AANK16012U Anthropological Project Design

Volume 2024/2025
Education

Mandatory MA course 2. Semester

Credit students and Exchange students cannot sign up for this course.

Content

Anthropological Project Design prepares students for carrying out an anthropological project in the third semester. Through the development of their own projects, students are taught how to create a project design, how to identify anthropological problems they can pursue in their project, how to combine theory and methodology in their design, and how to apply ethnographic methods in practice. The course emphasises the importance of gaining knowledge of the regional context and thematic issues for delimiting a project proposal. Moreover, students are trained in ethnographic methods, field note taking, and in handling the ethical and practical challenges of their project.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

  • To demonstrate knowledge of a broad regional and thematic field as a context for the project design
  • To have an overview of relevant literature

 

Skills

  • To independently formulate a precise research problem and operationalise it in research questions
  • To elaborate a project design that enables the acquisition of ethnographic material to answer the research questions
  • To prepare an analytical framework for the planned project

 

Competences

  • To make analytical choices in light of a state of the art review of the literature within the field
  • To take responsibility for creating, organizing, and planning a project that can be carried out in collaboration with interlocutors and/or co-researchers
  • To make methodological choices in light of a research problem and to critically evaluate such choices
  • To critically discuss ethical and practical challenges in the project.
For the sake of the students' safety, we cannot approve projects to countries to which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has advised against travelling. See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advisories (Rejsevejledninger), which are posted in Danish here: http:/​/​um.dk/​da/​rejse-og-ophold/​rejse-til-udlandet/​rejsevejledninger/​.
Class instruction, workshops, and student presentations. The course focuses on the craft of writing a project proposal and on the development of students' projects. Throughout the semester students hand in draft elements of their project design. Class instruction is sometimes in the form of workshops where both the lecturer and fellow students provide feedback on these drafts. Some classes include practical exercises.

Supervision:
Each student is placed in a supervision group. Two supervision meetings are held, unless the supervisor and students agree to split the time differently. The total time frame is 2 x 45 minutes per group. Students in a group do not necessarily share thematic and theoretical interests.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 52
  • Preparation
  • 110
  • Project work
  • 102
  • Exam
  • 150
  • Total
  • 414
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

Feedback is provided during the workshops that form part of the course. Peer-to-peer feedback is facilitated by the teacher.

Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, exam period
Type of assessment details
The exam paper must be submitted as an individual exam paper, unless the fieldwork is also planned as a group examination.
Length: min. 18,000 and max. 22,000 characters for an individual paper. Appendix length: max. 5,000 characters (regardless of group size). For group papers, min. 4,500 and max. 5,500 characters per additional group member. The synopsis must be submitted individually, unless plans are to carry out group fieldwork. Formal requirements for written assignments: https:/​/​kunet.ku.dk/​study/​anthropology-ma/​Pages/​Topic.aspx?topic=Writtentake-homeassignment&topicId=265ca0b2-9132-4e58-b45e-a5a4243593fe#265ca0b2-9132-4e58-b45e-a5a4243593fe

For groups writing together it must be clearly indicated which parts of the assignment each of the students has written
Exam registration requirements

N/A

Aid
All aids allowed

Policy on the Use of Generative AI Software and Large Language Models in Exams

The Department of Anthropology allows the use of generative AI software and large language models (AI/LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in written exams, provided that the use of AI/LLMs is disclosed and specified (i.e., how it was used and for what purpose) in an appendix that does not count towards the page limit of the exam.

 

If AI/LLMs are used as source, the same requirements apply for using quotation marks and source referencing as with all other sources. Otherwise, it will be a case of plagiarism.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

1st re-exam: A new synopsis must be submitted. The new assignment must be submitted by the deadline for the re-exam.

 

2nd re-exam: A new synopsis must be submitted. The new assignment is submitted during the next exam period.

 

For more information about the course see www.kurser.ku.dk.

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome