• Joniak-Lüthi Agnieszka

• Joniak-Lüthi Agnieszka

This course is designed as a workshop for MA students in their third semester, i.e. before they start their MA fieldwork. In the course we discuss how to formulate good research questions, conduct a critical literature review, write a research proposal, and develop a theoretical framework of the thesis. We also devote time to reviewing research methods and reflecting on the ethics of ethnographic fieldwork. In course of the semester, students develop their research questions and the research concept, present individual research projects and discuss them with colleagues and supervisors. Students also learn to give constructive feedback on their peers’ projects and learn the tricks of the trade of scientific exchange.

The course languages are German, French and English.

This course will assist students to:

• Reflect on and sharpen their analytic and academic writing skills
• Give and receive thoughtful feedback on their own and other students’ work
• Identify research questions, formulate theses, find suitable research methods
• Identify challenges of their MA projects and creatively solve them
• Practice and improve upon their academic oral presentation skills

Course Materials

Course materials will be selected flexibly depending on the needs of course participants and will relate to methodology, epistemology, ethics of research, etc.

Additionally, each student will read the literature (articles and monographs) that the students and their supervisors deem necessary for a given research project. Students should commit to reading the literature for their research projects throughout the course of the semester, as this is necessary for writing a successful concept paper at the end of the semester.

Evaluation

It is expected that each student will develop an idea for her/his MA research during the course of the semester. To pass the Colloquium, the research project must be orally presented and discussed in class, and a written research concept (3000-4000 words) must be handed in during the last class.