Please note: Due to alternative arrangements for teaching and
assessment in place from 18 March 2020 to mitigate against the restrictions in
place due to COVID-19, information shown for 2019/20 may not always be accurate.
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information
for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Anthropological Methods |
| Unit code |
ARCH20048 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
I/5
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. Hofer |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
NONE
|
| Co-requisites |
NONE
|
| School/department |
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit aims to acquaint students with a range of anthropological methodologies and techniques, especially those that underlie the specific topics of units encountered in their programme. Students will have an opportunity to experience first-hand how knowledge is produced and anthropological data is collected, through fieldwork, observation and measurement, interviews and questionnaires, and archival/library research. Data collection, synthesis, and analysis will all be covered, using a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Aims:
- To explore the varieties of possible approaches to anthropological research.
- To equip students with skills for the collection and analysis of a range of anthropological data.
- To give students practical experience in conducting anthropological fieldwork.
- To give students experience in preparing and managing a research project.
- To give students experience in discussing, writing-up and presenting their results.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion students will be able to:
- 1. identify and discuss the specific research methods associated with anthropology as a discipline.
- 2. demonstrate knowledge of and report practical experience of methods such as interviewing, qualitative and quantitative data sets, thematic/discourse analysis, statistical analysis, and forms of presentation.
- 3. recognise the appropriate anthropological methods used to answer different sorts of research questions.
- 4. recognise and discuss the ways in which anthropology is inherently multi-disciplinary.
- 5. describe and appraise the process of conducting research, including the ethical implications of being a researcher with human subjects.
- 6. design a research question and plan a tractable project that answers the question.
- 7. plan, conduct and write a small research project.
Teaching Information
- 11 x 2-hour lectures
- 11 x 1-hour practicals
Assessment Information
- Ethnographic comparative essay (2,500 words, 50% summative), assessing ILOs 1, 2 and 3.
- Individual report on research project (2,500 words, 50% summative), assessing ILOs 1-7.
Reading and References
- Bernard, H.R. (2006) Research Methods in Anthropology. AltaMira.
- Cryer, P. (2006) The research student’s guide to success, 3rd edn, OpenUniv. Press.
- Coleman, S. and Collins, P. (eds) 2006 Locating the Field: space, place and context in anthropology, Oxford; Berg.
- Okely, J. (2012). Anthropological Practice: fieldwork and the ethnographic method.
- Peterson RA (2000) Constructing effective questionnaires. London: Sage.
- Watson, C. (ed.) 1999 Being there: fieldwork in anthropology, London: Pluto Press.
