ANTH 6331: Research Methods in Development Anthropology
ANTH 6331: Research Methods in Development Anthropology
Course Information
Course: ANTH 6331
Semester: Spring, 2018
Meeting time: Thursdays, 05:10 PM - 07:00 PM
Location: Tomkins Hall, Rm. 205
Contact information
Name: Dr. Syed Mohammad Ali
Phone: (585) 737 5113
E-mail:
Office hours location: Thursdays 11 to 1 pm, Rm. 202 in Building 2112, G Street
Course Description and Goals
Achieving more equitable and environmentally sustainable development is a pressing global concern. Yet, tackling the implied problems of socio-economic disparities, exploitation, environmental degradation, or fragile governance, which are undermining the well-being of millions of people around the world, is no easy task. Attempting to address such challenges require professionals with the practical skills and analytical capacity to understand and offer workable solutions to complex and often interrelated problems.
The disciple of anthropology and the theory and practice of international development share an intertwined history, and continue to exert influence upon each other, and in turn have major implications for how we contend with the above-mentioned problems facing the contemporary world. The application of qualitative field methods to holistically understand the impacts of development projects, or contribute to the design of new efforts, is invaluable to the practice of international development and the discipline of development anthropology.
The goal of this course is to draw attention to the critical history of anthropology and development, to salient questions concerning ethics in contemporary research contexts, and to the challenges of design and conceptualization of anthropological research in an applied setting. Besides focusing on key debates in development anthropology and the practice of international development, this course will specifically introduce students to the varied methods of enquiry and interpretation used by development anthropologists. The importance of communicating research and promoting research uptake through advocacy will also be discussed. Students will be encouraged to explore the relation between research objectives and research methods, and gain familiarity with the principles of conducting robust research. While this course will draw attention to several types of data-collection methods, an emphasis will be placed on qualitative research techniques.
Key learning outcomes
By the end of the semester, this course will help develop a greater understanding of the following issues:
· What is the relationship between anthropology and development?
· How are varied field methodologies of anthropology used in the development context?
· What are appropriate data collection and fieldwork practices for research (including formulation of relevant research questions, choosing an appropriate research methodology)?
· What are some of the ethical issues in development research?
· How can research data be best organized and analyzed to articulate research findings?
· How can peer-reviewed sources be consistently and convincingly used in support of a problem statement and project proposal?
Classes for this seminar course will include an in-depth exploration of salient issues concerning particular topics led by the instructor, followed by guided discussions between students. During some of the classes, brief video clips will also be shown to help illustrate key issues and to stimulate class discussion.
This course will appeal to graduates from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in responsible and reflexive development practice. It is particularly suited for those interested in critically assessing the policies and practices of international development and humanitarian assistance. It will provide the necessary training to enable students to seek employment as practitioners within the development sector, be it with NGOs, relevant governmental or multilateral development agencies. It will also provide a useful stepping stone for those seeking to undertake advanced studies or pursue a career in research.
Readings
1. Fife, Wayne. 2005. Doing Fieldwork: Ethnographic Methods for Research in Developing Countries and beyond. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Venkatesan, Soumhya and Thomas Yarrow. 2012. Differentiating Development: Beyond an Anthropology of Critique. Berghan.
3. Several peer reviewed articles directly uploaded to Blackboard folders (see class schedule below for more details).
Please note that the GWU bookstore no longer stocks textbooks, however students are still able to place their orders through the bookstore’s website. You may either select "in store pick-up" or have the order shipped directly to your home. It generally takes 2-3 business days for the order to be ready for pick-up.
Average minimum amount of out-of-class or independent learning expected per week:
Over 15 weeks, students will spend 2 hours (100 minutes) per week in class. Required reading for the seminar meetings and written response papers or projects are expected to take up, on average, 7 hours (350 minutes) per week. Over the course of the semester, students will spend 25 hours in instructional time and 87.5 hours preparing for class.
Course requirements and assessment
All students will be required to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) https://www.citiprogram.org/; using GW as your institution, anthropology as your discipline (unless you are in a different program), & research with human subjects as modules in which to train; send the certification to instructor.
SCHEDULE FOR CLASSES
Class 1 (01/18) Introductory class, course overview, and review of syllabus
· No assigned readings
Class 2 (01/25) International development, anthropology, and research
· Ch. 1-4 in Doing Fieldwork
· Ferguson, James. 1990. “The anti-politics machine: ‘Development’ and bureaucratic power in Lesotho”. The Ecologist 24 (5): 176-181.
Complete CITI, and send certificate to instructor by tomorrow, i.e. 5 p.m. January 26th, and send certificate in .pdf format to instructor via email
Class 3 (02/1) Using research methods in the international development context
Ch. 5-10 in Doing Fieldwork
Class 4 (02/8) Research methods & their theories
· Intro, Ch. 1-3 of Differentiating Development
· Colosi, Laura, 2006, Designing an effective Questionnaire, New York: Cornell University Cooperative Extension
Research Proposal No. 1 due this Friday, i.e. 9th February at 5 p.m.
Class 5 (02/15) Research methods & their theories
· Ch. 4-7 in Differentiating Development
· Barkman, Susan, 2002, A Field Guide to Designing Quantitative Instruments to Measure Program Impact, Purdue University
Class 6 (02/22) Using mixed methods
· Driscoll1, David, Appiah-Yeboah, Afua, Salib, Philip, and Rupert, Douglas. 2007. “Merging Qualitative and Quantitative Data in Mixed Methods Research: How To and Why Not”. Ecological and Environmental Anthropology 3 (1): 19-28.
Research Project No. 1 due this Friday, i.e. the 23rd of February, at 5p.m.
Class 7 (03/1) Contemporary approaches to international development; real-time issues with conducting research
· Ch. 8 & 9 in Differentiating Development
Class 8 (03/8) Ascertaining the impact of state and donor policies on poor farmers; the case of Pakistan
· Ali, Imran. 1987. “Malign Growth? Agricultural Colonization and the Roots of Backwardness in the Punjab.” Past & Present, 114: 110-132.
· Ali, Syed M. 2013. “Bypassing Poor Farmers: Market-Based Approaches to Agriculture in Rural Pakistan”. Melbourne Journal of Politics 36: 1-17.
Research Proposal No. 2 due this Friday, i.e. the 9th of March, at 5p.m.
(03/15) SPRING BREAK
Class 9 (03/22) Participatory methods in international development
· Ch. 10 & 11 in Differentiating Development
· Chambers, Robert. 1994. “The Origins and Practice of Participatory Rural Appraisal.” World Development, 22 (7):953-969.
Class 10 (03/29) The RPSP process; rhetoric versus realities
· Tharakan, Pradeep and MacDonald, Mia. 2004. Developing and Testing a PRSP Evaluation Methodology. Washington D.C.: World Wildlife Fund.
Research project 2 due this Friday; i.e. the 30th of March, at 5p.m.
Class 11 (04/5) Measurement & evaluation of and for international development
· Ch. 12 & 13 in Differentiating Development
· Bamberger, Michael, Rao, Vijayendra, and Woolcock, Michael. 2010. Using Mixed Methods in Monitoring and Evaluation Experiences from International Development, Policy Research Working Paper 5245. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
Class 12 (04/12) Research for development
· Ch. 14 & 15 in Differentiating Development
· Institute for Development Studies, 2015, Engaged Excellence for Global Development: Strategy 2015 – 2050
Available at:
https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/7081/IDS_Short_Strategy2015_20_FINAL.pdf?sequence=1
· OECD, 2004, Bridging Policy and Research in International Development, OECD Policy Paper
Available at: https://www.odi.org/publications/159-bridging-research-policy-international-development-analytical-practical-framework
Class 13 (04/19) Research and Advocacy
· Hudson, Alan. 2002. “Advocacy by UK-Based Development NGOs”. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 31(3): 402-418.
· O’Neil, Glen and Gold, Patricia. 2013. Oxfam’s GROW campaign, Midpoint External Evaluation. London: Oxfam.
Research project due this Friday, i.e. the 20th of April, at 5p.m.
