This module facilitates the planning and development of students’ capstone projects, ahead of the implementation and completion of that project over the summer. Meeting their supervisor on a three-weekly basis, students move from initial scoping of their topic to determining an approach and shaping their project to planning its execution. During each three-week period, students complete a formative journal entry (2,000 - 3,000 words on Canvas) that details their activities, engagement with material and development of ideas. This is made available to the supervisor, ahead of each supervision session, to facilitate informal feedback and discussion at the meeting. The summative assessment for this module is a 10 minute audio-visual presentation (video) produced by the student on their project and posted on a shared space on Canvas. Students will be invited to peer review each other’s work. Sharing the project videos online will help students connect their own project to the breadth of issues and approaches distinctive to their multidisciplinary degree.

(LO1) Build a critical agenda around the interplay between health, cultures and society in the past or present specific to the capstone project

(LO2) Understand relevant debates, concepts, theories and practices and establish a discrete investigative, creative or reflective direction

(LO3) Identify and select appropriate methodologies and approaches from within the field of health and medical humanities

(LO4) Advance a plan of action to fulfil the chosen agenda through research, creative practice or professional reflection

(S1) Planning and design of an independent project to meet articulated research, creative and/or professional goals

(S2) Critical engagement with concepts, methods and theories within the field of health and medical humanities

(S3) Effective communication with peers and mentors and constructive response to feedback and self-reflection

(S4) Retrieving and assembling information, data and bibliographical material using electronic and/or archival resources

(S5) Use IT and other relevant tools and resources to present written and oral work to a professional, scholarly standard

(S6) Demonstrate organisational skills in managing time and workloads, and in meeting deadlines

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

This module is structured around students’ self-directed study and independent research and five one-to-one supervisory meetings spaced across the semester. Following an initial meeting of the student and supervisor in week 1 to discuss initial ambitions for the capstone project, students will read widely in the subject area, research appropriate resources, acquaint themselves with current debates and theoretical and practical approaches, and developing individual ideas for research, creative engagement or professional reflection. Student and supervisor will then meet at regular intervals (provisionally in weeks 4, 7, 10 and 13) to establish a critical agenda, identify appropriate methods, build a bibliographic foundation, prepare for the summative assessment and plan next steps. Between meetings, students will record their progress in an online journal (see assessment strategy); journal entries are reviewed by supervisors ahead of each meeting to help focus their guidance.

Independent student learning is organized around a schedule of one-to-one sessions during which students receive guidance and feedback from their project supervisor.