Compulsory attendance
Yes.
Prerequisites and restrictions
Admission to the RMA-programme.
Description
This seminar is situated in the heart of ongoing research in the specialisation area Mesoamerica. Concentrating on annually varying subjects, it involves the analysis and discussion of visual art, archaeological data, historical sources, and anthropological theories, connected to on-going research (under the direction of prof. dr Maarten Jansen). RMA-students as well as PhD-candidates discuss the planning and progress of their thesis research, identify and evaluate the most important publications (especially relevant articles in recent issues of leading journals). The focus is on understanding cultural interaction, decolonising memory and reintegrating identity. Both the interaction between cultures and the symbolic interaction within one specific cultural tradition will be considered, with the aim of elaborating new interpretations, but also the intercultural dimension of archaeological and anthropological studies themselves, as interpreting the ancient and contemporary heritage of indigenous peoples in the Americas implies a critical engagement with the colonisation process and its heritage.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge of and insight in current research and debates, with ability to critically assess current research and literature and voice one’s well-argumented opinion;
Ability to review earlier research that is crucial for the thesis, with a critical assessment of the literature and one’s own well-argumented opinion;
Ability to prepare the attendance to an international conference, evaluate the presentations, as well as the importance and implications of the presented research;
Ability to write a formal research proposal (in NWO-format), formulating research questions, theoretical framework and methodology;
Ability to prepare and realise a small-scale research project, based on the research proposal.
Mode of delivery
Seminar with critical evaluation of (theoretical) literature.
Assessment
Active participation in the seminar (with written assignments);
Attendance at international congress or workshop;
Research proposal in NWO format.
Reading list
Partly indicated during the seminar, partly to be identified by the students themselves.
Time schedule
Course schedule details can be found in the RMA time schedule.