Program structure
First year
In the first year, the emphasis of the visual anthropology training is on key themes and issues within the sub-field, particularly in relation to your own work. You develop your own research project over the year through the production of several small-scale visual projects. Guidance and feedback on visual and academic work will be provided in the weekly visual practice seminars and through supervision meetings.
In the week before the beginning of the academic year in mid-September there is an Induction Programme for all new research postgraduates at Goldsmiths. You will be introduced to College and Departmental facilities and procedures, and attend workshops on what is involved in doing a research degree.
For the first year you are normally registered for the MRes. It is a training year, in which work on your own research project is coupled with general training in Anthropological and Social Science Methods - run both within the Department and by the Goldsmiths College Research Office - as follows:
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Methods in Anthropological Research (20 weeks x 2 hrs)
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Research Design (20 weeks x 2.5 hrs)
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Quantitative Methods in Social Science
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Department of Anthropology Research Seminar
You may also take other modules depending on your specific training needs, such as learning a language, or auditing an MA course, either in the Department or elsewhere, of particular relevance to your research project. You are also encouraged to attend seminars in other parts of the University of London, attend conferences, and go on outside modules such as those organised by GAPP (Group for Anthropology in Policy and Practice). There are Departmental funds to enable you to attend such events.
At the end of the first year, MRes students present a 15,000-word dissertation in September, which discusses in depth their proposed research topic and the relevant literature. Students registered for the MPhil present a 10,000-word dissertation in May. You need formal approval from the Department before you can start your fieldwork or other forms of data-collection.
Fieldwork and writing up your thesis
Whether you are doing fieldwork down the road or data collection on the other side of the world, it is important that you submit regular reports to your supervisor/s. At the end of the data-collection period when you return to the Department, you join the Writing-Up seminar, which meets weekly to discuss students' draft chapters.
Some time after you return from data-collection (after about 8 months for full-time students, and 16 months for part-time students) you are required to present a detailed thesis outline and 2 draft chapters for consideration by your Advisory Committee. Students normally upgrade to PhD status at this point. You are expected to complete a PhD in 3-4 years (full-time registration) or 4-6 years (part-time registration). An MPhil thesis is shorter and should be completed within 3 years (full-time) or 4 years (part-time). Some students move between full-time and part-time modes. For example, they may do their training on a part-time basis and then seek funding for a year's full-time fieldwork, reverting once more to part-time mode for the writing-up period. We are happy to encourage such flexibility.
