Admission requirements
Final permission for conducting field research is obtained once the following conditions have been met:
Formal admission to MA programme CA-DS
Declaration of liability
Submission of budget
Approval of final research proposal
Proof of sufficient language proficiency (declaration by the supervisor)
Two types of field research
The students can opt for one of the two kinds of field research:
1) Individual fieldwork
Individual field research may be conducted anywhere in the world, including The Netherlands, provided that the location is safe and not afflicted by armed conflict.
This type of fieldwork is arranged by students themselves. It is expected that the student will independently establish the necessary contacts with local authorities, acquire research permission and affiliation as well as accommodation in the country of research. Supervision during this preparatory period if provided by the thesis advisor in Leiden. Guidance in this preparation phase will be done by a supervisor in Leiden. It is expected that the student will be locally affiliated with an institute or person willing to take (partial) responsibility for the fieldwork conducted in the research area, and able to review the fieldwork period thereafter. Supervision of the processing and reporting on field data is the responsibility of the staff in Leiden.
2) Collective fieldwork
This type of fieldwork is organized and directed by the Institute for CA-DS. Three different collective field research programs can be organized annually in Indonesia (Central Java), West Africa (Mali and Gambia) and the Philippines (North East Luzon).
Although the field research is organized collectively, each individual student carries out their own individual field project within these two general areas. Departmental staff oversee the preparation for fieldwork as well as the fieldwork itself. The Department also arranges contact with the appropriate local authorities, arranges research permission and affiliation, and, in most cases, the accommodation of students in the research area. Subsequently, institute’s staff supervise the processing and reporting on field data.
It is important to remark that this type of research can only be organised if there are at least 5 students (per location) interested in taking part. Students are required to make their choice of fieldwork-location by “October 1st” each year, so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
Financial matters
Field research, especially abroad, can be a costly endeavor for the student. Total expenses, including the airplane ticket, visa and accommodation will approximately be € 3.000 – € 4.000, depending on the country where the fieldwork takes place. These expenses are not covered by the tuition fee for the MA programme.
To ease the financial pain a number of funds may be applied for:
Funds of the Institute CA-DS
If all requirements for fieldwork are met, the student may apply for a subsidy amounting 50% of their total costs up to a maximum of € 365,-. Students can apply for this subsidy at the Secretariate of the Institute CA-DS (room 3A19) once their Research Proposal is approved. They need to hand in a copy of the budget-related page of ther Research Proposal as well as their bank account number.Student counselor
In some cases a student may ask the student counselor for supplementary subsidy. Information can be obtained at the following address: Kaiserstraat 25, Leiden, tel. 5278011.Other funds
At the the student centre Plexus you may take a look at the so-called “Book of Funds”. This book contains information on all funding organizations in the Netherlands. Relevant funds can also be found through the scholarship website of the International Office (in Dutch).
Most often the students of CA-DS acquire grants from the LUF and the LUSTRA but can also be sucessful in acquiring financial aid from smaller, private funds and trusts. Since most of the information about funds is available in Dutch language, foreign students might need assistance from their Dutch fellow-students when looking for relevant information.
Examination
The fieldwork is rated “pass” based on performance in the research setting.
Timetable
January, February, March 2012
Contact
Fieldwork coördinator dr. Jan Jansen: room 3A36 (Pieter de la Court building), tel. 071-527 3996, e-mail <jansenj@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>