Supervised individual research on a topic in anthropology.
ANTH 490 is an individual research project on an approved topic under the supervision
of one or more members of staff, culminating in the submission of the dissertation
of no more than 20,000 words (excluding footnotes, appendices and references). Submission
date for dissertations is the Friday of the week following the end of second
semester. The choosing of your topic is one of the most challenging and rewarding
decisions that you will have to make in the whole exercise. It will depend on the
kind of interests you have developed in Anthropology and the availability of supervisors
with appropriate expertise. Please review the list of staff members and areas of interest
on the Anthropology website. It is recommended that you consult with appropriate staff
as soon as possible and before the end of your third year. If you have developed strengths
in particular areas of your subject or become closely involved with certain courses,
there would be considerable advantage in continuing with that work for your dissertation
One important consideration, and one reason for consulting closely with staff,
is making sure that you select a topic that is practicable within the time available.
The challenge here is selecting something that is going to make a satisfying and rewarding
piece of research, but that will also be of such size and scope that you will be able
to bring it to completion on time.
In social anthropology, potential topics
range from library-based studies based on primary and/or secondary sources, to research
involving fieldwork using one or a number of the many different methods used in field
research (for example, participant observation, formal interviews, unobtrusive methods).
This is usually your first opportunity to carry out field research, and with the supervision
that is provided by the Department it will enable you to gain valuable first-hand
experience in doing social research. Fieldwork involving human subjects requires ethical
approval from the University Ethics Committee; your supervisor will advise you about
this.
| Paper title | Dissertation |
|---|---|
| Paper code | ANTH490 |
| Subject | Anthropology |
| EFTS | 0.5000 |
| Points | 60 points |
| Teaching period | Full Year |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $3,359.50 |
| International Tuition Fees (NZD) | $13,317.00 |
- Restriction
- ANTH 495, ARCH 490
- Limited to
- BA(Hons), PGDipArts
- Contact
- anthropology@otago.ac.nz or individual members of staff
- More information link
- View more information on the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology's website
- Teaching staff
- All academic staff
- Paper Structure
- Writing of a dissertation
- Teaching Arrangements
- Weekly meetings with supervisor/s
- Textbooks
- None specified, but reading relevant to topic is essential
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Research,
Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- The ability to conduct independent, high-quality and rigorous research
- The capacity to locate, evaluate and analyse diverse sources, data and information
- Skills in writing a report-length dissertation based on original research
