This seminar is situated in the heart of on-going research in the department. RMA / MPhil students as well as PhD candidates work on their theses in focused groups, formed according to region (or theme), and receive specialized instruction in tutorials focusing either on the Caribbean/Amazonian region or on Mesoamerica. Students with another regional specialisation follow one of these two thesis tutorials, and organize additional meetings with relevant regional specialists at Leiden University or abroad. For general topics these groups may be combined in common sessions. Students identify and evaluate the most important publications, especially relevant articles in recent issues of leading journals, and write a review of a monograph that is crucial for their thesis research. Each year MPhil students and PhD candidates organize a research excursion.
In their first year MPhil students are required to draft a formal research proposal (in NWO format), formulating research questions, theoretical framework and methodology, after which they prepare and realize a small-scale research project. In the second year MPhil students give detailed presentations on the progress of their research and on their theoretical reflections. Needless to say, MPhil students are expected to attend all guest lectures of the specialisation program (to be announced during the year). In addition, MPhil students attend in the first year an important international symposium, workshop or congress, to be selected in consultation with the thesis supervisor. Students are required to prepare the meeting with a paper on the issues and previous work of some speakers, to be complemented after attending the meeting with a summary evaluation. In the second year they are expected to present a paper or poster on their thesis research at such an international meeting or to submit an article to an international journal (reason for the additional 2,5 ects).
Learning objectives
RMA 1 Learning objectives:
*Knowledge of and insight in current research and debates; *Is able to critically assess current research and literature and voice one’s well-argumented opinion; *Is able to write a critically review of a monograph that is crucial for their thesis; *Is able to choose a research topic for his/her thesis, find relevant literature and present this via a powerpoint presentation and is able to handle a stimulating discussion afterwards; *Is able to write a paper on the issues and previous work of researchers presenting at the conference, with expression of a critically assessment of the literature and one’s own well-argumented opinion, making use of the feedback received with the presentation; *Is able to prepare the attendance to an international conference, evaluate the presentations, results, the importance and implications of the presented research of the conference; *Is able to write a formal research proposal (in NWO-format), formulating research questions, theoretical framework and methodology; *Is able to prepare and realize a small scale research project, based on the research proposal; *Is able to organize a research excursion with fellow-students.
RMA 2 Learning objectives:
*Knowledge of and insight in current research and debates; *Is able to critically assess current research and literature and voice one’s well-argumented opinion; *Is able to write a critically review of a monograph that is crucial for their thesis; *Is able to choose a research topic for his/her thesis, find relevant literature and present this via a powerpoint presentation and is able to handle a stimulating discussion afterwards; *Is able to write a paper on his/her research topic, with expression of a critically assessment of the literature and one’s own well-argumented opinion, making use of the feedback received with the presentation; *Is able to write a formal research proposal (in NWO-format), formulating research questions, theoretical framework and methodology; *Is able to prepare and realize a small scale research project, based on the research proposal; *Is able to prepare the attention to a international symposion, evaluate the presentations, results, the importance and implications of the presented research of the conference; *Is able to organize with fellow-students a research excursion.
Method of instruction
Seminar with students’ reports, commenting on the structure of research and thesis, with analytic discussion of recent publications.
Examination
Active participation in discussions, analytical presentation of recent literature related to the topic of the thesis, papers on congress attendance as well as a research proposal (year 1) and a presentation of the thesis research results to an international forum (year 2).
Required reading
Publications selected by the students themselves (library and internet search).