SPRING 2025
Course lecturer: Professor Theodoros Rakopoulos
General course description: SOSANT9015 Writing and Method
This course is about writing. We are always unready for it, and yet we mainly do that, as academics, and especially during our PhD years. Focusing on early or late stages of writing, the course aims to develop the writing skills of PhD students in order to accomplish a well-written thesis, but also in order to think beyond the thesis. It prioritises the several ways we can unwrap the bundle of writing that is there in our fieldnotes and thoughts. It has three interrelated goals: to turn writing chunks into PhD thesis chapters; to establish how we write academic articles; and to inquire on how we write for a general audience and even a literary audience. Thence, the sessions of the course are focused on a different aim: thesis; articles; writing more generally.
During the course, you will share some of your writings, receive feedback from the lecturer and from fellow students, and comment on colleagues' work. The course offers intensive writing sessions and practical exercises aimed at assisting PhD candidates in overcoming common challenges encountered during the writing phase. Acknowledging that effective writing is rooted in strong reading habits, we will engage with academic monographs on the one hand and short stories on the other. Participants will investigate diverse styles of ethnographic writing, experiment with different textual forms, and learn how to effectively structure book-length arguments.
The lecturer’s experience in writing books and articles, but also in writing other sorts of texts is conducive to addressing a wide array of writing, especially when it comes to ethnography, as well as to achieving training in creative forms of writing. Theodoros Rakopoulos is a poet and short story writer, awarded on many occasions, including with the state prize for debut author, and translated into 9 different languages; his latest anthropology monograph was awarded the CRABA award.
Over the span of two days, this concentrated course will delve into the following themes:
- Techniques to effectively organize your writing practice and overcome "writer's block"
- Strategies for transforming fieldnotes into thesis chapters
- Strategies for transforming chapters into articles
- What is “the general audience”?
- Ethnographic description and analysis, focusing on place, context, conversations, relationships, situations, and processes
- The role and significance of theory in writing generally
- What is “poetic” writing? What is “evocative” writing”?
- What is “show don’t tell”?
- The role and significance of theory in ethnographic writing
- Exploring voice, positionality, and reflexivity within the context of a PhD thesis
- Approaches to collaboration and co-authorship, including sharing insights and providing collegial feedback
Preparations
- Read: Ghodsee, K. From Notes to Narrative: Writing Ethnographies That Everyone Can Read. 2016: The University of Chicago Press.
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Prepare a “Story” text: An evocative narrative based on your fieldnotes or memory, highlighting a specific person, situation, context, or object (2000 words, +/- 10%).
Examination
On completion of the course candidates will earn 1 ECTS point, with the possibility of earning 2 ECTS points in total by submitting a final exam after the course:
Final exam portfolio for 2 ECTS:
Participants will submit a portfolio comprising two texts:
- “Reading” text: An analysis of an ethnographic work of your choice (not your own), focusing on style, positionality, voice, theoretical framing, and disciplinary contribution (1000 words, +/- 10%).
- “Story” text: A more evocative narrative based on your fieldnotes or memory, highlighting a specific person, situation, context, or object (2000 words, +/- 10%).
Admissions
This course is for PhD candidates in Social Anthropology. PhD candidates in related disciplines may be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
For PhD candidates from the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo: apply through Studentweb.
Other PhD candidates can apply by webform: https://nettskjema.no/a/474051
The course is now full, and we are not accepting more applications.