Students

ANTH225 – PACE: Field School in Anthropology

2018 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Anna-Karina Hermkens
Department of Anthropology, Australian Hearing Hub (16 University Avenue)
Wednesdays, 10.00 – 11.00 (during semester) by appointment
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(24cp at 100 level or above) and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit provides students with the opportunity to practice ethnography in a real setting by doing applied or community-based anthropological research through preparation, participation in, and reflection on a PACE placement. In 2018, the students will have the opportunity to either complete a placement in an on- or off-campus museum (Session 1), or in an off-campus corporate/ business setting (Session 2). The prerequisites are 24cp at 100 level or above, and permission by special approval via an application process in S1. In S2, the prerequisites are the successful completion of ANTH324 or SOC224 (or another equivalent methods unit), and permission by special approval via an application process. In both sessions, the unit includes practical skill building in hands-on environments, and reflection on anthropological practice, including the ethics of doing ethnographic research, research techniques and dissemination strategies. During the unit, students will develop skills in inter-cultural communication, research design, and mixed methods research. When possible, the unit will involve the production of publicly available outputs so that students can include the work in their pre-professional portfolios.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

General Assessment Information

Unless a ‘Special Consideration Policy’ (formerly Disruption to Studies) request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests and participation in and submissions to online forums.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation 25% No Ongoing
Museum Placement 25% No Week 4-12
Museum placement review 25% No Week 10
Poster presentation 25% No Week 13

Participation

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 25%

You must attend and participate in seminars and interviews (with convenor). You will be required to take a leadership role in the seminars in week 1-3 and week 13 and present work based on the literature, questions and activities to the rest of the group. During your placement (week 4-12) You will question and share some of your experiences of your placement and engagement with the weekly readings via the Discussion link on the iLearn site, and respond to the postings of your colleagues with comments or suggestions.  

Marking Criteria: - Active engagement in class discussion and on online forum/ discussion

- Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant topic(s)

- Demonstrated individual research of, and reflection on, topic

Submission: Your participation mark is derived from your engagement in classes and online submissions. Missing classes and/ or submissions will reduce the maximum amount of marks which you can score. Participation activities should be submitted online in the appropriate Discussion Forum topic and week (Tuesday to Friday).

Late submissions to the online weekly discussions will not be accepted.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Museum Placement

Due: Week 4-12
Weighting: 25%

Active attendance and participation in museum activities under supervision of museum staff. Every week (from week 4-12) you will spend one day at either the Australian Museum (AM) in Sydney, the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney, or at the Macquarie University Art Gallery (MUAG). Here you will participate in various museum activities, such as doing a research survey of material (including objects, literature, documents and images in museum archives) to be used in and for the development of exhibitions; develop education resources around objects that are, or will be displayed; and develop education resources around specific themes, such as climate change, for use in a variety of on-site museum and outreach contexts. 

During these weekly placements, you will make observational notes and write up a weekly report about what you observed as a piece of ethnography, resulting at the end of your placement in a fieldwork diary that will inform your final essay. In observing, consider the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation in museum contexts. What are the ethical issues involved in the creation, representation, curating, and dissemination of anthropological information in the museum you work in? How are these issues addressed? How would you address these issues? How does the museum engage with the specific issues addressed in the weekly readings? 

Your weekly report (1-2 pages), which contains your observations and experiences of your one day weekly placement in relation to the week’s literature, needs to be submitted every week within 3 days after your placement via I-learn.

Criteria for Marking

- Evidence of attendance and participation in museum activities

- Demonstrated ability to reflect on your own work experiences

- Demonstrated ability to observe, analyse and document museum practices in relation to the weekly readings

- Clarity of written expression in line with expected academic standards

 

Submission: Via the Turnitin link on the ANTH 225 iLearn site; Weekly participation on-site within PACE ethics provisions and museum rules of conduct. Missing weekly submissions and placements will reduce the maximum amount of marks which you can score.

