything about * Critical theory and Ideologiekritik * Social choice theory * Comparative political theory * and much more ... * The type of arguments and methods vary by research question * Have a look in the dissertation library * And talk with your mentor and supervisor about this --- ## Political Theory Focus * The field is methodologically diverse * Your Dissertation must fit within political theory * Most political theory is from the armchair :seat: * If you want to work empirically (ethnographic methods!), then * you need to seek advice * and be mindful that combining normative-theoretical and empirical work is _very_ hard * Consult mentor/supervisor if uncertain --- ## Manageability * 10,000-word limit * Choose answerable questions * This often means addressing a smaller aspect than you first envisage :mag_right: * Reference journal articles as models * Ensure scope fits word/time constraints --- ## Some Tools You Will Need I * A reference manager * Allows you to collect and correctly document sources right from the start * Makes creating a consistent referencing system very easy * I can show you Zotero if there is interest * A word processor * MS Word is free at LSE * Familiarize yourself with headings/styles * Footnotes * Integration of your reference manager * And the automatic creation of a Table of Content * The spellchecker --- ## Some Tools You Will Need II * Alternative editing solutions: * Different word processors * LaTeX * Markdown, etc * Use something that works for you -- tools should not distract * A note-taking system * A literature search engine, like Google Scholar * A reliable backup system: cloud and physical! --- ## Artificial Intelligence The departmental policy on using AI is clear: _All the work students submit to the School is expected to be 100% their own. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, to help with any part of a student’s assessment is strictly prohibited._