AANK13012U Fieldwork

The MSc programme in Anthropology culminates in the fieldwork project, which will be the basis of the student’s Master’s Thesis. The fieldwork project is planned and carried out independently by student, according to the guidelines specified in the Fieldwork Synopsis. Fieldwork can take place in a variety of socio-cultural contexts. The student can freely choose the location and specific theme for the Fieldwork and his/her choice is only limited by research-ethical and safety conditions.

The Fieldwork can be executed individually or in small groups. It can be a part of a larger research project or take the form of a project-oriented work (internship).

The fieldwork counts as a course for which the student must register. The duration of fieldwork is maximum 14 weeks and must be completed in time to write the fieldreport. If wishing to participate in a post-fieldwork analysis workshop, the fieldwork must be completed in the beginning of January. The field report must be written immediately following the fieldwork, and can be completed within two weeks (including getting an overview of the data material). The field report must be handed in at the exam period.

During Fieldwork, students must gather data using anthropological methods. Relevant material must also be collated for the purpose of contextualising the main body of data collated. Halfway through the fieldwork, the student has the possibility to send a letter from the field with reflections on the fieldwork to the student’s supervisor. Length: 1-3 pages. Please note that we recommend participating in the online activities offered by the department. These activities include writing four assignments during fieldwork which will help students being on track.

When the fieldwork is executed within the context of a private business or organisation, a contract must be drawn up and signed by the student, the organisation and the Department of Anthropology. The student signs the contract in cooperation with the Fieldwork coordinator. This contract ensures the student's right to generate data while carrying out Project-oriented work (internship) or Fieldwork, sets down guidelines for the use and publication of data, and outlines procedures that are to be followed should disagreements arise between the student and the company/organisation. The contract must be approved and signed by the relevant parties and must as far as possible be handed in as an appendix to the synopsis. Students can find a standard agreement for cooperation with 3^rdparties on the student intranet.

Field Report

The field report should include a brief explanation of the original problem statement (from the Field methods synopsis), and explain if any changes has been made to the original statement. The report must specify the geographic and socio-cultural context for the studies, as well as briefly describe what happened during the Field work, including the data that was collected through the used method, and how this data helps us investigate the problem statement. Finally the report must include a discussion of the validity and analytical potential of the collected data, as well as ethical issues related to the Field work.