This is a required seminar course, taught in semester 2 each year,  which is intended for first year Bachelor of Philosophy (PhB) students in the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS). ARTS1101 is a pre-requisite for this course. The course will consist of weekly seminars which will be conducted by the course convenor and visiting speakers.

The course will provide the PhB students with the following abilities and skills:

1. To understand the nature of research across a range of disciplines.
2. To appreciate the nature of research, including the importance of methodology and methods, and of the unforeseen challenges and outcomes which can occur in a research project.

The assessment will involve at least one short oral presentation (10-15 minutes)  and a minor and major essay. The minor essay will be 1000 words and the major essay will be 4000 words. The distribution of marks will be 10%, 10% and 80% respectively. The major essay will be double marked.

There will be 12-13 two-hour weekly seminars during the semester. Students will be required to write one short diagnostic essay (1000 words) and one long research essay (4000 words). In addition, each student will make a short 10 minute presentation to the class about their own research essay topic.

Enrolment in the Bachelor of Philosophy degree program (College Consent), and completion of ARTS1101 is required for entry.

Students will be assumed to have an interest in, and a willingness to engage in research-based discussion and writing. Furthermore, it is assumed that students will have the breadth of intellectual interest to engage with research outside of their own intended major field(s) of study.

There will be a collection of prescribed readings for each seminar which will be available either as a reading brick or online.