BA Archaeology and Anthropology / Course details

This dissertation is for Archaeology and Anthropology joint degree students who wish to write a predominantly anthropological dissertation. Students will be provided with a forum for discussion on research methods, covering the key stages entailed - from crystallising research aims and objectives, devising research strategies, and organising materials for the writing process. The course places emphasis on practical workshops in the first semester, as well as theoretical and ethical concerns surrounding the politics of knowledge and ethnographic work and representation.

Students will identify clear and limited research aims and objectives thus formulating clear research questions, devise research strategies, carry out a literature search, and initial organisation of materials for the writing process. During the second semester, students will write their dissertation

By the end of the first semester, students will be able to formulate their own research questions, be aware of how to research them in an anthropological way, be aware of both ethical and theoretical concerns on how to address the question and have completed all the necessary background work to complete a dissertation. During the second semester, students will write a dissertation supported by regular meetings with their dissertation supervisor.

There will be a series of optional workshops at the beginning of the first semester, complemented by one-to-one supervision with dissertation supervisors throughout the year. Whilst the workshops are optional, students will benefit from attending them.

12,000 word Dissertation

Students will receive one-to-one supervision to support their dissertation writing. They will therefore receive ongoing feedback on their progress, as long as they take advantage of the supervision on offer.

Students will be asked to spend the summer period with preliminary reading in their general field of interest.