Ethnographic Fieldwork and Thesis

Course goals

• During this phase of the master’s research students collect empirical data by conducting fieldwork independently. The fieldwork may also be part of a research internship at or in collaboration with an external institution (NGOs etc.).
• In the reporting phase of the master’s research students are trained to analyze and interpret their collected data and to report these in a solid scientific thesis.

Content

Ethnographic Fieldwork and Thesis
 
On the basis of an accepted research proposal that has been prepared in the courses Doing ethnography and Research Design, the second semester of the program compromises the actual ethnographic fieldwork and data collection phase (approximately twelve weeks). During the fieldwork phase, you keep in contact with your supervisor. In several field reports you discuss the progression of data collection and your experiences in the field with your supervisor. At the end of the fieldwork period you start with the organization and encoding of the empirical data.

After you have completed your fieldwork, you will start with preparing and writing your M.Sc. thesis. The main task that needs to go hand-in-hand with writing is the combination of your empirical, first-hand research with secondary data, and finally with the larger, more general theoretical questions you set out to answer or the theoretical debate you are addressing.

In a series of meetings with your supervisor, you will demonstrate your progress in writing the M.Sc. thesis, and discuss how to use your empirical knowledge and secondary materials to develop broader interpretations about your study in a meaningful relations with the theoretical frame of your research questions.