This course provides students with the opportunity to undertake intensive self-directed study of texts that define their chosen field. In consultation with the course convener and thesis supervisors, students will construct a reading program that will capture the state of scholarship in the chosen area of enquiry. Students will report regularly on their learning to their supervisor, and will undertake assessment tasks that will enable them to formulate the research project and to place it properly in the wider field. The course is primarily designed to train students to identify a research question through the research process, and to understand the steps required to bring a research project to fruition.