Department of Anthropology
Honours
Honours in Anthropology
The Honours year in Anthropology is designed to transform students from enthusiasts into practitioners. Having gained a certain appreciation of the arts of ethnography and social analysis as well as of reading and writing, the Honours year consolidates already mastered skills while facilitating the learning of new skills and knowledge. It does so by teaching students to sensitively design and carry out research on a topic of keen interest to themselves, while deepening their understanding of the different and sometimes competing ideas and methodologies that enable the discipline's engagement with the world. Successful completion of the Honours year in Anthropology prepares students both for the continued application of these skills in the multitude of work places that require research experience and capacity, and for further post-graduate study on a vast range of vital and fascinating issues.
Honours degrees are not only appropriate for to pursue higher degrees. In a competitive job market an honours degree provides recent graduates with several distinct advantages. Completion of honours demonstrates a capacity to excel in one's field and the ability to deal with added levels of conceptual complexity. Students also further develop generic skills in research and writing that will come in useful in a wide range of professional settings.
Students undertaking an Honours degree in Anthropology may enrol full time and complete their degree over one year, or part time, and complete their degree over two years. Full time enrolment is encouraged as it facilitates a stronger sense of program cohesion and encourages mutual peer support.
Program structure
To successfully complete the Honours degree in Anthropology students are required to do the following:
1. Attend the Honours Seminar.
The Honours Seminar deals with a selected number of theoretical, methodological and interpretative issues that are currently being debated by anthropologists. Students meet to discuss the readings set for that week as well as to report back to fellow students on progress or problems with the research project.
2. Satisfactorily complete an Honours Essay
The Honours Essay is a 5000-7000 word paper that allows students to explore more extensively the issues and readings discussed in the Honours seminar. The Essay is worth 20% of the assessment.
3. Satisfactorily complete an Honours Thesis
The Honours Thesis is a 20,000 word research paper, based on fieldwork and/or library or other resources (films, web sites etc). The research topic is agreed upon, designed, and carried out in collaboration with a Supervisor. Both the Honours Seminar and Essay are designed to facilitate the production of high-quality theses.
For more detailed information on the program, see the 2009 course outline
Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio.