Dr. Gravlee
Anthropology encompasses a dizzying array of substantive areas and theoretical approaches. But no matter your interests, you share at least one thing in common with every other graduate student (in anthropology and beyond): the desire to conduct meaningful research. That means you must master research design. This seminar focuses on elements of research design that cut across disciplines: the logic of inquiry, ethics, conceptualization and measurement, sampling and the selection of cases, and the relation between methods, data, and theory. Much of what we learn will come from discussing students’ emerging research proposals. The focus on proposals is useful not only because grant writing is an important skill in its own right, but also because an effective proposal involves all elements of research design—from statement of the problem to a plan for data analysis. The seminar is appropriate for students at multiple stages of their training, whether you are planning summer fieldwork for your MA or writing proposals for dissertation-level research.