Module ANTH2187: Research Project Design

Department: Anthropology

ANTH2187: Research Project Design

Prerequisites

• Doing Anthropological Research (ANTH1101) or a relevant methods module in another department.

Corequisites

• Biology, Culture and Society (ANTH2???) OR Reading Ethnography (ANTH2???) OR Debating Anthropology and Archaeology (ANTH2121)

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To build upon previous methods training by providing the skills necessary to develop independent dissertation projects.

Content

• The module prepares students for independent dissertation research through a series of lectures and practical sessions around choosing a research topic, identifying literature, selecting appropriate methods and ethical considerations.

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of the research process in anthropology and related disciplines, including the collection and manipulation of data, research design, analysis of literature, and the relationships between data and argument.
• Understanding of research ethics and data management in anthropology and related disciplines.
• Integrating data, approaches and literature from different disciplines, including social anthropology, biological anthropology and archaeology.

• Preparing a dissertation research proposal (including identifying research questions, identifying and engaging critically with literature, selecting appropriate research methods and preparing and ethics application).
• Conducting literature searches and developing library research skills.
• Developing qualitative and quantitative research skills.

• Work with others in collaborative activities.
• Proposal writing skills.
• Preparing an ethics application and applying ethical guidelines in research.
• Presentation skills.
• Planning and time management.
• Carrying out independent research.
• Quantitative analysis using information technologies.
• Qualitative research skills, including analysis of interview material and secondary data.

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

• Weekly hour-long lectures slots covering different aspects of the research process, from choosing a topic, project design, ethics and data management, and literature searches to data analysis interpretation, writing skills and developing arguments.
• Workshops will provide students will the opportunity to develop and practice different research skills, including conducting ethnographic interviews and carrying out statistical analyses of quantitative data.
• Students will develop their ideas with a proposal supervisor via a project clinic.
• Seminars will focus on refining students’ project ideas, reflecting on research design and ethical issues, and critically reviewing example proposals.
• Project clinics will provide students with opportunities for one-on-one consultation about their emerging project ideas.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Ethics application (750 words).

■ 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