ANTH4091 – Writing Ethnography
Course content
The course focuses on writing. The central activity in this course is the students’ submissions, and group discussions, of written drafts from their thesis work during the semester. Weekly readings also form part of the teaching and in-seminar conversation. The course offers anthropological and some literary theory perspectives on key notions regarding the writing and composition of ethnographic texts.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
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Overview of anthropological as well as some literary-theory perspectives on central notions regarding the writing and the composition of ethnographic texts.
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Understanding of these notions’ relevance for contemporary academic and public writing.
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Appreciation for theoretical and practical debates on writing, and particularly ethnographic writing, and ability to relate own research to the development of such debates.
Skills
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Enhanced ability to reflect critically when composing texts for academic and general audiences.
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Enhanced ability to synthesize different positions and to use this competence to give shape to a unique research agenda in writing.
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Strengthened ability to write ethnographically driven analyses.
General competence
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Enhanced capacity for independent anthropological thought.
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Increased capacity for intellectual collaboration through critical group discussions of the academic quality of texts.
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Strengthened ability to express arguments in solid academic language and through oral presentation.
Admission to the course
Students must be enrolled in the master’s programme in Social Anthropology.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Students must have completed ANTH4115 – Advanced Anthropological Theory, ANTH4125 – Advanced Anthropological Methods and Project Development and ANTH4210 – Ethnographic Fieldwork.
Teaching
Eight combined lectures and seminars. Students should submit a draft from their thesis work for at least six of eight seminars.
The master's thesis will be produced during the third and fourth semesters, i.e. the writing will start after you return from fieldwork.
Compulsory activities:
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Submission of an excerpt (2400-2900 words) of the thesis draft
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Oral presentation of excerpt
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Feedback to co-students on excerpt
Compulsory activities will be assessed as Approved/Not approved. All compulsory activities must be approved in order to take the ANTH4091 exam.
Examination
Reflection paper (1000-1400 words) where you discuss:
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The choices you have made in writing the excerpt for this course
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The feedback received from your co-students and teacher
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How you plan to proceed in your writing based on the feedback received in this course
Compulsory activities must be approved and the exam passed in the same semester.
Examination support material
All exam support materials are allowed during this exam. Generating all or part of the exam answer using AI tools such as Chat GPT or similar is not allowed.
Language of examination
You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about?the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.