This course is designed to familiarise students with interdisciplinary approaches to humanities research. Led by experts in museum studies, history, literary theory, visual anthropology, law, and environmental studies students will be exposed to the techniques scholars use to design and undertake empirical research. The course challenges students to evaluate a range of humanities approaches and to consider which ones might best be applied in their own research. 

It will be conducted over eight weeks. After an introductory class guest scholars will address the assigned readings (one of which will be one of their own works) and respond to students' questions on their theoretical and methodological approaches.

At the end of the course a one-day conference will be held, at which students will present an overview of their research plans in relation to issues raised the course readings.

Course aims:

On completing this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Comprehend a range of theoretical and methodological literature written from mulit-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.

2. Discern scholarly argument, rather than simply describe the content of assigned readings. 

3. Devise their own questions and frame their research projects independently.

4. Demonstrate their understanding of complex concepts through written and oral presentations. 

5. Communicate their research design in it its initial stages. 

Learning Outcomes:

Critical reading, clear writing, and effective oral communication skills are the essential foundations of humanities scholarship. This course develops each of these skills by exposing students to a wide array of scholarly approaches. Further it builds their capacity to evaluate the merits of scholarship and to discern the methods and theories best suited to inform their own research.

Students will be evaluated in four ways: 

1. Seminar leadership: students must lead one seminar in which they present questions for group discussions and deliver an analysis of assigned readings (15%)

2. Reading journal: throughout the course students will compose 4 journal entries to document their capacity to interpret readings and assess the applicability of theoretical and methodological approaches to their own research projects (50%, 3000 words)

3. Seminar evaluation: students must attend three seminars, workshops, conferences or forums conducted through the Research School of Humanities and then (in written form) present an assessment of at least one of them to (a) identify the theoretical and methodological issues raised in the presentation; (b) appraise the presentation's merits  (15%, 1500 words)

4. Conference presentation: students will present a 15-minute paper that relates their own research interest, field, or project to the methodological and theoretical insights gained through their course readings (20%)