Process and contents

The seminar is organized around short presentations (approximately 20 minutes) of the state of the students’ thesis work. Based on these presentations questions and feedback will be issued by others in the class. There are basically three types of presentations each student shall give:

1. Exposé ideas: intended phenomenon to be studied, motivation and aim, research questions, first literature review, innovative content, preliminary conceptual frameworks, theory to be used, planned method, preliminary structure of master thesis                     
2. Exposé draft: in addition to the revised contents of the first presentation, also, a more elaborated literature review, expected results and the final structure of the master thesis should be presented
3. Intermediate results of master thesis: results of the literature review, first results and structured analyses, theory, conceptual framework (about 2/3 of the master thesis should be finalized)

Teaching Methods

• Short presentations (approximately 20 minutes) of the state of the students’ thesis work, given by master thesis students
• Additional theoretical input (short presentations) from the seminar lecturers about specific topics that will help students in developing and improving their master theses
• Discussions and feedback: critical questioning, feedback and input from seminar instructors for further development, peer feedback from other master thesis students

Grading

• Exposé presentation draft 1 (35%)
• Written final exposé (35%)
• Presentation of intermediate results (30%)

Compulsory attendance

Literature (Selection)
to be announced