Research Design MAPS

Course goals

Content

In this course, you will develop your individual research trajectory and prepare for the RMA thesis. You will work on your individual research plan, although with constant feedback from your peers, teacher and thesis supervisor. The aim is to build on the foundational research design work for your Thesis Plan.

During the course, you will work on locating your own research interests in existing debates and to formulate a research question that both clearly relates to and contributes to already existing discourse. Moreover, you will investigate how to define and to describe the methodology of your research: what concrete steps are needed to answer your question? And is this feasible taking into consideration such things as: time, availability of source materials, previous knowledge and experience? Through weekly assignments and in-class work, students work gradually towards the development of their Thesis Plan. At the end of this course, students present their ideas for their Thesis Plan in a research presentation for their peers, and they submit the first complete draft of their Thesis Plan. 

Note that even though the MAPS Research Design course offers space to develop the Thesis Plan, the submission and approval of the Thesis Plan is part of the process students primarily engage in with their thesis supervisor and second reader. After this course, students will further develop and finalize their Thesis Plan in dialogue with their thesis supervisor.

Additional information

This course is part of the core curriculum of the RMA Media, Art and Performance studies and is only open to students who are enrolled in this programme. The course is closely connected to the RMA Thesis trajectory, because it allows you to focus on developing your own research and thus supports the preparation of the Thesis Plan.