Admission requirements
Students need to be enrolled in the research Master Arts, Literature and Media.
NB: This is a second-year course. If you would like to follow this course in year 1, please contact the study adviser at stuco-artlitandmedia@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Description
The case-based research aims to take students along in the current research project of selected LUCAS scholars. The student is paired with a scholar who matches their research interests, and actively contributes to the scholar’s research project. This collaboration takes place on an individual basis (each student paired with a scholar) or, in case the same scholar is paired with more than one student, in small groups. The Case Based research functions as an ‘in-house’ internship of sorts, in that students are expected to work independently on the basis of clear guidelines and research tasks offered by the selected LUCAS scholars. In addition, it follows the logic of a tutorial in offering a personalized path of scholarly development for students.
Students take a thorough look ‘behind the scenes’ of academic research. They are asked to participate in a project, reflect on it, contribute to it, help in its realization, and explore the possibilities it opens up for their own research. They get acquainted with the aspects that researchers need to pay attention to in various phases of a project, as well as with potential challenges of research projects and their implementation, and with ways of tackling these challenges.
The specific form of this collaboration and the tasks students will be asked to perform vary depending on the type of research the scholar is conducting, the needs of the project and the student’s own interests. Students are first introduced to the basics of the scholar’s project and are then assigned certain tasks. Tasks are always content-driven (not of administrative character). They make the students aware of the scope, the parameters, the possibilities and pitfalls in the development of new research projects, and they lead to a full understanding of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the project.
Depending on the kind of research the scholar is conducting (e.g., more historically or more theoretically oriented, more disciplinary or interdisciplinary), possible tasks may include (but are not limited to):
Collecting information about, and analyzing, cases the scholar is working on
Conducting bibliographical research and collecting relevant sources
Finding cases that might be of relevance to the scholar’s project
Reading and commenting on drafts of chapters or articles
Editing or proofreading manuscripts
Reading, summarizing, and/or reviewing or reporting on studies of potential relevance to the project
Conducting archival work
Data mining
Translation tasks
Assisting in interviews
Co-authoring an article
The process includes an oral presentation during which the student may report on readings they are asked to do and/or present a case study that fits in the project. The Case Based research is concluded with written output in the form of a reflection paper that shows the student’s engagement with the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the research project and how they can be brought to bear on their own research interests.
Course objectives
Upon completing the Case Based research students have gained or developed:
The capacity to acquaint themselves in a relatively short period with a field that is not necessarily or fully their own;
The ability to collaborate productively, and on an equal level, with an established scholar in the field.
The ability to put their analytical, critical, interpretative, reflective, and/or archival skills in the service of a larger research project;
In-depth knowledge of, and practice in defining the scope, the parameters, the possibilities and pitfalls in the development of a research project;
Full understanding of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings required for new research.
The ability to conduct research-related tasks independently while ensuring that they cohere with the overall project and its goals
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Research
Assessment method
Assessment
Active participation / Cooperation in group
Oral presentation
Essay, paper
NB: This seminar is not graded. **
**NB: Attendance is compulsory. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared and/or not participating in meetings.
Weighing
Active participation / Cooperation in group (25%)
Oral presentation (25%)
Essay, paper (50%)
Resit
At the end of the seminar students receive a final assessment (pass/fail) accompanied by oral feedback and a short written testimonial by the instructor. If a student fails in terms of the balance between participation, presentation and final reflection, this can be reason for a ‘fail.’ In that case, the student will have to redo either a case study or the reflection paper, depending on the decision of the tutor-scholar.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
As students work with different scholars on different research projects, the reading list is determined by each instructor in consultation with the student(s).
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Not applicable.