Stage 4 BA Study Guide 2011-12

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ROBERTGORDONUNIVERSITYAberdeen

Faculty of Design and Technology

Grays School of Art

BA (Hons) Fine ArtBA (Hons) Design

AA4126Contextual and Critical Studies

Stage 4

Critical EvaluationStudy Guide

2011-2012


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CONTENTS

Introduction & Key Dates

1.Selecting a Topic & Finalising a Research Question2.Semester 1 Tutorial Programme3.Final Draft4.Final Submission5. Final Format & Word Length

6. Time Allocated and Time Management

7. Primary Research

8. Assessment

9. Plagiarism

10. Ethical Considerations

11. Appendix: Ethical Considerations Checklist


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Introduction

How to use this guide

This guide provides detailed instructions for the completion of your CriticalEvaluation. Consult it for advice on: course requirements, key dates,tutorial arrangements, completion of documentation, layout andreferencing, etc.

Module Aims

This module will build upon students' introduction to selfdirected studyand research in Contextual and Critical Studies, stage 3. The core skills ofresearch, analysis, synthesis and communication will be expanded upon,

further enabling students to communicate effectively and creatively thecritical position of their practice within their own professional context inart and/or design.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students are expected to be able to:

1. Conduct independent research, using methodologies appropriate totheir practice in fine art and/or design.

2. Demonstrate informed and critical awareness of their professionalcontext and be able to locate their own practice within it.3. Analyse appropriately selected historical and contemporary themes infine art and design within the context of professional practice.4. Apply critical and analytical thinking and engage in critical, conceptualand imaginative exploration of ideas related to the context of fine artand/or design.5. Synthesise, analyse and evaluate information gathered from theirresearch and communicate effectively in writing, visual and auralmaterials.

Important Dates

Submission of completed Draft:Monday, 5 December 2011

Feedback on Draft by:Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Final submission date:Monday, 30 January 2012


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What You Have To Do

Key Tasks and Tutorial arrangements

The Critical Evaluation is a major piece of work which will be submitted atthe end of Semester 1 and be formally assessed at the end of Semester2. The main elements of the programme in Stage 4 are outlined below.

1. Selecting a Topic and Finalising a Research Question

In the second semester of Stage 3 you were asked to investigatethemes which might form the basis of your Critical Evaluation in

Stage 4. Some students will therefore now have identified a topicfor research and begun the process of formulating a clear researchquestion. Do not, however, be over concerned if you have yet tofinalise your theme. It is not unusual for students to be undecidedat this stage and the aim of the tutorial system is to ensure thatstudents have dedicated support from an assigned tutor to establisha clear direction.

2. Tutorial Arrangements

A programme of regular tutorial support is established early inStage 4. In Week 2, you will be assigned a tutor to supervise yourCritical Evaluation on the basis of your selected topic. You will meetwith your tutor in small study groups from Week 3. There will be 5tutorial sessions in total, 4 group sessions and 1 individual tutorial.

Details of the study group to which you have been assigned and thetime and location of your first tutorial will be posted on theContextual and Critical Studies Notice Board before the end of week1 (Friday, 1 October). Further details of all subsequent sessions willalso be posted on the Notice Board.

The following provides a broad outline of the focus and aims of eachtutorial session.


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Semester 1 Tutorial Programme

1st Group Session (Week 2)At the first study group you will discuss and share your initial ideas.Some students will already be clear about their research theme;others will still be undecided. Do your best to come ready todiscuss a broad area of interest, at least. If you have alreadyidentified some key texts, bring them with you.

At the end of this session you will sign up for a one-to-one tutorialwith your tutor.

One-to-one Tutorial (Weeks 3/4)This tutorial is to help you further develop a specific researchdirection and question. Following this session you are expected to

undertake in-depth reading and significantly develop your research.

2nd Group Session (time and venue tbc by your tutor)For this session you return to your study groups. Come prepared todiscuss and share information on your research effort to date e.g.key texts, good journals, possible primary sources etc. Continue toresearch following this session and begin to develop a potentialstructure for your draft. The earlier you begin to write, the better.

3rd Group Session (time and venue tbc by your tutor)Bring an outline structure to this tutorial, for discussion. This mightinclude: a potential introduction, a short summary of the proposedcontents of each section/chapter, a brief summary of yourconclusions to date, etc. Begin to write if you have not already doneso.

4th Group Session (time and venue tbc by your tutor)This is your final study group session and a final opportunity to dealwith any outstanding concerns.

Week 7?: Lecture on ReferencingBy Grays Subject Librarian Victoria Farmer. tbc

Week 11Submit a final draft for review and feedback by Monday,5 December, 4pm.


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3. Final Draft

The Draft is an opportunity for you to receive feedback prior to finalsubmission in January, and its purpose is to ensure that your finalwork is fully on track.

Draft deadline:The Draft should be submitted by 4.00pm on Monday,5 December 2011.

