THESIS WRITING SEMINAR

This seminar series addresses anthropological and ethnographic writing in an applied way. Its goal is to provide MA students grappling with the writing of an anthropology thesis with: a) practical insights, b) individual feedback, and c) opportunities for discussion relating to stylistic features, canons, themes, and tools from the discipline at large.

1. Knowledge and comprehension:
- Broader awareness of the stylistic, methodological, theoretical, and writing options available to those who write anthropological theses;
- Broader awareness of themes, positions, conceptual problems, debates in the discipline, in order to identify thematic connections and find inspiration for one’s thesis/research project;
- Understand the applicability of such broader awareness and act upon it.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension:
- Knowing how to contribute to anthropological discussions by offering analyses, insights, connections, questions, and constructive criticisms in support of the research/thesis projects of one’s colleagues;
- Knowing how to apply these analyses, insights, connections, questions and constructive criticisms to one's own research/thesis projects.
3. Capacity for evaluation:
- Knowing how to offer critical and cogent analyses of conceptual problems and the works of other anthropologists;
- Being able to offer pertinent comments, constructive questions, and appropriate bibliographic suggestions to colleagues;
- Figuring out how to process the contents of the seminar profitably for one’s own project.
4. Communicative abilities:
- Knowing how to discuss one’s own work, an established conceptual problem in anthropology, or the critical analysis of a monograph;
- Knowing how to contribute to a seminar discussion on advanced anthropology and offer useful feedback to colleagues pursuing research/thesis projects;
- Incorporating the seminar’s proceedings into one’s own research/thesis project (which, in itself, is an exercise in academic communication).
5. Learning capacity:
- Ability to reflect critically, and with a good degree of sophistication, on one's own research/thesis project and that of others in the broader context of the anthropological discipline;
- Ability to reflect critically, and with a good degree of sophistication, on current issues in anthropology and on the state of the art in the discipline.

The seminar, albeit open to all students, is warmly recommended to those who have already embarked on the writing of a MA thesis in anthropology. The writing may be at its early stages (definition of research problem, exploration of literature) or at an intermediate-advanced stage (parts of the paper already written), but the project should have formally begun.

The Thesis Writing Seminar is devoted to reflecting on anthropology's epistemological and intellectual goals, and how anthropological prose expresses them: reading materials will be provided via Moodle at the start of the course. Topic include: Anthropological writing, The use of theory, Comparison, and Exiting the field.

The second part of the Thesis Writing Seminar offers the opportunity to discuss one's work and thesis-related progress in a seminar setting. Presentations can be of two broad types: a) discussion of a conceptual problem, with a relevant literature review; or b) discussion of an ethnographic chapter draft. Each presenter will have about 10-15 minutes (max) to introduce their work. Relevant materials (literature review, draft, other documents) will be pre-circulated a week ahead. Attendees who do not present are expected to familiarize themselves with the materials and actively participate in the discussion, contributing with a) a question; b) an observation; and/or c) a pertinent bibliographic suggestion.

These (and other) reading/discussion materials* well be made available on the Moodle platform:

Good B. 2006, "Writing as a Kind of Anthropology".
McGranahan C. 2020, "Introduction. On Writing and Writing Well: Ethics, Practice, Story".
Hage G. 2016, "Towards an Ethics of the Theoretical Encounter".
Ortner S. 2016, "Dark Anthropology and its Others: Theory since the Eighties".
Candea M. 2016, "On Two Modalities of Comparison in Social Anthropology".
Candea M. 2018, "Introduction: Schools and Styles in Anthropological Theory".
Michailova S. et al., 2014, "Breaking the Silence about Exiting Fieldwork: A Relational Approach".
Girke F. 2021, "Leaving the Field in the Digital Age".

*Please note that this is not an exam syllabus but recommendations to frame themes related to anthropological and ethnographic writing.

To obtain the Thesis Writing Seminar credits, one should produce a text (about 8 pages) inclusive of a critical and reflexive literature review about a thesis-related conceptual problem (anthropologically framed). A good review typically includes five to ten authors/titles, encompassing both classic works and recent contributions, and should identify recurring themes and vectors in contemporary anthropological debates. Texts included in the review ought to be selected by each student autonomously, taking into consideration any instructions or recommendations by one's supervisor.
Alternatively, writing-up students fresh from the field may produce an ethnographic draft based on their research.
The text can be presented in the classroom during a seminar-like discussion; otherwise, it will be emailed to the instructor at least one week prior to the exam date. Online registration for an exam (appello) is mandatory in all cases.

