Duration
Number of credits
| Master in anthropology, research focus | 25 crédits |
Lecturer
Collégialité, Elodie Razy, Benjamin Rubbers, Véronique Servais
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
See rules available at this address: https://www.student.fass.uliege.be/cms/c_7151929/fr/studentfass-reglements-et-formulaires
Ethnographic fieldwork: at least 3 full months, except in specific cases discussed with the supervisor
Master Thesis :
- definition of a research topic
- bibliographic research
- use of relevant literature
- formulation of a research question
- description of the field (context and approaches used)
- justification of the methodology and approach used
- analysis of the topic in relation to the research question
- use of relevant ethnographic materials
- results and contributions of the work
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The Master's thesis in Anthropology aims to assess and certify the student's ability to develop a critical and reflective perspective (based on ethnographic fieldwork and literature) on a specific aspect of life in a community by grounding their reflection in at least one field of anthropology and drawing on in-depth reading related to the theme.
The thesis requires students to carry out rigorous independent research. It is no longer a matter of reproducing knowledge taught by professors, but rather of designing and planning a research process with the aim of producing new knowledge on a specific theme, drawing on the knowledge, skills, and methodology they have learned during their studies. This research results in a structured written document. The thesis is therefore the outcome of significant research and analysis. This work as a whole is assessed.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Prerequisite: HTRA0011-1: Thesis Project (including a supporting seminar)
Co-requisite: ANTH0386-1 Seminar in Preparation for the Thesis in Anthropology
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The Master thesis is carried out under the supervision of a supervisor who is the student's main adviser.
Without substituting for the supervision provided by the supervisor, a thesis guidance seminar is organized to support students throughout the research process leading to the completion of their master's thesis.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
The thesis will be prepared on the basis of meetings with the supervisor. The frequency of these meetings will be at the discretion of the supervisor (online, email, face-to-face). At the same time, sessions entitled "ANTH0386-1 Seminar to support the preparation of the thesis in anthropology" will be held in person according to the planned schedule (Celcat).
Contact: Lorena Ulloa - lulloa@uliege.be and Isabelle Borsus - iborsus@uliege.be
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Written work / report
Further information:
Students should carefully read the guidelines for writing a thesis in anthropology. This document contains all the rules and regulations, as well as instructions for writing and presenting your thesis. It is available at this address:
https://www.student.fass.uliege.be/cms/c_7151929/fr/studentfass-reglements-et-formulaires
The only use of AI permitted is for spelling and grammar correction.
Overall assessment of written work and oral presentation, as specified by the thesis committee.
This assessment will cover at least the following points:
knowledge of the theme under study
proficiency in the theoretical content used (at least 30 articles/chapters/works)
quality of the methodology used
quality of the data gathered and produced, the context in which it was gathered and produced, and how it is presented
ability to critically analyze the theme studied
relevance, consistency, and originality of the analysis
quality of the argument
the ability to provide critical and reflective feedback on the work carried out
the quality and care taken in writing the text (layout, spelling, syntax, style, and structure)
the quality of the summary presentation of the thesis
the quality of the answers provided to the jury's questions
Written work
Writing a thesis in anthropology involves conducting ethnographic research and then presenting it in a concise, critical, problematized, and reflective form in a written document.
The text should therefore include the following elements:
- definition of a research topic
- bibliographic research
- use of relevant literature
- formulating a research question
- description of the fieldwork (context and approach)
- justification of the methodology and approach
- analysis of the topic in relation to the research question
- use of relevant ethnographic material
- results and contributions of the work
Please note that the entire thesis must be written in a clear style that is grammatically, syntactically, and orthographically correct.
An electronic version of the thesis in PDF format must be submitted to the MaThéO platform of the ULiège Library no later than the date specified in the official FaSS schedule.
https://www.student.fass.uliege.be/cms/c_12724205/fr/echeancier-2025-2026
The body of the thesis and the appendices (except those that are confidential) must be included in a single PDF file.
Each member of the jury may request a paper copy of the thesis from the student, who is responsible for providing it. Students should prepare a paper copy for use during the defense, which may also be given to anyone interested in the topic (e.g., a future employer).
Defense with the jury - Oral evaluation
The defense is a public session organized as follows:
A 10-15 minute summary presentation of the work completed, highlighting aspects of the research considered particularly important and opening up new perspectives
Comments and questions from the jury members
Responses from the student
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
- Description form signed by the supervisor for approval to be submitted on Ecampus under the thesis course code by the date indicated in the official FaSS schedule : https://www.student.fass.uliege.be/cms/c_12724205/fr/echeancier-2025-2026
- Submission of the thesis by the date indicated in the official FaSS schedule : https://www.student.fass.uliege.be/cms/c_12724205/fr/echeancier-2025-2026 on the MaThéO platform in PDF format, maximum 12MB
Please note that students are required to notify their supervisor and the registrar's office as soon as possible if they are unable to submit their thesis during the current academic year (1st or 2nd session).
The thesis will not be accepted during the current academic year if the "description form" has not been submitted on eCampus by the deadline specified in the FaSS calendar (see official schedule).
The thesis "description form" must be submitted at the start of each new academic year, regardless of circumstances (failure, non-submission the previous year, no change to the research topic, etc.). The topic and the members of the thesis committee will be approved by the Faculty Board.
Contacts
Elodie Razy : elodie.razy@uliege.be