084885 MA Colloquium
Wednesday 16-18, room STU 102 (2.4), Studtstr. 21
- This colloquium addresses the techniques to translate empirical data into a theoretically sound, coherently argued and understandably written master thesis. We will engage in guided hands-on-writing exercises suitable for all students regardless of their research and/or writing stages. In addition to giving a short presentation of your research project in class, you will be asked to submit classwork according to the stage you have reached in the research/writing process. This supervised classwork can include: a reflection on research methods and challenges encountered; a first draft of the introduction to your MA thesis, with an overview of the relevant literature and introduction of one concept you use; a first version of one empirical chapter in which you present, analyze and discuss relevant data.
Aims & Goals. The graduates of this module learn to reflect on, analyze, and summarize their fieldwork data and experience coherently; learn to present an ethnographic argument through guided writing sessions; and learn how to structure their thesis.
- Lehrende/r: Thomas Stodulka
- Lehrende/r: Helene Basu
- Lehrende/r: Souleymane Diallo
- Lehrende/r: Helmar Kurz
- Lehrende/r: Helmar Kurz
- Lehrende/r: Markus Schleiter
- Lehrende/r: Dorothea Schulz
- Lehrende/r: Diallo Souleymane
- Lehrende/r: Annika Strauss
Übung Preparing for Fieldwork - Dr. Pablo Holwitt
The aim of the course is to provide participants with a critical and practice-based understanding of ethnographic fieldwork. The great methodical variety of empirical data collection (e.g., interviews, participant observation, fieldnotes, visual anthropology) will be explained and tested in a practical manner. Furthermore, the course discusses the ethics of research and the behaviour of the researcher regarding "his/her" examination field. Participants will be introduced to particular characteristics of ethnographic research such as reflexivity, change of perspective, the framing of a field, fieldwork rapport, embodied experiences and writing practices.
The course is broadly structured around the chapters of the book Being ethnographic by Raymond Madden which we will read and discuss together. Additionally, research simulations and small assignments shall enable participants to directly apply and train established methods of ethnographic research. As part of module 5 of the MA-program ”Social Anthropology”, the course is primarily directed at students who are in the process of planning an independent research project to conclude their master´s degree.
The course will usually be held bi-weekly. Participants are expected to complete the required readings, contribute to common discussions and take part in assignments.
Introductory literature:
Beer, Bettina; König, Anika (Hrsg. 2020): Methoden ethnologischer Feldforschung (3. Auflage). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag.
Bernard, H. Russell (2006): Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Lanham et al.: Altamira Press.
Brewer, John D. (2000): Ethnography. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Madden, Raymond (2010): Being ethnographic. A guide to the theory and practice of ethnography. Los Angeles et al.: Sage.
- Lehrende/r: Pablo Holwitt
People living in societies in Africa generally referred to as "pastoralists" are often depicted in simplistic terms: as backward, culturally conservative, resistant to development, and prone to violence. Westerners (and others) with imaginaries of authentic and exotic Africa of yesteryear. However, pastoralism in Africa is not a single phenomenon: it reflects a variety of cultural and historical settings and is becoming inextricable from global economic and political processes. This seminar provides ethnographic insights into select societies in East Africa (and beyond), such as the Nuer, the Maasai, and the Samburu, in order to critically reflect on issues of global significance. The seminar is designed to challenge myths about pastoralism in Africa; provide critical perspectives on issues like gender and sexuality, ethnicity and indigeneity, development and economics, conflict and insecurity; and reflect on the role of social anthropology and ethnographic writing.
- Lehrende/r: Uros Kovac
- Lehrende/r: Helene Basu
- Lehrende/r: Souleymane Diallo
- Lehrende/r: Markus Schleiter
- Lehrende/r: Dorothea Schulz
This class will provide you with an overview of how to write a standard proposal for a research project. It will include the basic elements of a proposal: formulating a research question; state of the art; the operationalization of theoretical concepts; research goals and choosing research methods and developing a time schedule. The seminar is also about the "do's" and "don'ts" of writing a proposal. Its aim is to evaluate the scope of the proposed project more thoroughly as well as to get a picture of whether the project is doable within the stipulated time frame.
- Lehrende/r: Patrick Desplat