Class 14 (04/26) Conducting research to tackle the problem of elite capture in humanitarian response
· Loureiro, Miguel. “Lessons from Pakistan’s 2005 earthquake for Nepal’s reconstruction”, Institute of Development Studies, 9 September 2015.
· Hicks, Esther, and Pappas, Gregory. 2006. "Coordinating disaster relief after the South Asia earthquake."Society43(5): 42-50.
FINAL PAPERS DUE ON 8th MAY, 2017.
Grading
Proposals, research projects and essay 90% of course grade
Detailed project instructions for all the required assignments will be provided through hand-outs available via Blackboard (under the ‘Assignment guidelines’ tab) and during class as well.
1. Two formal project proposals: one for quantitative and one for qualitative research (5% each = 10% total); DUE DATES: 9th February by 5 p.m. for Proposal No. 1 & 9th March by 5 p.m. for Proposal No. 2
2. Two original research studies including appropriate field notes, transcriptions, relevant coding, and description of the analysis, and interpretations (15% each = 30% total); DUE DATES: 23rd February by 5 p.m. for Project No. 1 and 30th March by 5 p.m. for Project 2
3. One research proposal, 2000 words in length, excluding list of references (20%);
DUE DATE: 20th April by 5 p.m.
4. One well-argued and well-written essay, 2,500 words in length, including works cited (30%); DUE DATE: 8th May by 5 p.m. (See Annex 1 for more details).
All the above assignments have to be emailed to the course instructor and also submitted via Blackboard by, or before, the exact time indicated above. Any unexcused delays will incur a grade penalty for each day that the assignment is late. If an assignment is submitted one day late, an A will become an A-, if it is two days late the A will become a B+, and so on.
In addition, please also note that the above-mentioned CITI must be completed, and its certificate sent to the course instructor by January 27th by 5 p.m.
Class preparation and participation 10% of course grade
In-class participation, focused on:
1. describing the content of the readings
2. asking questions for discussion, and
3. providing comments relevant to research in international development
AND
Participation via Blackboard discussion posts (due Class 2 onwards) by 10 am on the day of the class. These weekly 200-word reflections on the readings are an opportunity for you to react to and reflect on the readings for the week. Use your comments to raise questions the readings posed for you, think about how they relate to other things we have read, consider how they fit into the course as a whole.
Class absence and other issues
Students must notify instructor in writing during the first week of the semester of their intention to be absent from class on day(s) of religious observance.
For any unexcused absence, students need to submit a written assignment (of 1,500 words) describing and discussing all the readings assigned for class within six days of the missed class, or receive a grade penalty.
University policy on observance of religious holidays
In accordance with University policy, students should notify faculty during the first week of the semester of their intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious observance. For details and policy, see: students.gwu.edu/accommodations-religious-holidays.
Academic integrity code
Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information. For details and complete code, see: studentconduct.gwu.edu/code-academic-integrity
Safety and security
In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building. After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
Support for students outside the classroom
Disability Support Services (DSS)
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability should contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the Rome Hall, Suite 102, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information see: disabilitysupport.gwu.edu/
Mental Health Services 202-994-5300
The University's Mental Health Services offers 24/7 assistance and referral to address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for students include: crisis and emergency mental health consultations confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals. For additional information see: counselingcenter.gwu.edu/
Annex 1
Topics and guidelines for essay papers
You will be required to choose one of the following questions for your essay. However, please note that the list below if not exhaustive, and that I may add more topics to this list as the course progresses. You also have the option of formulating your own essay topic. If you do decide to formulate your own essay topic, you are required to discuss this topic with me, prior to writing your essay.
Essay questions
1. Do you think an anthropological perspective to the practice of international development is useful? Why?
2. Would you agree with the statement that anthropological knowledge and analysis are often referred to by major international development agencies, but anthropological principles are much less practically integrated into development interventions? Justify your arguments using tangible examples.
3. What are some of the major ethical issues of relevance to development anthropology, and how do such issues manifest themselves within international development practices? Please provide illustrative examples in support of your discussion.
4. What is the utility of mixed methods in international development? What insights can use of mixed methods reveal that pursuit of more singular research methods may not be able to deliver, especially for the purposes of measuring impact?