Born from the pedagogical understanding that people learn through embodied, experiential, and emotional response, this assessment sees students visit two sites of disciplinary significance (for example, a public building, landmark or workplace) and compare and contrast these in essay form. Students are marked on their ability to integrate their observations with course themes, topics, and reading materials, as well as other relevant scholarly literature. In the case of ANTH 2018, students are asked to write a comparative essay on two sites of material culture (a museum and a department store). Students are given a list of possible sites and are free to make a pairing of their choice. Within Anthropology, this effectively introduces students to the methods of participant observation (ethnography). However, this assessment is readily transferred to numerous disciplinary contexts where students benefit from visiting and comparing relevant sites, or that recognise the role of using space and place (and emotional and embodied responses to these) as a basis for situational and experiential learning. For example, Studies in Religion students may be asked to visit two sites of religious worship, while a Political Science student might visit two sites of parliamentary or governmental significance.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 100-500
- CLASS LEVEL
- Second year, Third year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Medium time
- TAGS
- essay, field visit, embodied learning, participant observation, personalised learning
Advantages
Students are encouraged to choose sites of interest to them. Additionally they must discuss emotional and embodied engagements to these. This personalised approach gives students a sense of ownership over their work leading to higher levels of engagement and originality. Through its practical requirements and pedagogical underpinnings, this assessment applies theory beyond the classroom and fosters a sense of independence and creativity in students. Using objects and places (and emotional and embodied responses to these) as the basis for learning is an approach to assessment that is easily transferrable across HaSS disciplines.
Challenges
Students may become anxious about the embodied, practical element of the task or choosing their own field sites. This can be mitigated by clearly and thoroughly explaining the task during class time and allowing additional time to consult with students
Tips for implementation
It is important to provide students with a list of potential sites that they can visit but also encourage them to choose others beyond this pending staff approval.
How it supports academic integrity
This assessment is based on a first-hand field visit in which the must apply theoretical concepts in a specific, embodied way – this may act as a deterrent to plagiarism and ghost writing. In addition to submitting their final comparative essay, students could also be asked to provide hand-written field notes from their visits to further ensure the originality of observations and subsequent work. These notes, on-site videos or 'selfie' photos could act to secure against the use of generative AI.
Associate Professor Diana Young
djbyoung@uq.edu.au
I am a social anthropologist and curator specialising in material, visual and digital cultures, and in re-inventing ethnographic museums for the 21st century. I have curated 18 exhibitions. I have a continuing research interest and publication track record in the anthropology of colours.
I have an undergraduate degree in Architecture, an MA in Anthropology of Art from University College London and a PhD in Social Anthropology from University College London where I was part of the Material Culture group in the Department of Anthropology. I won an ESRC Post Doctoral Fellowship and a Post Doctoral fellowship at ANU before becoming the Anthropology Museum Director at UQ. I am currently Director of the Museum Studies Masters Program at UQ.
My research interests include the anthropology of art, landscape and ecology, consumption, film and photography, historical anthropology, design anthropology, museum studies, and research through exhibition curation as public anthropology. I have expertise in researching Australian Indigenous and Pacific cultural production. I welcome students for higher degree research supervision in any of these subject areas.
My ARC Discovery (2013-2016) A desire for things concerns the relationship of money, art markets, consumption practices and art making among Indigenous artists working in central Australia.
I am the first woman to direct the UQ Anthropology museum. I created a new research infra structure for the museum that includes a dedicated 240m square gallery and a new global best practice collection store. I led the creation of a new online digital catalogue for the museum with innovative object imaging. More than 60,000 people visited the UQAM’s new teaching, research and engagement facilities. I promoted a successful acquisition policy of purchasing works by named women makers to assist in the rebalancing the gender equity of the collection, and raised more than AUS$1.1 million for the museum. I initiated a gallery program to show the museum's collection that included collaborative exhibitions derived from research in the museum’s collection. I am expert at successfully profiling academic research for public engagement. These projects aim for inclusivity and an inter-cultural understanding that promote ever widening networks which assist in the continuing process of decolonising the museum. Find out more