Undergraduate Course: Imagining Anthropological Research (SCAN10104)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is about research design in Social Anthropology. It is intended for 3rd year students in Social Anthropology and joint degrees planning to work on a dissertation in the subject in their 4th year. By the end of the Semester, students will have developed their own dissertation ideas into a detailed Research Proposal, setting out a timetable, budget, and a consideration of the practical arrangements and methods. |
| Course description |
This course is about research design in Social Anthropology - how do anthropologists pose questions? What kinds of evidence help them answer their questions? How is that evidence gathered and interpreted? How does anthropological theory motivate inquiry and inform research design? What ethical considerations does anthropological research raise? The first half of the course will cover these topics through unpacking the research design of diverse forms of published anthropological work. The second half of the course will focus on applying the principles of research design to creating original dissertation research proposals.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is for 3rd year students in Social Anthropology, Social Anthropology joint/with degrees, and Sustainable Development (Social Anthropology Pathway) students. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
80 %,
Practical Exam
20 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
In-class presentations 20%
Proposal (3,000 words) 80%
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| Feedback |
Presentation, draft of proposal |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Generate original research questions suitable for a dissertation in social anthropology.
- Critically analyse diverse approaches to research design and methodology in social anthropology.
- Apply their knowledge of research design to their own original research question through the development of a feasible methodology.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the ethical issues involved in conducting anthropological research.
- Formulate and present research plans in clear and convincing manner.
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Reading List
Becker, H. 1998. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Borneman, J. & A. Hammoudi, eds. 2009. Being There: the Fieldwork Encounter and the Making of Truth. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gupta, A & J. Ferguson, eds. 1997. Anthropological Locations: Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science. Berkeley: University of California Press.
McGranahan, C., ed. 2020. Writing Anthropology: Essays on Craft and Commitment. Durham NC: Duke University Press.
Sanjek, R. 2015. eFieldnotes: the Makings of Anthropology in the Digital World. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research Design, Proposal writing |
| Keywords | research design,ethnography,methodology,epistemology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jacob Doherty
Tel: (0131 6)51 3785
Email: jacob.doherty@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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