This course offers students the opportunity to focus closely on a number of core anthropological methods that characterise the way 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 and conducting life history interviews.

 The course aims to:

• present core ethnographic methods,

• 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, and

• introduce the basic elements of data analysis for qualitative materials.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the skills and knowledge to:

1.  apply 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 HDR thesis;

2.  apply the basic skills necessary to apply core methods to research problems;

3.  appreciate issues related to positionality and subjectivity; and

4. apply practical and wider understanding of the issues of Research Integrity and Human Ethics training.

Assessable work up to 6000 words will include:

Completion of training workshops on Research Integrity and Human Ethics (ARIES) (LOs 4) (PASS/FAIL)

Completion of draft ethics protocol for research project (LOs 1, 3, 3, 4) (PASS/FAIL)

Completion of at least 6 seminar workshops (LOs 1, 2, 3) (PASS/FAIL)

1,000 word methodological statement for thesis proposal (LOs 1, 2, 3, 4) (PASS/FAIL)

Up to 2 hours of Seminar plus up to 7 hours reading each week, plus one hour preparation for HREC application (including attendance at compulsory training workshops on Research Integrity and Human Ethics (ARIES). Across the 12 week duration of the course students will be expected to undertake 120 hours of work in total towards the development of a well considered research methodology.

Enrolment as a PhD or MPhil student in Anthropology.

N/A

Will be supplied through class Wattle site

Students will access readings and other resources via Wattle.