ANTH 4008 - Honours Theory, Ethnography & Fieldwork

This course provides an advanced introduction to anthropological theory and ethnographic fieldwork. It introduces students to some of the foundational theoretical perspectives that have shaped anthropology since the advent of the modern discipline and explores the relevance of these ideas for anthropological theory and practice in the present. The course explores a variety of key theoretical approaches, including but not restricted to, social structure and agency; symbolic and interpretive; theories of culture; and globalisation, post-humanism and virtual worlds. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the empirical nature of anthropological theory and its essential relationship with both ethnographic praxis, processes and texts, offering access to an advanced approach to common themes, concepts and methodologies in anthropology, particularly those relating to ethnographic fieldwork. It aims to deepen student understandings of the practical, epistemological and ethical aspects of ethnography, and to prepare graduate students for fieldwork. The readings and seminars provide a context for critical discussions about ethnography. A selection of topics has been chosen that cover major themes of ethnographic research and include the practice of ethnography; the changing nature and boundaries of the 'field' in anthropology; the ethics of fieldwork as well as that of the process of representing research communities in ethnographic texts; the relationships and experiences associated with the anthropological method and its implications for ethnographies. The course also has a dissertation seminar, which is designed to support students through the stages of producing a dissertation. It aims to assist students to articulate a relevant topic; to turn this topic into an anthropological problem appropriate to the task of writing a thesis; to aid in the consideration of useful theoretical perspectives; to help identify and locate material and relevant literature.