University of Ghana

$2,283.00,

Fee above includes accommodation during travels

Expected personal expenses not included in fees:
airfare $2000.00
student visa $80.00
residence hall refundable deposit $16.00
food $600.00
personal expenses $1000.00
student international health insurance $200.00
textbooks and supplies $100.00
TOTAL $3996.00

ARCH 417/ARCH 627: Ethnographic Field Methods and Techniques
(6 credits)
This course is tailored towards promoting international and inter-cultural education and research in Ghana. Its goal is to provide the student with an opportunity to learn the dynamics of the culture of Ghanaians: performing arts, heritage(historical & archaeological), tourism and hospitality, educational system, health care system, governance, as well as biodiversity and other socio-cultural and economic practices. Courses offered combine coursework and field study sessions. The timing of these sessions will be adjusted to accommodate the availability of local personnel for class presentations, and to allow the class to observe community activities. Some sessions will also be arranged during overnight excursions to different regions of Ghana. Through the coursework and ethnographic/archaeological exercises, the student would gain cross-cultural experience that would broaden his/her global perspective and add value to his/her intellectual development. The focus on Ghana would also provide an excellent case study that would enable the student to understand the challenges and potentials of developing West African countries.

The course involves the participation of the student in actual fieldwork over a four-week period. The student will learn and practice various methods and techniques, which ethnographers employ to gather primary data. Practical work will be combined with formal lectures and seminars. The lectures will introduce the student to the discourse on “developed” and “developing countries.” It will also explore the historical, social, economic, cultural and political contexts of Ghana. In addition to living under and experiencing actual conditions of field research, the student will engage in the collection of oral accounts and folklore and in-depth study of material cultural variability. She/he will train in data recording, processing, classification, analysis, and interpretation. The student is expected to select his/her topic of interest and prepare a research design during the first week of coursework under the guidance of the course instructors.

Engaging in the above should give the student an overview of the history and variability of modern cultures of Ghana, and an intensive introduction to non-urban life in Africa. A tour of important historic and culturally significant sites will be combined with extended stay in a District Capital. Following an orientation session in Accra, the students will be placed in a setting where they can interact closely with informants and other people, and gain greater appreciation of non-urban life in Ghana. They will be expected to take advantage of this exposure to design and undertake independent research projects on any aspect of material culture, folklore, social and ideological behaviour, the arts in general, and interactions between people and their environment. The same research will be extended to the urban environments of Kumasi and Cape Coast where comparative data will be obtained. Documentation of this project will take the form of a written ethnographic report of up to 20 double-spaced pages.

COURSE EVALUATION
A report of the ethnographic project will be presented for assessment at the end of the tour, in addition to a final oral presentation of project results, which will be made to the entire group.
The faculty director will determine final grades, on the basis of work completed on the field, presentation and final report. The grades will be reported directly to the academic affairs directorate of each participating school.
Contact hours will be 30 hours per week for four weeks, providing 120 contact hours for the six-credit hour class. Course instructors and invited professionals will give lectures on location. There would be breakfast and dinner interactions to assess daily activities and to receive feedback.

COURSE SCHEDULE
SUNDAY 29 MAY 2011: ARRIVAL IN GHANA

Day 1- 3: Lectures/Tour
Orientation


Background information: Historical, social, economic, cultural & political contexts of Ghana

Discourse on “Developed and Developing countries


Tour of Accra (capital city):
Educational and art galleries, museum, beach, entertainment etc.

Selection of research topics & preparation of research design
Venue: University of Ghana

Day 4 +: Field Research / Lectures & Seminars
Study-tour of the Kpando District, Volta Region of Ghana

Study-tour of Kumasi, Ashanti Region

Study-tour of Cape Coast/Elmina, Central Region

Return to Accra, final lectures, report writing and presentation

Research paper/report/ journal
due: Friday 24 June 2011

Sunday & Monday, 26 – 27 June 2011: Departure

* Course Co-ordinator – Dr Kodzo Gavua Tel: +233 208 130581 E-mail: kgavua@ug.edu.gh

Ethnographic Field Study

4 Weeks

The Field School would involve a tour of both urban and rural settings in Ghana

Students would be driven to project sites throughout the programme

Monday - Saturday

N/A

Dr Kodzo Gavua - kgavua@ug.edu.gh
Dr Ray Wazi Apoh - apoh@ug.edu.gh

There are a lot of fun activities incorporated into the programme. Thsi includes visits to popular tourist sites at no extra cost to the student

Only when necessary

Bright Sowu (+233 242 671 069)
International Programmes Office
Tel/Fax: +233 302- 507147
Mail: International Programmes Office
University of Ghana
P.O.Box LG 586
Ghana