Diploma Thesis Seminar II - JJM468

• Title: Diploma Thesis Seminar II
• Czech title: Diplomový seminář II
• Guaranteed by: Department of Journalism (23-KZ)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2025
• Semester: summer
• E-Credits: 15
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, C [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / 27 (30)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Belongs to the student work of type: diplomová práce
• Additional information: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=6134
• Note: enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Ing. Kateřina Turková, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Ing. Kateřina Turková, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses not for incoming students

Annotation

This is a yearlong seminar during which time the students will start from general ideas about their dissertation topic to the development of a full MA thesis. The seminars will be structured in the following way: Phase One: Each student will produce an initial draft note, which will include the proposed primary and secondary research questions, theoretical framework, the methodological framework and methods, the research design and the table of contents. These initial notes will be discussed with the course lecturers and participants, resulting in an updated full draft note.
Phase Two: This phase will consist of a series of assignments and discussions dealing with: how to write an MA thesis - core components; putting methodology in practice; putting theory in practice; doing the literature review; and research ethics. Phase Three: In this phase, the updated full draft note will be revisited and revised, on the basis of the lectures (and ongoing discussions). This phase will result in the final MA thesis proposal outlining all core elements of the MA thesis. Phase Four: The aim of the fourth phase is to support students in writing their MA thesis by providing peer feedback, in-class discussions, and guidance from the course lecturer.
Moodle: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=4094
Assessment Fall semester: mandatory group assignments and submission of MA thesis proposal
Assessment Spring semester: mandatory individual assignments (text sample and its defense + oral and written review); mandatory personal attendance when required

Last update: Turková Kateřina, Mgr. Ing., Ph.D. (08.01.2026)

Course completion requirements

Each student has to present the MA thesis progress:

Submission of a text sample (15 - 20 normative pages (NP = 1800 characters incl. spaces) of theory/methodology incl. list of literature) 6 days before the date of the presentation (seminar) - deadline every Wednesday 23:59 CET

 

Presentation:

Allocated slots due to the schedule (available in SIS)

Duration: 15-20 minutes

The presentation should reflect the following (if finished):

1) Title of the thesis, including the presenter’s name, department, and date. Department or program of study.

2) Names of the thesis supervisor.

3) Statement of the problem: Aims of the study, significance of the research; research questions; brief theoretical framework.

4) Method: Provide an overview of the application of particular methods to answer research questions.

5) Results and analysis: Slides should reflect graphs, tables or charts demonstrating critical elements of the research findings or outcomes. Candidates may include their hypotheses and the corresponding results or analysis.

6) Discussion: Candidates should list and discuss salient findings and their applicability to their expertise.

7) Limitations of the study and recommendations for future study

With or without PPT, you can use official template

 

be an opponent to the assigned text sample of the colleague (classmate):

The review should be submitted in a written form 2 days before the date of the presentation (seminar) - deadline every Saturday 23:59 CET

Range: 2 - 3 normative pages of text, including 2 recommendations of relevant literature that is not yet used in the text sample

and attend personally at least 2 sessions of the seminar (one as a presenter, one as an opponent).

 

Templates:

MA thesis: https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/study/ma-studies/erasmus-mundus-journalism-media-and-globalisation-emj (forms and regulations box)

Review: Moodle

Not fulfilling the aforementioned in the set deadline will lead to not fulfilling the course.

AI use and plagiarism rules:

Students may use generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity and similar, provided that the following conditions are met. Specifically, they may be used for the purposes of proofreading, translations or searching for sources. On the contrary, the prohibition of use strictly applies to the text creation, analysis or personal and sensitive data processing. Any use must be cited in the final output in accordance with academic rules. Generative AI tools will not be used to evaluate student outputs. Any violation of these rules will lead to a reduction in grade, failure to complete the course or disciplinary proceedings, depending on its severity. Only compliance with the aforementioned rules will guarantee the fulfilment of the educational objectives of the course, protect equal conditions for all students, and also ensure their privacy. The aforementioned potential sanctions also apply to any plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work as your own, even if unintentional. It can involve copying text, paraphrasing without citing the source, undisclosed collaboration with others, or using AI. To avoid plagiarism, students must always properly cite their sources, mark quotations, and acknowledge contributions from others and AI. The responsibility always lies with the student—if you work with AI and plagiarism is found, it is considered your plagiarism. (AI is a language model that generates text for you from other texts.)

To detect plagiarism, FSV UK uses Turnitin, which is automatically integrated into Moodle, and I also privately use Copyleaks. Both tools can identify plagiarism and AI-generated texts. Plagiarism and unacknowledged AI use are reported, investigated and have serious consequences as per Dean’s provision 18/2015. https://fsv.cuni.cz/en/deans-provision-no-18/2015

Last update: Turková Kateřina, Mgr. Ing., Ph.D. (08.01.2026)

Literature

Literature on research design and dissertation writing

• Allison, B. and Race, P. (2004). The student's guide to preparing dissertations and theses. London: Routledge.
• Bailey, S. (2003). Academic writing: A practical guide for students. Psychology Press.
• Bell, J. (2010). Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Heath, M., & Tynan, C. (2010). Crafting a research proposal. The Marketing Review, 10(2), 147-168.
• Ormrod, R. P. (2023). How to structure a thesis, report or paper: a guide for students. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
• Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (2014). Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process. SAGE Publications.
• Thomas, R. M., & Brubaker, D. L. (2007). Theses and dissertations: A guide to planning, research, and writing. Corwin Press. 

