ME-433 Field Course
- ECTS Credits:
- 5
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Course Leader:
- Margit Ystanes
- Lecture Semester:
- Spring
- Teaching language:
- English.
- Duration:
- 1 term
The course is connected to the following study programs
- Master's Programme in Global Development, Crisis and Change
- Master's Programme in Global Development and Planning
Teaching language
English.Recommended prerequisites
ME-413-1 Research methods
Course contents
The aim of this course is to familiarise students with the practical experiences of doing field work for research, in a new context. The course provides a clear connection to previous courses and literature, as the student is expected to tie the practical experiences and challenges of doing research in a given context to relevant literature and theories learnt throughout the master’s courses. As such it is also an important preparation for the students’ individual thesis work and the thesis seminar ME- 521. Through the field course, students will be introduced to:
-
how to exercise practical fieldwork methods for a given topic
-
how to relate to various stakeholders and act in the field
-
how to report from the fieldwork and how to reflect on the fieldwork experience
-
how to work in teams as part of research
-
how to tie practical findings to theories and concepts
-
how to write a research report and how to disseminate research findings to the general public.
The field course takes place as a four weeks exercise in a country in the Global South. For students attending a field course in Norway or the Nordic Countries, the field exercise will last one week, but include preparatory work and work with the final assignment. Students who for particular reasons cannot participate in the organised field course and its practical exercises must deliver an equivalent work. The replacement exercise focuses on further developing practical skills in research methods, building on ME-413-1 and leading to the next steps of the thesis seminar curriculum. A written, graded replacement assignment which requires a short, initial field work exercise by the student is set by the course instructor.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
-
select theoretical literature relevant for practical research exercises within a given topic
-
plan and conduct a practical field exercise, including data collection
-
select and apply various research methods to explore a given research topic
-
organise work and collaborate in research teams across interests and disciplines
-
recognise the challenges of doing research in unfamiliar contexts
-
disseminate research, both through oral presentations and written reports
Examination requirements
The student must pass all components to pass the course. The portfolio includes: one group-based scientific field report and one group based presentation for the general public (For students not attending the field course, a replacement assignment (written + oral) form the basis of assessment.
Teaching methods
Seminars, lectures and practical field exercises. Estimated workload, 27 hours per credit.
Evaluation
The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.
Assessment methods and criteria
Portfolio assessment counting 100%. All components are assessed as pass/fail. The student must pass all components to pass the course. The portfolio includes: one group-based scientific field report and one group-based presentation for the general public. For students not attending the field course, the replacement assignment forms the basis of assessment, a written report and an oral presentation.
Reduction of Credits
This course’s contents overlap with the following courses. A reduction of credits will occur if one of these courses is taken in addition:
Course | Reduction of Credits |
---|---|
ME-521 – Thesis seminar in Development Management | 5 |