ATS3248 Field methods in anthropology and international development

The unit involves an international field trip to Monash Malaysia and provides students with formal and applied training in qualitative and ethnographic field research methods. The unit consists of a two week (16 day) stay in Malaysia. This includes a field site visit, in which students will work with the Australian-based unit coordinator, local staff members from the School of Arts and Social Sciences (Monash Malaysia) and the Southeast Asian Community Observatory (SEACO) to conduct small-scale research projects, gather data in the field, analyse, and present their findings. Students also spend time at Monash Malaysia Sunway campus at the start and end of the field trip, with briefings and introductory presentations by academic staff, and data analysis and debriefing workshops at the end. In this briefing, students also learn about the socioeconomic and development context of Malaysia and the districts in which they will conduct their research. They will engage with the ethical issues of field research in regional Malaysia. Students also learn about the aims, objectives and research methods of the research platform in which their field project is situated.