Course syllabus

Logic: Master's (120 credits) thesis, 30 credits

The course is planned and designed in detail for the individual student with regard to his or her previous studies and future plans in the academic field or otherwise. The subject of the thesis must be chosen in consultation with the supervisor and must lie within the field of logic and relate to international research, but may also advantageously include substantial elements of application in other fields of science or other activities.

The thesis should take the form of a scientific paper. 

The thesis is presented and discussed at a seminar. In addition to defend his own work, the student also acts as an opponent at another work. Instructions for the thesis seminar are available here. 

The course is examined through the thesis as well as through active seminar participation including opposition. The course is assessed by a degree project in the form of a thesis, as well as through active seminar participation including critical review. See the grading guidelines for information on the grading. 

Schedule

• Tuesday, 10 January at 10.15–11 (room J577), Introduction and tips
• Tuesday, 17 January at 10.15–11 (room J577), Second introduction meeting
• Friday, 3 February 10.15–12 and 13.15–14 (room C562), Presentation of synopses
• Friday, 24 February, 13.15–16 (room C562), Presentation of updated synopses
• Friday, 17 March, 13.15–16 (room J577), Progress update.
• Friday, 5 May, 13.15–16 (room J577), Progress update and Q&A.
• Monday, 22 May, deadline for seminar version of thesis.
• Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 June, Master thesis presentations.
• Depending on outcome of the presentation you may need to use another 2-3 weeks for modifying the thesis. 

Teachers

Graham Leigh is the course responsible teacher, but each of you will get an individual thesis supervisor that will guide you through your work. 

Older student essays

You will find most of the department’s student essays including previous MiL theses (and other bachelor and magister theses) on GUPEA: https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/3280 (hint: search for ‘logic’).

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate advanced knowledge of a well delimited topic in the field of logic, including its applications,
• demonstrate a broad knowledge and deep understanding of previous research in the chosen topic,

Competence and skills

• with high degree of independence formulate and delimit a problem in relation to earlier research,
• present and discuss his or her conclusions as well as account, orally and in writing, for the scientific arguments that form the basis for these,
• independently, critically and constructively review texts and make objective and clear comments,

Judgement and approach

• demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning both within the research area and more generally

Synopsis

The thesis synopsis (max 3 pages) should briefly describe your plans for the thesis. It should include at least the following:

• Your name
• Proposed/potential title
• Your supervisor's name
• Short description of the research area and your research questions.
• Work plan describing a rough plan. Please see important dates and deadlines above.
• List of references that you think you will use.

You are recommended to use LaTeX. Submit the synopsis before the presentation (see above) of it by starting a new discussion thread for your thesis and uploading it here. Please discuss with your supervisor.

Formal requirements on thesis

The thesis should be written in the form of a research paper and there's no template but it should include the following:

• Front page that clearly shows the title of the thesis, name of author, name of supervisor, the name of the department and that it is a thesis for Master's degree in Logic, 30 credits.
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Conclusion and further work
• List of references

Make sure that it's clear what your contribution is!

Tips and recommendations

• Talk and listen to your supervisor. Don't only discuss the research topic but also things like work plan, how to find literature, when to start writing, etc. 
• Read related literature but try to focus on literature that is relevant. Your supervisor and Google Scholar are both excellent tools to find relevant literature. 
• Start writing early and don't be bothered with the (linguistic or scientific) quality at first. These will develop over time.
• Revise your work plan when needed. Keep it updated. 
• Keep a document with notes. When you read a paper, chapter or section write down a few words about what you've read and if you think it's relevant or not.
• Use the available resources for the uni library: https://studentportal.gu.se/english/help-and-guidance/search-read-write/
• Check the Frequently asked questions for clarification.

Johanna Wolff has kindly shared her ‘Tips and Tricks for writing the Perfect Thesis’.