Tips for project analysis assignment.pptx

Project Analysis tips

1. Tips for project analysis assignment (ii)Long Essay: Development Project Analysis (65%) Deadline : 06 Dec 2021, 23:59 (GMT) Details: Analyse a real-world development project of your choice, using a minimum of three anthropological concepts from the course. Length: 2500 words

2. Why a development project analysis? This is not another book review… An opportunity to develop and demonstrate independence and initiative in finding your own case and applying lessons, concepts and debates from class Explore in depth a project/issue you are personally interested in; develop/communicate original insights based on engaging with course themes Identify and critically evaluate relevant evidence, debates and theories Reflect on methodological and ethical complexities Build professional skills: critical evaluation and synthesis of projects/programmes Within this degree: develop skills salient for your dissertation

3. Choose a case carefully Avoid choosing cases from the handbook/lectures – you should identify your own study and apply lessons from the course to it But you can certainly engage in comparison Many kinds of projects you could consider: NGO, state-led, private, IFO, infrastructure, technical assistance, cash transfer, empowerment, top-down, bottom-up, rural, urban, health, education (etc)… Specific enough to do a focused analysis/evaluation Enough documentation (e.g. reports, policy documents, media coverage, academic articles…) to give you a body of evidence to work with

4. Engage with course concepts, ideas, lessons How do the ideas we have been exploring through theory and ethnography relate to your project case? What does a ‘people first’ approach to analysing the project reveal? What can anthropological concepts help us to understand about how the programme/project is designed, structured, implemented, received…? About what its impacts are - or might be - and how these relate to power relationships and socio-structural features that underpin poverty and inequality?

5. Good academic practice Care with citation – use referencing carefully and consistently Take notes in your own words Use direct quotations sparingly Both to avoid unintentional academic misconduct… …And to engage in academic conversation… citation shows whose ideas you are building on, what debates you want to be part of, how you are developing the discussion. Who has put forward/developed the concepts and ideas you are using? How might you build on these to develop your own novel insights?

6. Stick to the word count Stick to the deadline (apply for extension/SC if appropriate) Follow the submission instructions on format/cover sheet etc

7. http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/gradschool/current_students/taught_msc_students/assessment/pg_marking_scheme Remember the PG common marking criteria…

8. What could be improved? How could this paper be made better? Is it sharply-focused and consistently clear? Is it well-structured ? Does it demonstrate a high degree of insight ? Is it effectively and convincingly argued? Does it show a critical understanding of conflicting theories & evidence? Does it meet an excellent scholarly standard in use of sources? Is it excellently presented and referenced ?