summer school brochure-print

ADVANCED RESEARCH
METHODS TRAINING
SUMMER SCHOOL
For Social Sciences and humanities
British Institute
in Eastern Africa
ABOUT THE BIEA
The British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) is a British Academy-sponsored institute with its headquarters
in Nairobi, Kenya. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered UK charity. The BIEA has been active
since the early 1960s and is governed by its Council, which is based in London and is elected by its members.
The Institute exists to promote, facilitate and conduct research across all the disciplines in the humanities
and social sciences within the wider region of Eastern Africa, and increasingly Africa as a whole. It has
a strong tradition of research in anthropology, archaeology, history and linguistics, and recent projects
have embraced political, environmental and development studies, geography, public health, and the arts,
performance and cultural studies. We work with many local, regional and international partners to facilitate a
wide diversity of research projects, and deliver seminar series, conferences and publications of international
quality and importance.
We are especially pleased to accept membership applications from researchers working in and on eastern
Africa and the wider African continent. Our members benefit from exclusive access to our study and
conference facilities, library and researcher accommodation at our Nairobi base, and can hire fieldwork
equipment and land rovers at reduced rates. Members also benefit from our extensive academic networks of
researchers across the region and beyond, and from the administrative and logistical assistance offered by
our academic, technical and administrative support staff in Kenya.
CONTACT US
For more information about the Summer School or the British
Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA). Please contact us at our
Nairobi or London offices
Nairobi
Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa,
Nairobi
Tel: +254 (0)20 815 5186
+254 735 260004 / 254 724 576 600
Email: office@biea.ac.uk
BIEA.Nairobi
@biea_nairobi
London
10 Carlton House Terrace,
London,
SW1Y 5AH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7969 5201
Email: biea@britac.ac.uk
Email: summerschool@biea.ac.uk
Web: www.biea.ac.uk
Promoting research in the humanities and social sciences in eastern Africa
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ABOUT THE
SUMMER SCHOOL
The course targets graduate students in the social
sciences and humanities. The aim is to provide
advanced practical and field-based training in
research methods. The goal is thus to expand
the practical research skills of graduate research
students in order to increase graduate research
capacity and the quality of graduate and doctoral
research, and to enable more students to complete
their research degrees within allocated time frames.
The specific aims of the school are:
• To expand the capacity of graduate research
students to successfully apply research
methods in the field/archives
• To familiarize the students with the intricacies
of field/archival research in Africa across a
variety of disciplines, in preparation for actual
field/archival research.
• To increase the quality of research produced
by the students, and enabling them to
complete and graduate on schedule
Modules on offer include:
1. Approaches to African Studies by various
Disciplines
2. Introduction to fieldwork research
3. Sampling, mapping and village surveys
4. Ethnography
5. Oral Histories, interviews and Focus Group
discussions
6. Ethics, permits and practicalities of doing
research in Africa
TIMETABLE
Dates: 8th July - 29th July 2017
Week 1:
Courses: Different Disciplines’ (Political Science, Anthropology, Archaeology and; History) approach to
African studies; Introduction to research methods for each discipline and; Archival research;
Week 2: Travel to and stay at Marakwet Research Station.
Course: Practical Mapping, Sampling, Village Surveys Exercises; Ethnography and Homestays; Practical
Interviews and Oral Histories Exercises; Practical archaeological surveys and excavation exercises;
Taking and managing field notes
Week 3:Travel back to Nairobi.
Courses: Formal Interview and focus group discussions exercises in an urban setting; Field notes:
Making sense of them and using them; Data analysis and report writing workshop; Report presentations;
Practicalities of doing research in Africa
COSTS
3 Weeks Summer School- GBP 2000
Inclusive of:
• Tuition,
• Accommodation,
• Meals,
• Transport to and from field site
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