Admission requirements
This course is a compulsory element of the MA African Studies and only open to students that have been admitted in this programme.
Description
The seminar series will guide students through the process of preparing for their fieldwork in Africa. In a series of seven seminars, the students will be advised on the organization of their internship, and guided through the process of designing an interdisciplinary research project for the final thesis that is integrated with their internship in Africa. The seminar will provide a focused environment for a first grounding in the specific methodological and interdisciplinary approach most relevant to the students’ expected thesis topic. However, in the seminar the emphasis will lie on the process and the practical application of knowledge and insights for interdisciplinary research, while each student will have individual thesis & internship supervision from a lecturer with relevant expertise on the students research and internship subject.
Course objectives
General Learning Objectives:
The student will aquire the ability to:
1. Formulate judgements, based on a question or problem in the field of African Studies, even when the student has insufficient or limited information, by taking into account social and cultural, academic and ethnical repsonsibilities linked to the student’s own application of knowledge and judgement.
2. Clearly communicate, both in oral and written form, the outcomes based on the students own academic research, knowledge, motifs, and considerations to professionals as well as the broader public.
3. Continue further study at a professional level or academic level.
Learning skills pertaining to the course:
4. The student will obtain proven knowledge of an interdisciplinary insight into the societies and cultures of Africa;
5. The student will obtain the ability to apply knowledge, insights and different methods from the various disciplines in new or unknown circumstances within the domain of African Studies, in order to solve problems, integrate knowledge and deal with complex matters;
6. The student will obtain the ability to develop a research plan for interdisciplinary field research that combines academic insights with questions from practioners;
7. The student will obtain the practical skills to organise an internship in an African country;
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
Total course load 5 EC x 28 hours = 140 hours
Seminars: 7 x 2 hours = 14 hours
Study of compulsory literature: 16 hours
Assignment(s): 10 hours
Internship- and Research proposal: 100 hours
Assessment method
Research proposal: 45% (measures course objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Internship plan: 45% (measured course objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Participation and assignments: 10% (measured course objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
Communication between students and seminar leaders;
Submission of written work;
Exchange of documents and course information
Reading list
A course package will be made available
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website
Contact
Education Administration Office van Wijkplaats:
Coordinator of Studies: P.C. Lai LL.M. MSc