Admission Requirements
Only students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme CADS may participate in this course. To participate in this course, students must:
1) Have finished fieldwork for the course Fieldwork NL
2) Have passed the following courses from the propaedeutic phase:
Anthropological Research in Practice
Statistics in Practice
Academic Writing and (Re-)Presentation (Navigating Academic Discourse as of 2025-2026)
Ethics in Contemporary Ethnographic Research/Data Management and Research Ethics
Academic Discourse (Writing in Anthropology as of 2025-2026)
N.B. Completing this course is required to register for the third-year course Personal and Professional Impact.
Language of Instruction
Lectures are given in English.
Examination (assignments and written exam): English and Dutch.
Course Description
In the bachelor program CADS, students acquire knowledge, insights and skills related to disciplinary anthropological methodology and research methods and techniques, and students also acquire knowledge, insights and skills that prepare them for social science research in a broader sense. There are several reasons for this combination. First, this combination helps to make students more aware of the specific value of disciplinary anthropological research skills. Secondly, this will better prepare students for the labour market, not only because they will have a broader understanding of social science research, but also because they will be better able to put disciplinary anthropological research approaches into practice in interdisciplinary collaborations.
This course provides an introduction into the quantitative analysis of multivariate data, in particular nominal and/or ordinal data. The course does not only focus on techniques, but also aims to help students develop a reflexive use of research methods and techniques. Both the use of quantitative methods in interpretive research, and the relevance of qualitative research in the context of the analysis of quantitative data are discussed.
The course includes exercises in analyzing data using the SPSS modules for Multiple Categorical Analysis (MCA) and Categorical Principal Components Analysis (CATPCA). In this course students will work on the analysis of data they have collected during the Fieldwork NL course.
This course builds on insights discussed in the ‘Research Lab’ courses earlier in the programme, and also on insights discussed in introductory courses in Cultural Anthropology, including Culture & Comparison and Culture & Globalisation.
Course Objectives
- Gaining insight into methods and techniques for multivariate analysis. In particular: (a) being able to explain what multivariate analysis entails; (b) being able to explain for a given research question and collected data which of the discussed techniques can be used for analysis.
- Gaining experience with the practice of multivariate analysis, including by using one or more techniques for analyzing data. Note: we do not expect students to have become seasoned researchers by the end of the course. That takes years of experience!
- Gaining insight in the relevance of qualitative research in the context of the analysis of quantitative data.
- Gaining experience with a reflexive approach to quantitative social research.
Schedule
Dates and room numbers can be found on the website.
Practicals take place at dates and times t.b.a.; classification per practical group is made during the first lecture - registration for these groups via uSis is not necessary.
Mode of Instruction
Total 5 ECTS = 140 study hours (sbu):
Lectures: 14 × 3 hours = 42 hours * 1,5 = 63 sbu
Practicals: 7 × 2 hours = 14 hours = 14 sbu (attendance mandatory)
Literature (ca. 138 pages) = 23 sbu
Assignments: 40 sbu
Assessment Method
Written exam
Mandatory participation in practicals. Attendance at practicals will be checked.
Written analysis report, on the basis of assignments during the course
Note: students must both pass the examination and submit a satisfactory written report of their analysis.
Only the final mark will be registered in uSis and tests may be re-taken if results are inadequate (grade 5 or lower).
Registration in My Studymap
Registration for the lectures and all (partial) exams in My Studymap is mandatory for all students. Registration closes 5 days before the start of the course. Carefully read all information about the procedures and deadlines for registering for courses and exams.
Registration of exams
It is mandatory for all students to register for each exam (this inclused re-sits) in My Studymap. This is possible up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the examination. You cannot take an exam without a valid pre-registration in MyStudymap. Carefully read all information about the procedures and deadlines for registering for courses and exams.
Brightspace
Brightspace is the digital learning environment of Leiden University. Brightspace gives access to course announcements and electronic study material. Assignments will also be submitted in Brightspace. Announcements about and changes to courses are given in Brightspace. Students are advised to check Brightspace daily to keep informed about rooms, schedules, deadlines, and details of assignments. Lecturers assume that all students read information posted on Brightspace.
- How to login
The homepage for Brightspace is: Brightspace
Please log in with your ULCN-account and personal password. On the left you will see an overview of My Courses.
For access to courses in Brightspace students must be registered for those courses in My Studymap.
Course Literature
Field, Andy 2018 Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (fifth edition). London: SAGE Publications.
Articles from electronic journals and encyclopaedias are available through Leiden University’s digital library. These will be announced on Brightspace.