Literature on methodology

General methods literature (including research ethics)

• Altheide, D. L., & Schneider, C. J. (2013). Qualitative media analysis (2nd ed.). SAGE publications.
• Berger, A. A. (2018). Media and communication research methods: An introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Hammersley, M. (2013). What is qualitative research? Bloomsbury.
• Flick, U. (2017). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Collection. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526416070
• Jensen, K. B. (Ed.). (2020). A handbook of media and communication research: Qualitative and quantitative methodologies (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• Jensen, K. B., & Jankowski, N. W. (2002). A Handbook of qualitative methodologies for mass communication research. Routledge.
• Krippendorff, K. (2004, 2013. 2018). Content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. SAGE Publications.
• Mason, J. (2002). Qualitative Researching (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Fico, F. (2019). Analyzing media messages: using quantitative content analysis in research (4th ed.). Routledge.
• Saldaña, J. (2013) The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Silverman, D. (2010). Doing qualitative research: a practical handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Part of older version available online at: https://fasstasticmethodologygroup.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/silverman2005.pdf
• Silverman, D. (ed.) (2004). Qualitative research: theory, method, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Available online at: http://www.stiba-malang.com/uploadbank/pustaka/RM/QUALITATIVE%20THEORY%20METHOD%20PRACTICE.pdf or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232481491_Qualitative_Research_Theory_Method_and_Practice

 Digital methods literature

• Hargittai, E., Sandvig, C. (eds) (2015). Digital Research Confidential. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Hine, C. (2015). Ethnography for the Internet. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Kozinets, R.V. (2015). Netnography: Redefined. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Rogers, R. (2013). Digital Methods. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Literature on theory and literature review

• Cooper, H. M. (1998). Synthesizing Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Hart, C. (1998). Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. London: Sage [in association with] The Open University.
• Galvan, J. L., Galvan, M. C. (2017). Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7th Edition. New York: Routledge.
• Laughey, D. (2007). Key Themes in Media Theory. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A., Oetzel, J. (2016). Theories of Human Communication, Eleventh Edition. Long Grove: Waveland Press.
• Ridley, D. (2008). The Literature Review: A Step-By-Step Guide for Students. London; Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Ritzer, G., Stepnisky, J. (2018). Sociological Theory, 10th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Watson, J. (2008). Media communication: An introduction to theory and process, 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Last update: Turková Kateřina, Mgr. Ing., Ph.D. (02.02.2025)

Syllabus

Preliminary schedule (can be changed due to the circumstances):

Mo 16. 2. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Introduction, course description, schedule, specification of requirements

Mo 23. 2. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Data processing - how to store, clean (and publish) your research data

Mo 2. 3. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 25. 2., review deadline 30. 2.)

presentation 1: Kieran Hadley (opponent Lorea Zabaleta)

presentation 2: Borbala Barath (opponent Ross Billison)

Mo 9. 3. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 4. 3., review deadline 7.3.)

presentation 1: Geri Kolgega (opponent Borbala Barath and Asmaa Rabhi Bellahbib)

presentation 2: Treasure Oguike (opponent Kieran Hadley)

Mo 16. 3. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 11. 3., review deadline 14.3.) 

presentation 1: Felipe Torres (opponent Salma El Ashmawy)

presentation 2: Zhang Yichi (David) (opponent Laura Savoini)

presentation 3: Andreea Soare (opponent Laurentiu Vlad)

Mo 23. 3. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 18. 3., review deadline 21. 3.) 

presentation 1: Laurentiu Vlad (opponent Geri Kolgega)

presentation 2: Lorea Zabaleta (opponent Zhang Yichi (David))

Mo 30. 3. 2026 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 25. 3., review deadline 28. 3.) 

presentation 1: Salma El Ashmawy (opponent Treasure Oguike)

presentation 2: Laura Savoini (opponent Amaka Bassey)

Mo 6. 4. 2026 Easter holiday, lesson won't be held

Mo 13. 4. 2025 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 8. 4., review deadline 11. 4.) 

presentation 1: Ross Billison (opponent Andreea Soare)

presentation 2: Asmaa Rabhi Bellahbib (opponent KT)

Mo 20. 4. 2025 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Self-study

Mo 27. 4. 2025 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Presentation of text samples (submission deadline 18. 4., review deadline 25. 4.)

presentation 1: Amaka Bassey (opponent Felipe Torres)

Mo 4. 5. 2025 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Q and A - thesis submission essentials

Mo 11. 5. 2025 (15:30 - 16:50, H014): Self-study

Last update: Turková Kateřina, Mgr. Ing., Ph.D. (21.01.2026)