Challenging minor programme in Morocco - starting in September
-
Upload
leiden-university-humanities -
Category
Education
-
view
470 -
download
0
Transcript of Challenging minor programme in Morocco - starting in September
Prof. dr. Léon Buskens
1
Minor Culture and Society in M0rocco starting from September 2016
Minor Culture and Society in Morocco; in brief
• A challenging semester in Rabat
• A course on social-scientific research of and in Morocco
• A series of on-site visits
• A course ‘Methods of Qualitative Research’
• A course ‘Research Design’
• Intensive language instruction in Moroccan Arabic, including conversation classes
• An independent field research project during the last part of the term
• The courses are taught by NIMAR faculty and by guest lecturers from Moroccan institutions.
2
Social-scientific research in Morocco
• A series of lectures by scholars based in Morocco
• On various aspects of Moroccan culture and society
• Such as social movements, gender, migration, urbanisation, relations between town and countryside, media
• From different disciplinary angles: sociology, anthropology, history, etc.
• Readings offering a good overview of the current state of knowledge
• Anchored in the tradition of about a century of modern research on Moroccan culture and society
• 5 ec.
3
A series of on-site visits
• Excursions to various sites of cultural interest and to social organisations in the surroundings of Rabat and Casablanca
• The lay-out of modern Moroccan cities
• Finding your way in the inner ‘Islamic’ city
• Casablanca and colonial and post-colonial modernity
• Fellow students and Moroccan universities
• Exploring libraries
• Out into the countryside
• Museums and the culture of memory
• Contemporary art and conspicuous consumption
• Social movements and NGOs
• Practicing fieldwork in Skoura.
4
5
A course ‘Methods of Qualitative Research’
• An initiation into doing independent ethnographic fieldwork
• (Participant) observation
• Conversations and interviews
• Life histories
• Focus groups
• Writing ethnographic reports
• Weekly assignments
• Literature on doing fieldwork in Morocco
• 5 ec.
6
A course ‘Research Design’
• Planning your own research project
• Formulating a research question
• Designing your research: questions and time schedule
• The uses of theories and concepts
• Paper outline
• Fine tuning your project
• Relating to existing knowledge
• Identifying experts.
7
Intensive language instruction in Moroccan Arabic
• Learning to understand and speak Moroccan Arabic
• Handbooks available in English/ Dutch/ German/ French
• Phonetic transcription
• Other languages/ alternatives: Tamazight, Standard Arabic, French, Spanish, English
• 5 ec.
8
Your own fieldwork project
• Individually or in small groups of two to three persons
• Specific well-defined projects
• Under supervision of a lecturer
• Weekly intervision
• Six weeks
• An ethnographic report as term paper
• A combination of original empirical research, study of existing literature, and theoretical framework
• 15 ec.
9
Program overview (provisional)
10
Weeks 1 - 7:
• Social scientific research in Morocco
• Excursions
• Methods and Techniques
• Research Design
• Moroccan Arabic (or an alternative).
Weeks 8- 13:
• Fieldwork
• Weekly reporting and intervison.
December - February
• Writing your term paper.
EC’s:
• Social-scientific research in Morocco, and excursions:
5 EC
• Moroccan Arabic: 5 EC
• Methods and Techniques, and Research design: 5 EC
• Research project and term paper: 15 EC.
Studying and living in Rabat
• Safe studying and living environment
• A pleasant and easy going city with good facilities
• Living with Moroccan families or in your own apartment
• Contacts with Moroccan and international students
• Excellent international connections (airport)
• Excellent national connections.
11
Practical information
• ‘Culture and Society in Morocco’ will start on 5 September
• How to apply: [email protected]
• Admission: students with a basic knowledge of the Humanities
or Social Sciences
• What are the costs: participation is free, except for a 100 euro
contribution for cultural activities and excursions
• Living/housing costs: housing approximately 400 euro/month,
living costs approximately 300 euro/month, depending on your
spending habits
12
New housing from September 2016!
• Excellent classrooms
• Facilities for research
• Library
• Access to Leiden digital collections
• Students’ lounge
• Easy to reach.
13
Summarizing
• Challenging program at NIMAR, the national expertise centre for Moroccan Studies
• Learning new skills and languages
• A window on North Africa
• Initiation into ethnographic fieldwork
• Finding your way in a new society
• Studying in a safe, pleasant and relaxed environment.
14
15
See you in Rabat!
• Further information: [email protected]
*) pictures Mike Spaans & Jan Hoogland