This course offers students the opportunity to focus on a number of core anthropological methods that characterise the way the the discipline collects information and uses it in the production of ethnography.

The course also builds knowledge about the relationship of methods to the core aims and orientations of the discipline. Students will have the opportunity to gain practical skills in anthropological methods, including taking field notes, creating genealogies, conducting life history interviews, and developing an understanding of teh ethical issues involved in anthropological research.

 The course aims to:

• present core ethnographic methods, introduce the basic tools and techniques
• introduce the basic tools and techniques of qualitative field research in anthropology
• provide practical experience of basic methods such as interviewing, genealogy, fieldnotes and structured observations
• introduce the basic elements of data analysis for qualitative materials, and
• provide research integrity and ethical training.

By the end of the course students will be expected to have:

• developed a critical understanding  of the various qualitative methods and ethnographic approaches to social research, with a view to applying them to the production of the PhD thesis;
• developed the basic skills necessary to conduct core methods;
• an appreciation of issues related to positionality and subjectivity; and
• completed Research Integrity and Human Ethics training, and discussed in a seminar environment the ethical issues related to the collection, management and presentation of data.

The course will be assessed as pass/fail. Students must gain a pass grade for each component of the assessment.

• A 5000 word paper discussing the key methodologies planned to be used in the fieldwork, examining their strengths and weakness: 40%
• Attendance at the 12 week seminars and participation in the weekly discussions of reading material and the presentation: 10%
• Attendance at Research Integrity Training workshop: 15%
• Attendance at Human Ethics (ARIES) Training workshop: 15%
• Preparation of a full draft ethics application ready to submit to HREC: 20%

2 hours of Seminar plus reading each week.

Attendance at compulsory training workshops on Research Integrity and Human Ethics (ARIES).

Enrolment as a PhD or MPhil student in Anthropology.

Given the varying backgrounds of commencing HDR students, seminar activities will be designed to take into account individual knowledge and experience in field methods.

Students will access readings and other resources via Wattle.