This Social Anthropology residential training runs from 10th April to 14th April, 2023. It integrates pre-fieldwork, post-fieldwork graduate students and faculty in an ambitious and interactive learning environment. Given that PhD students receive a range of prescribed teaching, the STAR 1 programme has been designed specifically to respond to the perceived needs of pre-fieldwork students [this principally refers to 1st year PhD students, but can also include those doing recognised social anthropology MRES/MSc degrees who are looking to move on to PhD level work] – in direct interaction with those who are writing up in their final year and key members of staff. As such the outcomes of the programme cannot all be prescribed in advance. However, one of the key aims and outcomes is to build a sense of cohesion between and amongst the full range of Scottish Social Anthropology students. It thus fundamentally feeds into the entire PhD process, and is essential for the later years of the PhD programme. In addition, as an activity it draws St Andrews and Edinburgh pathways together (and includes Aberdeen) and has become the cornerstone of our joint planning and further integration. In response to student feedback asking that we add more guidance on taking care of oneself in the field, in the last two years we have added workshops on this topic, which have been very well received.
We always invite at least 1 senior anthropologist from the rest of the UK, who gives a keynote talk on an aspect of pre-fieldwork training. Attending academic staff from Edinburgh, St Andrews and Aberdeen also provide specialised training sessions. These vary year on year, but usually include training sessions on: ‘taking field notes,’ ‘Care in the field,’ ‘visual & graphic methods,’ ‘fieldwork ethics,’ and ‘positionality & locatedness.’ Additional methodological issues are addressed by visiting speakers. There are also a series of Q&A and student led feedback sessions, where specific methodological questions and issues can be raised. Pathway personnel involved: Dr Daniel Knight [St Andrews], Dr Maya Mablin [Edinburgh], Dr Jiazhi Fengjiang [Edinburgh], Dr Kirsty Kernohan [Aberdeen]
Entry requirements: 1st year PhD students in social anthropology, and MRES/Msc students in social anthropology intending to progress to PhD study. We do also consider applications from doing anthropology-focused, ethnographic projects in sociology at Glasgow [which has a small core of anthropologists on its academic staff and teaches some anthropology].