Compulsory course: Advanced Research Methods

Course content

This course provides students with advanced knowledge of research methods from the humanities and social sciences and serves as a grounding for the collection and analysis of research evidence. The course covers data collection approaches and data analysis methods. This includes ethnographic fieldwork such as participatory observation and interviewing, textual and discourse analysis and quantitative methods such as surveys. Various aspects of research ethics are covered.

The course consists of lectures on research methods as well as hands-on training in research planning such as defining a research topic and question, identifying sources, planning of fieldwork, analysis of research findings and writing.

Education

MA in African Studies

Learning outcome

The aim is for the student to acquire the following qualifications:

  • Knowledge of core concepts and methods relevant for data collection and analysis
  • Knowledge of research ethics
  • Skills in selecting relevant methods for data collection in relation to Internship, Field Study and MA thesis research
  • Ability to plan and conduct data collection and analysis
  • Competences to critically reflect on use of methods and ethical aspects of data collection and analysis

The course is organised in sessions of 2 hours twice per week over 7 weeks in the second half of the second semester. The course will be based on lectures combined with classroom discussions and practical exercises, requiring active participation from the students.

Suggested literature:

 Cerwonka, A. and L. Malkki (eds.) Improvising Theory: Process and Temporality in Ethnographic Research, Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press

Emmerson, R.M, R.I. Fretz and L. L. Shaw. 2011. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.

Fabian, Johannes. 2015. Talk about Prayer. An Ethnographic Commentary, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Flick, Uwe (ed.), 2017. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Collection, London: SAGE Publications,

Flyvbjerg, B. 2006. ‘Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research’, Qualitative Inquiry 12 (2): 219-245.

Konopinski, Natalie (ed.), 2014. Doing Anthropological Research. A practical guide. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.

Lund. C. 2014. ‘Of What is This a Case?: Analytical Movements in Qualitative Social Science Research’, Human Organization  73 (3): 224-234

Mason, J. (2006). Mixing methods in a qualitatively driven way. Qualitative Research, 6 (1), 9–25.

Kvale, Steiner (2007). Doing InterViews. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi, Singapore: SAGE Publications.

The course is only open for CAS MA students and professional master students.

Oral
Individual
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Other
Type of assessment details
Students write two assignments during the course, and receive feedback from the course lecturer and fellow students. The written assignments are: 1) proposal for the Internship or Field Study or a methodology essay (for those not doing Internships or Field Studies) and 2) thesis outline including overall theme, research question, relevant literature, theory and methods. Further details of the assignments are defined and provided by the course lecturer. Each assignment should be 10,500-12,000 characters long and the total length of both assignments should be 21,000-24,000 characters long. The final assignments are handed in as a single document during the exam period.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Internal censorship
Exam period

Summer Exam

Single subject courses (day)

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 122
  • Exam Preparation
  • 59
  • Exam
  • 1
  • English
  • 210

Kursusinformation

Language
English
Course number
TAFAARM75U
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Programme level
Full Degree Master
Part Time Master
Duration
7 weeks, second half of the semester
Placement
Spring
Price

Deltagergebyret er på: 3.750 kr. for et 7,5 ECTS kursus og 7.500 kr. for et 15 ECTS kursus.

Schedulegroup
First lesson is in week 13
Studyboard
Study board of African Studies
Contracting department
  • African Studies
Contracting faculty
  • Faculty of Theology
Course Coordinator
  • Mads Petry Yding   (3-7d80895084757f7c3e7b853e747b)
Teacher

Mads Yding

Saved on the 06-11-2024

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