Draft format:With the exception of a final binding, the draft should follow allrequirements for the final submission including the final text, allimages, footnotes and a full bibliography.

Draft review and feedback:Feedback will take the form of a summary sheet confirming youare either on track to submit or need to make improvements. Ifit is considered you would benefit from further tutorial supportthis will be indicated along with instructions to contact yourtutor.

4. Final Submission

The final time and date for submission is 4.00pm on Monday, 30January 2012. Details of the submission procedure will beprovided nearer the date.

Please note you are required to produce TWO copies of thefinal written text (2 copies requires of paper version andCD/DVD) fully labelled.)Master copy to be submitted for assessment and a duplicate to beretained by your supervisor as back-up.

Your final mark will be ratified at the June Examination Board andissued thereafter.

5. Final format & word length

Most works take the form of a traditional dissertation, though anincreasing number of students choose to adopt more creative andexperimental formats. Examples of good practice (A- and B-graded)from previous years can be viewed in the Scott Sutherland Library

(5th floor). Go tohttp://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/
http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/


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and click on: for full guidance on physical layout i.e. Stage 4Guide to Academic Presentation.

Some students opt for more creative formats intending to integrateelements of critique within the presentation. For example, a

student looking at aspects of memory might present their work onantiqued paper, accompanied by distressed photography, etc. Theposition is that, where additional and commendable effort is made,students are awarded credit for creative formats, but it is stressedthat this is not essential and the highest marks can be awardedirrespectively.

Required Word LengthThe required word length, including quotations but excludingAppendices, Footnotes and Bibliography, is 6,000-8,000 words.

Alternative FormatsSome students may wish to consider alternative formats. Forexample, students who have dyslexia or other difficulties mightwant to consider formats better suited to their own strengths andabilities, while the studio practice of others might lead naturally tosomething alternative. In any such instance, please discussyour intentions at an early stage with your tutor so thatpracticalities can be considered. Such formats might include:

a written text supported by a multimedia document CD, video, etc. a video with supporting written commentary (including

story boards) a website including hyper-linked text a hyper-linked CD Rom other

Whichever format you choose to adopt, it will have to meet therequired word length and the same standards of assessment as all

other submissions. The precise word length, in any circumstance,will remain within the 6,0008,000 word limit.

6. Time allocated and time management

The Critical Evaluation represents 25% of your mark in yourfinal year. Therefore, in Semester 1 you should allocate half of theacademic week (2.5 days) to related research and study, sincethere is no CCS allocation at all in Semester 2 of Stage 4.

The tutorial programme is intended to help you manage your time


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by including a list of tasks to be completed by specified dates.Remember, there are various elements which may need earlyconsideration:

Primary research, for example, may require forward planning. If

you are considering this, think about the time it may take to makeappropriate arrangements. Similarly, consider whether you requireany materials through Inter-Library loan, as these can take up to2-4 weeks to arrive. Finally, if you are considering specificallycreative orother alternative formats for the final presentation,you will need to leave sufficient time to undertake and completethese. [See 5. above, for comments on Alternative Formats.]

7. Primary Research

Primary Research:Primary research is well regarded although not essential. What isprimaryresearch?

Primary research involves the identification and inclusion of originalsource materials usually leading to more personally conceived andindependent writing. Books, journal articles, videos, etc. are usuallyexamples ofsecondary research because they provide informationthrough an intermediary or second person. When using secondary

sources, you are reading someone elses research and conclusions,whereas primary research involves the sourcing of originalmaterials from which you would construct your own and originalconclusions. Examples of primary research might include thefollowing:

information and opinions obtained by interviewing apractitioner whose work you will discuss in your evaluation

visits to a studio or gallery exhibition which provide directexperience of the work you are researching

a structured investigation using questionnaires and a wellchosen population sample, undertaken to inform yourresearch or support your conclusions

personal letters, perhaps from archives, which confirmattitudes or events relating to a specific person or period

newspapers or magazine articles which might indicatebeliefs, prevalent practices or forms, from a specific period


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8. Assessment

The Critical Evaluation forms 25% of the final fourth year overallmark (your studio work comprises 75%). It will be double-markedinternally following RGU procedures, to ensure a consistent and fairassessment. In the event of a discrepancy in marks, a third internalmarker is called upon to adjudicate. Finally, an external examiner isused to moderate the standards of marking and to report on theseto the Examination Board.

The following are the criteria used by examiners when making theirassessment:

Approach & Structure 20% Research & References 30% Critical Awareness & Argument 40% Academic Format & Presentation 10%For further details see the Stage 4 Assessment Criteria, availablefromhttp://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/

9. Plagiarism

Plagiarismis when you use other peoples work withoutacknowledging that you have done so by citing the sources(referencing). If you copy sentences, phrases or expressionswithout saying where you have found them, this is plagiarism; ifyou paraphrase someone (i.e. put someones ideas in your ownwords) without stating where the original came from, this isplagiarism.

