Availability: Available to internal and external postgraduate students each year. This unit is a 12cp year long unit. The unit does not have a residential school.

Co-ordinator: Dr. Wendy Beck

Objectives: Students who successfully complete this unit should:

· be able to carry out a small independent research project of c. 12,000 words.
this includes:
· defining a suitable topic to investigate (either field, lab or literature based)
· outline the methods needed to investigate the topic and assess its feasibility
· work, independently with an academic supervisor to that outline
· produce a sustained piece of research and writing on that topic

Content:
Topics broadly correspond with the research interests and expertise of staff. Field survey projects are available near Armidale.

Assessment:
Assessment is on the written dissertation of 12,000 words.

Prescribed Books:

Anderson, J and Poole, M., 2001. Assignment and thesis writing. John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane.

Parsons, T. and Knight, P.G. How to do your dissertation in Geography and Related Disciplines. Chapman and Hall. 1996.