Late Penalty: A late penalty of two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date. No assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Extensions: Extensions may only be granted by the unit convenor in line with the university's Disruption to Studies policy.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Museum placement review

Due: Week 10
Weighting: 25%

Review of your practical placement work-experience in a 2,500-word reflective essay that generates creative, thoughtful and practical suggestions and solutions for the exhibition, and interpretation of indigenous material heritage. You will choose one particular topic, or (group of) object(s) to adress these issues of representation. You are encouraged to draw together the findings of the readings, your assignments and 'fieldwork diary', building on feedback and further analysis/evidence, with your experience of the placement. 

 

Criteria for Marking

- Demonstrated ability to choose and identify key problems related to the exhibition, and interpretation of indigenous material heritage, research the chosen topic and gather relevant information and propose strategies for creative solutions.

- Evidence of independent research

- Demonstrated ability to synthesise you research, observations and experience within the context of academic arguments

- Clarity of written expression in line with expected academic standards

 

Submission: Via the Turnitin link on the ANTH 225 iLearn site.

Late Penalty: A late penalty of two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date. No assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Extensions: Extensions may only be granted by the unit convenor in line with the university's Disruption to Studies policy.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Poster presentation

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 25%

Create a poster presentation featuring a museum object of your choice, through which you give a presentation of what you did while undertaking your internship and your personal goals and experiences. Each presentation should have a poster display (either powerpoint presentation or a printed out poster (size A1), a title (topic) and be exactly 10 minutes.

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. In making a poster presentation consider the following questions:

  1. What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my placement?
  2. How can I visually share my observations and experiences? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
  3. What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

 

Marking Criteria:

What makes a good poster? 

  • Important information should be readable from about 3-4 metres away
  • Title is short and draws interest
  • Word count of about 300 to 800 words
  • Text is clear and to the point
  • Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
  • Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
  • Consistent and clean layout

What makes a good presentation?

  • Timing (exactly 10 minutes)
  • Clear articulation
  • Demonstrated ability to reflect critically on your own experiences
  • Demonstrated ability to synthesise you research, observations and experience

Submission: visual and Oral presentation in week 13

Late Penalty:  No assignment will be accepted after the original submission deadline.

Extensions: Extensions may only be granted by the unit convenor in line with the university's Disruption to Studies policy.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Delivery and Resources

Dr Anna-Karina Hermkens is convenor for ANTH225 Email: anna.hermkens@mq.edu.au

Placement: ANTH225 is a PACE unit that requires 60hrs of off-campus activity. For enrolment procedures see below. For help with placements or PACE related resources, visit the Faculty PACE site and contact the Faculty of Arts PACE team at at: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/pace; at arts.pace@mq.edu.au or telephone 02 9850 8745.

The university PACE site can be found at: http://students.mq.edu.au/courses/ professional_and_community_engagement/

Reader: The ANTH225 unit readings are accessed via the library's multisearch system - you should have the first week done by the start of Week 1 (tutorials start in week 1!). You will be expected to prepare for meetings by reading as well as thinking about your own experiences in your placement/ observation context. The readings are essential preparation for your seminar activities, your assignments and your placement and research practice/documentation.

Classes: There will be 4x 3hr group seminars beginning in Week 1, in Week 2, Week 3 and in Week 13.

SEMINARS: 10.00am-1.00pm Tuesdays; Location 04WR (4 Western Rd) room 210.

You will also be expected to contribute to regularly visit and post to the unit’s iLearn site.The site will give you another way of staying in touch, so you don’t feel isolated in your research and placement process. Sharing experiences via iLearn will also give you an opportunity to try out ideas for your weekly reports, review essay and poster presentation.

 

Required and recommended resources

Required reading

You are advised to purchase and read:

* Cara Krmpotich and Laura Peers 2014. This Is Our Life Haida Material Heritage and Changing Museum Practice. UBC Press

* Bouquet, Mary2012. Museums: A Visual Anthropology. Berg, London.

Other required texts are available via the library. Journal articles can be found through the Journal Finder of the library (https://apps.library.mq.edu.au/journalfinder/index.php) or by simply entering the title in the library’s search engine.

 

Recommended works (available in Co-op bookshop and/or in the library)

*Ames, Michael M.1992 Cannibal Tours and Glass Boxes: The Anthropology of Museums. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.

* Keri Smith 2011. How To Be An Explorer Of The World: Portable Life Museum. Penguin Books Ltd.

