Module ANTH3721: Social Anthropology Field Course (China)

Department: Anthropology

ANTH3721: Social Anthropology Field Course (China)

Prerequisites

• Method and Analysis (ANTH2031)

Corequisites

• Dissertation in Anthropology (ANTH3162)

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Anthropology Field Course (ANTH3341)

Aims

• To give students practical experience of qualitative anthropological methods including the collection, management and interpretation of data, through direct application of these methods during fieldwork.

Content

• Practical experience of field research methods in sociocultural anthropology and material culture.
• Use of qualitative research methods in anthropological fieldwork.
• Management and analysis of qualitative data.
• Analysis and reflection on ethical issues in qualitative anthropological research.

Learning Outcomes

• An appreciation of the appropriateness of different fieldwork research methods to specific lines of anthropological enquiry.
• Understand the relationships between anthropological method and theory.
• Appreciate some of the ethical issues inherent in anthropological enquiry.

• Conduct an anthropological study using a range of appropriate fieldwork techniques.
• Analyse and interpret anthropological fieldwork data.
• A comprehensive overview and thorough grounding in the use of qualitative anthropological field methods.
• A thorough understanding of the ways in which anthropologists collect and interpret field data.

• Design a research project that is of interest, and significance and which draws on an appropriate range of methods.
• Work with others, including students from Shandong University of Art and Design , in collaborative activities.
• Experience of living and working in a Chinese culture.
• Maintain and present a detailed record of research through verbal presentations and writing.
• Apply ethical guidelines in research.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The primary method of teaching is through practical experience of fieldwork.
• An orientation workshop in China, taught jointly by staff from Durham Anthropology Department and Shandong University of Art and Design (SUAD), will immediately precede fieldwork and will introduce students to the study area as well as fieldwork methods.
• Fieldwork will be supplemented by a programme of presentations and seminars at Shandong University of Art and Design to explore key lessons and concepts related to the intended learning outcomes.
• Assessment is through written coursework submitted following the course but based on fieldwork work achieved during the field course period.
• The assessments are designed to assess both the extent of students' knowledge and understanding, and their ability to apply it in a fieldwork setting.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative feedback will be provided on aspects of work undertaken during each day of the field course and on an oral presentation relating to the fieldwork report Periodic reviews of progress during fieldwork which will provide formative assessment through review of field notes. A plan for the fieldwork report will also be formatively assessed.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University