Individual final project

Teacher(s)

Paquot Magali (coordinator);

Language

French

Main themes

Focusing on a topic related to modern languages and literature, with a focus on Germanic languages, the master's thesis allows students to: 

• summarise a given scientific topic,
• put a specific issue in context drawing on existing information,
• present the results of the dissertation.

Content

The final dissertation pursues the same objectives as the MA 120 dissertation, but focuses on a more limited set of issues: it should be at least 50 pages (i.e. 125,000 characters including spaces) of original, personal writing (including bibliography and notes, but excluding appendices).

Teaching methods

Regular interaction with the promoter in the language under investigation in the degree paper.

Evaluation methods

Admissibility of the Final Dissertation
Any final dissertation that does not meet the formal academic standards (structure of the dissertation, quality of language, bibliographic and footnote referencing in accordance with academic scientific writing practices) or that fails to comply with the content requirements specified above (number of pages/characters of the dissertation) may be deemed inadmissible by the jury, resulting in a recorded failure.
In the event of failure due to non-compliance with content requirements, and without prejudice to Article 153 of the RGEE, the chair of the jury shall notify the student that they are not permitted to present the oral defense of the dissertation, given that such a failure cannot be remedied through the defense.
Supervision and composition of the TFE jury
The TFE is supervised by a promoter. 
Students must submit their subject for approval to the promoter by the date specified in the faculty calendar. The TFE is written in one of the languages of the student's program (English, Dutch, or German), with the supervisor's approval.
The TFE jury is made up of two readers: the promoter and another reader appointed by the Master's jury (represented, in this appointment task, by the jury chair). 

Oral defence  
The thesis is subject to an oral defense, in the language in which it was written. The oral examination is an opportunity for the student and the members of the jury to exchange views. Students will be informed of the practical arrangements for the oral examination no later than the first day of the session in which the TFE is registered.

TFE assessment criteria 
The final mark takes into account 

• achievement of the objectives set; 
• the coherence and overall quality of the work carried out (relevant and well-documented synthesis of the scientific literature, quality of the methodological approach and appropriateness to the objectives, relevance and soundness of the analysis and interpretation) 
• the ability to critically discuss the methodological choices made and the conclusions drawn from the work ; 
• the correctness, quality and relevance of the written presentation;
• the quality of the oral presentation.

In its final mark, the promoter also takes into account the student's commitment and the regularity of the work done throughout the Master's programme as part of the TFE.
Rules on the Use of AI
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), if used, must be employed responsibly and in accordance with the principles of academic and scientific integrity. Since scientific integrity requires proper source citation, the use of AI must always be explicitly and thoroughly acknowledged.
Whether acknowledged or not, the presumed use of AI tools will be considered non-compliant with academic standards when it results in:

• citing bibliographic sources to support claims without having consulted the sources in question and/or without a clear and direct connection between those sources and the ideas developed;
• including in the bibliography references whose validity has not been verified or that are entirely fictitious.

Rules on Plagiarism
Likewise, throughout the final dissertation, the student must demonstrate full mastery of bibliographic referencing rules. To avoid suspicion of plagiarism, they must ensure that they:

• DO NOT copy text without quotation marks and/or without citing the source;
• DO NOT reproduce charts, data, illustrations, etc. without citing the source;
• DO NOT rephrase or summarize an author’s original idea without citing the source;
• DO NOT translate, in whole or in part, a source without citing it;
• DO NOT use someone else’s work while presenting it as their own (even with the author’s consent);
• DO NOT purchase a paper.

See: https://uclouvain.be/fr/etudier/uss/lutter-contre-le-plagiat.html
This definition complements that set out in Article 107 §2 of the RGEE and constitutes a specific provision within the meaning of §3 of the same article.
Any student who fails to comply with the above rules is liable, in the event of irregularity or plagiarism established by the jury, to academic sanctions as detailed in the RGEE (Section 7).

Other information

The Individual Final Project (15 credits) is not to be validated in the case of continuing study for a Master 120 degree.

Online resources

Available on the Moodle platform

Faculty or entity

> ELAL