Course Title: Honours Thesis in Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Honours Thesis in Practice

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BUSM4473

City Campus

Undergraduate

610P BUS Portfolio Office

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2016,
Sem 1 2017,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 1 2022

Course Coordinator: Professor Francis Farrelly

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1475

Course Coordinator Email: francis.farrelly@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 80, Level 10, 445 Swanston Street, Melbourne, 3000.

Course Coordinator Availability: Appointment via email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

This course is for students undertaking the Bachelor of Business Honours Program.

Alternatively you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course. Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning. For further information visit Recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Higher Education.


Course Description

The course ‘Thesis in Practice’ addresses the fundamentals of completing a high-quality thesis. It will traverse the importance of seminal literature, ‘reading’ for knowledge and ideas, and what it means to conceptualise and contribute. It will focus on discipline knowledge, how knowledge informs research questions, and how knowledge, research questions, and line of enquiry, informs the choice of method. The distinction between method and methodology, the task of research design, and writing a proposal, will also form the basis for the ‘Thesis in Practice’ course.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

-


On the successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  1. Distinguish between a concept and its context.
  2. Apply reading and critical thinking skills in a focused and directed manner.
  3. Distinguish what constitutes a quality research question, argument, and outcome.
  4. Think conceptually to ‘locate’ an idea, and to build a conceptual argument to support it.
  5. Design and operationalise a research study to address a research question.
  6. Research and apply your line of enquiry.
  7. Develop the art of crafting a reasoned conceptual argument.


Overview of Learning Activities

Classes will be made up of a series of overlapping and interactive workshops in the form of critiques led by the students, and mediated by the facilitator. The structure of learning activities is designed to explore the following questions:

  • What qualifies as a research study, and who says?
  • What is seminal literature, what uniquely defines it, and what should we do with it?
  • How does knowledge inform the research question?
  • How does knowledge and the research question inform Method Selection?
  • What defines a quality proposal (idea, argument, structure, and flow)?


Overview of Learning Resources

You will be expected to utilize library and electronic resources (as well as any other appropriate resources). Resources and tools to facilitate your learning and extensive course materials are available on myRMIT Studies/Canvas. Online library resources are available through RMIT Library online. Hard copy resources will be made available as appropriate.


Overview of Assessment

The assessment alignment list below shows the assessment tasks against the learning outcomes they develop:

Assessment Task 1: 30%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7

Assessment Task 2: 40%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Assessment Task 3: 30%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Feedback will be provided throughout the semester in class and/or in online forums through individual and group feedback on practical exercises and by individual consultation.