Primary tabs
Teaching
The taught element of this course consists of these compulsory streams:
The Pre-Fieldwork seminar
The Ethnographic Methods Course, Parts I (Michaelmas term) and II (Lent term)
Senior Research Seminar, scheduled for Fridays during term time. This is the place where the Department really gets together, and we usually attract very good speakers from across the UK and overseas.
Anthropological Lives explores the lives of anthropologists who made striking and distinctive career decisions and/ or unexpected use of their anthropological material. The series reflects both ongoing and new knowledge and interests on the part of Departmental teaching staff, with contributions from former Department members now based elsewhere.
Students are also strongly encouraged to attend other optional elements:
"Experiences from the Field" seminar, run by writing-up students recently returned from the field.
Anthropology Beyond the Academy - a series of presentations from speakers from a range of fields, reflecting on how their study of anthropology has informed their subsequent careers.
Ad hoc sessions in transferable skills or anthropological methods, such as journal publication, technologies of research and data management, film-making and research with children.
Participation in Undergraduate or Masters level lectures and seminars which address themes specific to their research topic.
Social Sciences Research Methods Programme courses on Reading and Understanding Statistics and Survey Research and Design (the exact title of the courses may change).
| One to one supervision | Students will meet with their Supervisor for at least 4 hours per term in a pattern to be arranged with their Supervisor. The Supervisor's role is to advise students on the planning and execution of their research, to provide feedback on progress and to help students to complete their work within the required time. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
|---|---|
| Seminars & classes | 3-4 hours per week of compulsory seminars, plus the weekly Senior Research seminar. |
| Lectures | MRes students are encouraged to attend lectures relevant to their research topic. |
Feedback
Students receive written feedback on their three assessed essays and dissertation.
In addition, students receive termly progress reports online from their Supervisor. Students will also receive regular informal feedback from their Supervisors, throughout the period of the course.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
A dissertation of not more than 15,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography, on a subject approved by the Archaeology, Anthropology and Sociology Degree Committee. An oral examination on the dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls may be held at the discretion of the examiners.
The primary aim of the dissertation should be the theoretical analysis of ethnographic material; it may also be a new synthesis of data or a new interpretation of existing material.
The mark awarded for the dissertation will comprise 60 per cent of the total.
Essays
- One essay of not more than 4,000 words ( including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography), relating to anthropology and social theory chosen by the candidate from a list of questions announced by the Archaeology, Anthropology and Sociology Degree Committee by the division of Michaelmas term.
- One essay of not more than 4,000 words ( including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography), relating to professional research practice chosen by the candidate from a list of questions announced by the Archaeology, Anthropology and Sociology Degree Committee by the division of Michaelmas term.
- One essay of not more than 4,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography), relating to ethnographic research methods. This is the individual report on the extended case study prepared for the Ethnographic Methods course.
The marks awarded for the three essays will together comprise 40 per cent of the overall course mark.