ANTH4210 – Ethnographic Fieldwork
Course content
This course consists of independent data production through ethnographic fieldwork for a period of four to six months. During these months, you will be gathering the data or the material that will form the basis for the writing of your thesis. After fieldwork, you have to submit a fieldwork report.
Ethnographic fieldwork is central to anthropological knowledge production, but an anthropological master’s thesis can be based on different types of research strategies and different types of material. In addition to more or less classic ethnographic fieldwork, it can also be based (partly or completely) on forms of archival work, digital sources, reading of others’ publications, etcetera.
SAI Financial support for fieldwork:?The Master's Programme in Social Anthropology offers?financial support for fieldwork expenses to promote and facilitate students' fieldwork. Social Anthropology master's students can be reimbursed for certain expenses up to maximum fixed rates.?
Learning outcome
Knowledge
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In-depth knowledge of the ethnographic region in which you will conduct fieldwork.
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In-depth knowledge of qualitative research methodology with a focus on participant observation and the interpretation and analysis of social interactions.
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Experience-based knowledge and a deeper understanding of the research process in Social Anthropology.
Skills
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Ability to manage and execute an independent research project and collect qualitative data through fieldwork.
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Ability to apply and reflect on key methodological and theoretical tools involved in the collection, production and analysis of different types of data.
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Ability to convert fieldwork material into anthropological data, and to move from data to analytical text in an ethically sound manner.
General competence
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Respect for scientific values, such as openness, rationality and precision, and ability to distinguish between research-based knowledge, practice-based knowledge and "perception".
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Enhanced ethical awareness concerning the various problems that may arise during research and the writing up of research results.
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Enhanced capacity to adhere to the principles of academic honesty, integrity, and responsibility when it comes to your research and to other professional work.
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 and ANTH4125 – Advanced Anthropological Methods and Project Development.
Teaching
Compulsory activities:
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Project Proposal Update (pre-fieldwork). Before you start your fieldwork, you must have a mandatory meeting (ca. 30-60 minutes) with your supervisor, during which you present your project plans. This discussion should use the project proposal that was submitted at the end of?ANTH4125 ‘Advanced Anthropological Methods and Project Development’ as a basis. The main task is to update your supervisor on further preparatory developments or changes made to the submitted proposal and clarify further ethics and safety challenges that may still need to be discussed. Your supervisor will assess this mandatory meeting as Approved/Not approved.?
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MA?Fieldwork Notification form (pre-fieldwork). You must?fill in?the?MA Fieldwork notification web form?to notify the department about the details requested before starting your fieldwork. This will be assessed as Approved/Not approved.
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Sikt approval.?All Master's projects must be pre-registered with the?Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt). You are obliged to have the Sikt approval and inform the department of your Sikt reference before you start your fieldwork. This will be assessed as Approved/Not approved. Please read SAI’s data storage guide (in English and Norwegian).
The compulsory activities will be assessed as Approved/Not approved.
All compulsory activities must be approved in order to take the ANTH4210 exam.
Examination
The examination consists of a fieldwork report submitted towards the end of the second semester. The total word count of the fieldwork report is 3150-3850 words.?The fieldwork report is assessed by the supervisor.
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.