| Department of Agricultural Sciences
10 % Forest & Landscape 80 % Institute of Food and Resource Economics 10 % | |||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination Practical Examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: The group project report is compulsory and must be graded to a min of 6 on the 13-point scale. An oral synopsis exam is conducted on basis of research cases. Weight: Compulsory group project counts for 33% of final mark Oral exam counts for 67% of final mark 13-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement For Attending Exam | Timely submission of project report | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures, group project, theoretical exercises | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 1 Week Structure: A | ||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||||
| COMPETENCIES OBTAINED WITHIN BASIC SCIENCE: Knowledge on available qualitative methods suitable to apply in research on Agricultural Development Understanding pros and cons of each method. COMPETENCIES OBTAINED WITHIN APPLIED SCIENCE: Knowledge of how to use participatory methods. Understanding the theoretical basis for participatory methods. Are able to apply appropriate tools within the project planning chain like the logistical framework approach. These competencies will have general validity for all complex situations with difficulties to gain data, with many different stakeholders, and where the research process takes place under time pressure. ETHICS & VALUES Personal biases will be discussed as part of the research process. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||
| The aim of the course is to give students essential skills in relation to conducting field research. The course is a compulsory part of the M.Sc. programme Agricultural Development, but is also highly relevant for others interested in research design and methodology. The skills acquired through this course will be useful for research in all agricultural systems (cropping, forest and livestock), and relevant for academic work at all levels, including project and | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||
| Research and development often takes place within highly complex environments involving both hard and soft systems thinking, in which professionals have to be able to plan and act. The complexity includes, for example, the resource efficiency of diverse cropping systems, the influence of decision-making structures in natural resource management on the well being of farmers, or the access to resources like water, agricultural land, fertilizer, pastures and/or forests. This course goes through the research process by designing the research and selecting methods to complement disciplinary skills in order to get the full benefit of subsequent thematic courses, thesis work and post-graduate career. Specifically, the students will have the possibility to acquire knowledge within: - to plan and conduct fieldwork; - when and how to apply selected techniques for data collection and analysis (interview, questionnaire and different rapid appraisals; and - relating natural resource management to household livelihood strategies. The student will obtain knowledge on: - systems thinking in problem analysis - research processes and design - planning and conducting fieldwork - qualitative data collection methods - quantitative data collection methods - data recording - how to assess the reliability and validity of data - data quality | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Lectures introduce the research process, methodologies, data collection methods and case studies, and encourage critical reflection of both research design and selection and application of methods. Group project on designing a research study, designing data collection instruments, collecting data and using data analysis tools. Theoretical exercises will support the group project. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||
| Britta Mikkelsen's nye bog LFA DANIDA | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Iben Nathan, in@life.ku.dk, Forest & Landscape Denmark/Unit of Forestry, Phone: 35331736 Error. Person Not Found Henrik Zobbe, hz@life.ku.dk, Institute of Food and Resource Economics/Management, Phone: 35336810 Henning Høgh Jensen, hhj@life.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Environment, Resources and Technology, Phone: 35333391 | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||
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