Unit Schedule

Week One: Introduction and outline of Pace unit; Doing anthropology in ethnographic museums and art galleries

Readings: 

-Ames, Michael M.1992 Cannibal Tours and Glass Boxes: The Anthropology of Museums. Ch. 4 What Could a Social Anthropologist Do in a Museum of Anthropology? The Anthropology of Museums and Anthropology, Pp. 38-48; University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.

-Bouquet, Mary 2012.  Museums: A Visual Anthropology. Ch. 4, A History of Ethnographic Museums, pp. 63-88

- Gupta, Akhil & James Ferguson. 1997. “Discipline and Practice: ‘The Field’ as Site, Method, and Location in Anthropology.”  In Gupta and Ferguson, eds., Anthropological Locations: Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science.  University of California Press, pp.1-18.

 

Week Two: Anthropology and colonial collecting; history of ethnographic museums.

Readings: 

-Ames, Michael M.1992 Cannibal Tours and Glass Boxes: The Anthropology of Museums. Ch. 2, The Development of Museums in the Western World: Tensions between Democratization and Professionalization, pp. 15-24; University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.

-Bouquet 2012, Ch. 3

Visit the Field Museum’s World Fair of 1893 website: http://worldsfair.fieldmuseum.org/visit

 

Week Three: The Museum as Contact zone; engagements with community and artists; 'Curating objects in Australia' (presentation by Rhonda Davis)

Readings: 

-Cara Krmpotich and Laura Peers 2014. This Is Our Life Haida Material Heritage and Changing Museum Practice. Ch. 1, The paths bringing us together, pp. 1-46. UBC Press

-Simon, Nina 2010 The Participatory Museum. Ch. 1, Principles of Participation, pp. 1-31, MUSEUM, Santa Cruz.

Guest lecture by Rhonda Davis: Historical overview of critical exhibitions produced in Australia since 1968, a snapshot; Different approaches and methodologies of curatorship, with a focus on interdisciplinary and co-production models; From the ethnographic to the contemporary - a recent exhibition titled Into Abstraction 11 that brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous looking at the cross-overs.  

From Week Four to Week 12, students will be placed at a museum. Weekly readings for this period will be uploaded on I-learn. In Week 13, students will present their posters.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

 

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review
  • Poster presentation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review
  • Poster presentation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the practical, methodological and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research and representation
  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review
  • Poster presentation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review
  • Poster presentation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review
  • Poster presentation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Participate in discussions of anthropological and other scholarly literature on the subjects of ethnography; representation; curating; and museum practice
  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Acquire practical knowledge and skills with regard to making inventories, doing archival work, doing research, curating and representation and related museological dilemmas in a museum/ art gallery context.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Assessment tasks

  • Museum Placement
  • Museum placement review

Enrolment procedures

Enrolment Procedures: Entry into this unit is by application prior to the start of the relevant session as there are only limited places. To express your interest in applying for this unit, please lodge an online enquiry via the Faculty of Arts PACE team via ask.mq.edu.au.

Below is a summary of the steps required:

  1. Proposal form Completed by the student – If a student wants to enrol, they need to complete an online application form in which they detail why they want to enrol in this unit. For the link to the form, please lodge an online enquiry through ask.mq.edu.au  
  2. Activity approval Completed by Dr Anna-Karina Hermkens - The suitability of your application and preferred placement can only be assessed by the unit convenor. Students will be notified as soon as application form and preferred placement are approved.  
  3. Student Undertaking Completed by Student Once enrolments and placements are approved, a link to the on-line Student Undertaking will be forwarded to students. All PACE students are required to complete an on-line Student Undertaking, which asks them to agree to roles and responsibilities while undertaking their placement.  
  4. Enrolment. After students have completed all aspects of the unit paperwork and requirements* they will be given instructions on submitting a waiver to enrol in the relevant ANTH225 Session.

*If a student fails to complete any aspect of the unit requirements, they will not be granted a waiver to enrol.

 

CONTACT US

If you have further questions, please contact the Faculty of Arts PACE team at arts.pace@mq.edu.au or telephone 02 9850 8745.

All students must apply through the Faculty of Arts PACE Office by online enquiry to ask.mq.edu.au