Course syllabus Master’s Thesis, War Studies

Courses comprising at least 45 higher education credits from the first year of the master's programme, including The Study of War and Conflict (15 credits) and Methods (15 credits), or equivalent, must have a grade of at least Pass in order to qualify.

The course consists of independently, under supervision, conducting a well-defined study in war studies that has been selected and designed by the student. Throughout the course, the student presents their ideas verbally and in written form through active participation in supervision. At an idea presentation seminar, the student shall present the research problem and the reasoning behind it in a memorandum. At a final seminar, the work shall be presented in writing in the form of a master's thesis. At the final seminar, the student shall answer questions about their study, and explain and justify their choices, study design and contribution. Moreover, each student shall initiate a discussion about at least one other master's thesis by serving as student reviewer, and shall actively participate in discussions about the theses that are included in their seminar group.

Type of Instruction

Seminars and supervision

Unless special circumstances exist, the student is only entitled to supervision for the thesis course during the semester in which it is held during the regular programme time. If the student returns and wishes to take the thesis course during a later course instance, supervision is only given if resources permit. This rule does not apply to any student who has been granted approved leave from studies.

Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

• present an overview of the subject area and in this demonstrate a breadth of knowledge in the subject area and significantly in-depth knowledge within parts of the subject area
• demonstrate the ability to identify their need for additional knowledge and thereby take responsibility for their knowledge development
• demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work

Competence and Skills

• based on the current state of research, independently, critically and creatively specify in writing a war studies problem within the main field of study, delimit the problem, and perform a study relevant to the posed problem
• with the help of demonstrated methodological knowledge in the subject, critically and systematically perform a qualified study, including evaluation and analysis of complex empirical and theoretical texts
• present and discuss conclusions that have a clear connection to the problem formulation and purpose and/or questions
• in both national and international contexts, clearly present and discuss, both verbally and in writing, the conclusions drawn based on the scientific problem in dialogue with different groups
• within the given timeframes, be able to communicate the results of learning and research processes both verbally and in writing, thereby defending and discussing the outcome of scientific choices made during the work

Judgement and Approach

• critically and constructively review the scientific theses of others based on accepted social science criteria and good research practice
• be able to critically discuss their own contribution in relation to the research area, state of knowledge and social context, and in this demonstrate awareness of the possibilities and limitations of science as well as in-depth insight into the research and development work in question.

Assessment is based on the evaluation of: a project proposal outlining the thesis idea; the thesis itself (the outcome of the independent research project); the oral defense of the student's own thesis; the role of opponent on another student's thesis; active and constructive participation in the thesis proposal seminar, the final seminar, and supervision sessions.

All of these components are mandatory. Absence from either the thesis proposal seminar or the final seminar cannot be compensated for through alternative assignments. Students who are absent from any of these components must complete the corresponding requirement the next time the course is offered. Absence from supervision sessions may only be compensated for through an alternative supervision session.

In order to assess a student's independence in the process of thesis writing, it is a requirement that the student presents their ideas verbally and in written form through active participation in supervision throughout the course.

The examiner may decide to request supplementary assignments for the student to achieve a passing grade on the course. A supplementary assignment shall be submitted no later than three working days after the result and the supplementary assignment for the examination in question have been notified. Examination papers submitted late will not be graded unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.

Grading
The student is graded on a three-point grading scale: Fail (U), Pass (G) and Pass with Distinction (VG).

To earn the grade Pass (G) in the course, the student must actively and constructively participate in the mandatory seminars, including thesis defence, serving as student reviewer of another master's thesis, and earning the grade Pass (G) on the master's thesis. In addition, a student must receive a passing grade on active participation in supervision, as well as the idea presentation memorandum to earn the grade Pass.

To earn the grade Pass with Distinction (VG) in the course, in addition to the requirements for Pass (G), the student must earn the grade Pass with Distinction (VG) on the master's thesis.

Grading criteria are reported at the latest at the start of the course.

Restrictions in number of examinations
There is no limit on the total number of examination opportunities.

When the course is no longer offered or when the course content has changed substantially, the student has the right to be examined once per semester during a three-term period in accordance with this syllabus.

The course cannot be part of a degree with another course whose content matches the content of this course in whole or in part.

On completion of the course, an evaluation will be conducted under the auspices of the course director and will serve as the basis for any changes to the course.

If a student has a decision from the Swedish Defence University on special educational support due to a disability, the examiner may decide on alternative forms of examination for the student.