SAS4020 – South Asian Fieldwork
Course content
The duration of the course is one full semester, from January till end of June (approximately five months). The aim in this course is for you to identify and collection the material that will form the basis for your master’s thesis.
Your material can be of various kinds, depending on the topic you are researching for your thesis.
- Literary, historical, political or other forms of written text
- Interviews, participant observation or other forms of ethnographic material
- Linguistic field material
All generation of material and in particular when dealing with people demands a critical and ethical approach. Your own reflection on the process will be a crucial part of the course.
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
- Deep knowledge of the topic you have chosen
- Solid understanding of South Asian society
- Experience in and understanding of research as a process
- Experience in generating, processing and critically evaluating data
Skills:
- Practical experience of project management and generation of own material
- Completion of a research project
- Use of and refection over methodological and theoretical tools for the generation, processing and evaluation of data
- Reworking field material into data, and data into text, in ethical ways
General competence:
- Respect for academic values, such as openness, rationality and precision
- The ability to distinguish between research-based knowledge, practical knowledge, and political opinions
- Conscious understanding of ethical issues in research
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
To qualify for the exam two field reports must be submitted (halfway and at the completion of the fieldwork) and on which you will receive feedback.
Examination
Evaluation of the field reports, halfway and at the completion of the fieldwork.
The reports will detail your field experience, evaluate it in general and in particular its relevance to the project idea and the validity of the material as well as ethical aspects of your fieldwork.
The reports should also explicitly address unexpected turns of event or discoveries.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Language of examination
You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. If you would prefer to have the exam text in English, you may apply to the course administrators.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.