(*Note: recommended reading materials for this Seminar are not a syllabus and do not have to feature in the literature review or the ethnographic draft: rather: they are offered as an aid for reasoning.)

written and oral

This is a pass/fail course, no votes are given. To pass the Thesis Writing Seminar, students are expected to produce a critical literature review or an ethnographic draft.

LITERATURE REVIEW: let's say your project brought you face to face with a topic that has generated a debate in the discipline (is there a "pure gift"? Is Muslim subjectivity "sovereign" or "passive"? Etc.) or an open question that has been discussed for generations (does "shamanism" exist? What is the relationship between ethics and capitalism? etc.). This is a great opportunity to clarify things. Prepare a reading list with a minimum of five and a maximum of seven short items (articles or book chapters) that summarize or exemplify the problem. Build an argument about the relations between authors/texts (who influenced whom, who disagrees with whom, what are the positions in a debate...). Try to articulate why and how this problem affects your thesis project and how you are going to approach it critically, including in relation to your ethnographic material (if applicable). This option is open to those who are at the beginning of the writing process. It is imperative that the conceptual problem under discussion and the presenter’s thesis project be solidly linked – i.e., resulting in concrete research questions – and that the discussion be conducive to writing.

NB: if your project involves engaging in a specific, systematic way with a monographic text (theoretical or ethnographic) that is thematically, methodologically, or geographically connected to your topic of research, this might be an opportunity to critically discuss that volume’s content, style, approach, etc., and identify how your project relates to it. This option is especially thought for those who are at the beginning of the writing process and/or are planning specifically to explore the oeuvre of an author. In this case too, it is crucial that the choice of the title be strategically meaningful and justified in the context of one’s thesis project.

ETHNOGRAPHIC DRAFT: this option is suitable for students who have started writing their theses. The draft can and is expected to be rough: the purpose of the presentation is precisely to get comments and suggestions on a work-in-progress. Therefore, the text is not expected to be well-polished, but it should still be written in a readable prose and have a recognizable structure (no bullet points, disjoined aphorisms, etc.). Typical drafts range between 7,000 and 10,000 words. Longer texts must be edited down. Chapters may be ethnographic, theoretical, methodological, etc. in nature, the important thing is that they feature a recognizable argument. Texts of an experimental nature are not recommended.

Instructions for non-presenting attendees:
Those who do not present are called to prepare for seminar meetings and actively participate in the discussion. Preparation involves familiarizing yourself with the relevant pre-circulated texts, which is not the same as studying them with the intensity needed for exam preparation. The seminar discussion is not an oral examination, it does not require the memorization of facts and notions. What it does require is the ability to make informed observations. Topics for discussion will include the style, structure, approach, techniques and methodologies of relevant texts, not just their content. Forms of active participation include a) constructive comments, b) pertinent questions, and c) bibliographic suggestions.

Further instructions and clarifications will be provided at the beginning of the seminar. The calendar of presentations will be decided at the beginning of the seminar. The choice of presentation options, including any deviations from the default options, should be discussed with the instructor individually and well in advance.

Teaching language: Italian. Non-Italophone students are asked to contact the instructor: classroom discussions can be held in English. Texts written by students may be in English or Italian (any other European languages should be discussed in advance with the instructor).

Students with specific allowances will be able to access the recordings (please check with the Inclusion Unit).

Regarding classroom presentations: those who present are invited not to exceed fifteen minutes. Personal anecdotes and "holiday pics" are best be avoided: fieldwork material should be presented within an ethnographic framework. With exceptions to be negotiated in advance, presentations/discussions of thesis projects are not recommended: "too much", in the sense that it is difficult to do them justice in a single seminar session, and "not enough" as there is a risk of not anchoring them to concrete materials that can be adequately explored. Thesis projects must still be discussed with thesis supervisors.
Those who participate without presenting are invited to keep their interventions brief in order to allow everyone to have their say. Adherence to an etiquette of reciprocity, collegiality and intellectual respect is mandatory. It is advisable to strive to keep one’s contribution strictly “on the mark” in order to maximize the usefulness of the seminar.

Seminar materials will be circulated/updated via the Moodle platform, details and deviations to be discussed with the instructor.