Listing the source in the bibliography does not suffice on its own.Each time you use a source in your text, you must say so. If you

draw on the same source many times on the same page, you stillhave to reference every single idea, argument or piece ofinformation; if you are unsure, err on the side of over-referencing.

Word-for-word quotations must be eitherplaced in invertedcommas orindented (for longer quotations), and fully referenced.

Both direct citations and paraphrased ideas must bereferenced!

There are two main kinds of plagiarism:
http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/


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Ideas-based plagiarism: Even if ideas, theories, opinions, etc. takenfrom a source are written in your own words, the result is stillplagiarism. The only information that can be used without referenceto a source is what is deemed to be common knowledge within thefield. If in doubt, reference.

Language-based plagiarism: this includes submitting a completeassignment written by someone else as your own work; re-submitting your own previously assessed work; copying and pastingsections or even sentences from a web source (even where asentence is copied and then changed by substituting one or twowords, or changing the word order).

In student writing, plagiarism is often unintentional. This does notmean that you will escape penalty, however, if discovered. The bestway of protecting yourself from committing unintentional plagiarism is

by keeping careful, detailed notes that are fully referenced and thatdraw clear distinctions between:1. your own ideas and comments;2. your summaries and paraphrases of what youve read;3. direct (i.e. word-for-word) extracts from your sources; its best to

put these in quotation marks in your notes as well as yourassignments.

Only 1. need not be referenced 2. and 3. should. Always take fullbibliographic details of all the sources that you consult, including pagenumbers.

The internet has made plagiarism simpler for students to commit, butalso a lot easier for teaching faculty to detect. Tutors have nowrecourse to Turnitin for identifying and tracing unacknowledgedsources. Its always preferable to risk a lower grade than fail yourentire degree for having plagiarised.

Related pitfalls:

Recycling your own work: it is forbidden to re-submit a paper thatyouve already earned credit for in another course and/or

institution. Collusion: this is when you collaborate with others on work that

should be completed by you alone; unless explicitly stated in coursedocumentation or official memos, you should assume that allassignments are non-collaborative, i.e. they must be completed byyou alone, without input from anyone else. [Advice from your tutorsand feedback on ideas and drafts are of an entirely different nature,and form an integral part of the learning process.]

Finally, the prohibition of plagiarism in academic writing is nomeaningless or arbitrary rule but is ingrained into the very nature oflearning and research in higher education. In addition to its most


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obvious function, avoiding plagiarism in your assignments also teachesyou: To be aware of work already conducted in the area; To engage critically with other peoples findings, interpretations and

ideas;

To develop your own thoughts and express them in an intelligibleway, placing them in the appropriate scholarly context;

To keep challenging yourself to go further, without regurgitatingother peoples or your own previous efforts.

It is a University ruling that work found to contain plagiarism will befailed and further penalties may apply, particularly at Stage 4 whichmay affect final graduation. For further information please see theLibrary web page on referencing which provides a direct link to theUniversity policy statement on plagiarism:

http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=151

If you are at all uncertain about the parameters of plagiarism, donot hesitate to consult your tutor.

10. Ethical Considerations

There are rare circumstances in which a students research mayhave an ethical dimension. For example, the investigation might

involve a conflict of interest or contact with confidential informationof a personal or sensitive nature. Your tutor is responsible foradvising you in such instances. The checklist in the Appendix willhelp you to identify what is meant by ethical considerations; youcan find the University Research Ethics Policy at:http://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdf
http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=151http://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=151http://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://www4.rgu.ac.uk/files/Research%20Ethics%20Policy.pdfhttp://campusmoodle.rgu.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=151


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Appendix

Ethical Considerations

The following checklist of questions is taken from the Student ProjectEthical Review Form, available from:http://www.rgu.ac.uk/files/SPER_April05.pdf

If you answer YES to any of these questions or remain in doubt, pleaseconsult your tutor.

Checklist Does the research involve the use of any dangerous substances? Does the research involve ionising or other type of dangerous

radiation?

Could conflicts of interest arise between the source of funding andthe potential outcomes of the research?

Is it likely that the research will put any of the following at risk?o Living creatureso Stakeholderso The Environmento The Economy

Does the research involve any experimentation on any of thefollowing?

o Animalso Animal tissueso Human tissues (including blood, skin, cell lines)

Will the research involve prolonged or repetitive testing, or thecollection of audio or video materials?

Could the research induce psychological stress or anxiety, causeharm or have negative consequences for the participants beyondthe risks encountered in normal life?

Will financial inducements be offered? Will deception of participants be necessary during the research?
http://www.rgu.ac.uk/files/SPER_April05.pdfhttp://www.rgu.ac.uk/files/SPER_April05.pdfhttp://www.rgu.ac.uk/files/SPER_April05.pdf


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Are there problems with the participants right to remainanonymous?

Does the research involve participants who may be particularlyvulnerable (such as children or adults with severe learning

disabilities)?

Stage 4 BA Study Guide 2011-12

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