Course: Scholarly communication in Anthropology

LECTURER

Dr Frank Poschan

• University of Texas at Austin. Ph.D. in Anthropology, 1989.   
• Fulbright teaching scholar, 2019.
• Consultant in cultural heritage, 2015-present.
• UNESCO, Paris. Programme Specialist, 2006-15, and Chief of the Programme Implementation Unit, 2013-15. Intangible Cultural Heritage Section, Sector for Culture.

TEACHING ASSISTANT:

Assoc. Prof Nguyen Truong Giang, Department of Anthropology, VNU Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities

TIME AND LOCATION:

• Time: 9:00-12:00, Friday, 3 hours per week, starting from 13 September 2019
• Location: Room 313 building A, Department of Anthropology, 336 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi

LANGUAGE:

English

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Vietnamese anthropologists today wish to communicate effectively with international readers, whether writing a scholarly article or a grant proposal, a doctoral thesis or a conference presentation, a journalistic story or the labels of a museum exhibition. This course aims to strengthen the scholarly communication skills and capacities of students through a two-pronged approach: 1) learning how to identify effective anthropological writing and analyzing what makes it effective, and 2) honing their own writing skills through a number of practical exercises.

The course will constitute a semester-long writing workshop, with a high level of active participation required of students. Practical exercises will often involve each student submitting a short written piece before each session and then, in pairs or small groups, critiquing the pieces written by others; in other cases the class as a whole will examine, critique, and improve sample texts. Some students will present an oral presentation, as they would in an academic conference or meeting of a scholarly association. Other students will submit a draft research proposal, which will then be evaluated by a mock fellowship panel.

The language of instruction will be English, and written work will be submitted in English. The writing conventions of English and those of Vietnamese sometimes differ, and what counts as “good writing” in one language may not always be considered as such in the other. The course assumes that different audiences will have different expectations, but that if Vietnamese anthropologists seek to communicate with a global readership, it is important that they master the conventions of international scholarly communication.

TO APPLY FOR THIS COURSE:

This course is open free of charge to postgraduate students, faculty members, researchers, and some selected undergraduate students. Course registration opens from 18 June to 25 August 2019. To apply for studying the course, you need to register with Ms Ngo Thi Chang at ngochangntc@gmail.com, or 84 94 190 38 55. The first 20 persons registered will be listed to participate this course and will be offered with full syllabus and course readings.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week one: Introduction and objectives of the course

Week two: Identifying your readers

Week three: Asking questions, finding answers

Week four: Making an argument

Week five: Planning and organizing your argument

Week six: Abstracts, introductions, and conclusions

Week seven: Effective research proposals

Week eight: Writing for the public (journalism and museums)

Week nine, ten: Conference presentations, and one day field-visit out of Hanoi

Week eleven: Review of effective oral presentations

Week twelve, thirteen: Fellowship panel

Week fourteen: Review of effective research proposals

Week fifteen: Conclusion