Borderland: Critical Approaches to Field Research in the Global South

Lush Landscape

Jointly developed and offered by UC-Berkeley and University of Copenhagen.

For the second summer in a row UCPH and UC-Berkeley are organizing the IARU summer course "Borderland: Critical Approaches to Field Research in the Global South".

About the course

The course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to think critically about the research process in the conduct of research. It is not a methods course or a summer internship. Rather, it combines classroom learning with field engagement and immersion in local environment that include short term placement with local NGOs or ongoing research projects in and around Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand.

Emphasizing the research process rather than the mastery of a specific topic or method, the aim is to provide students with the tools to raise and address critical questions in their own research and a foundation from which they can apply the knowledge and practices from the course to future projects. We envision that, by the end of the course, each student will have produced a polished draft of a research project proposal (5-7 pages) that could be used for future engagement with the Global South.

Themes that will be addressed in the course in the context of globalization processes and borderland issues include:

  • Borders and boundaries
  • Mobilities and immobilities
  • Environment and natural resource management
  • Human in/security and social justice

Short video from the course, Summer 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUlQmYVXzuc

Application and deadlines

To sign up for the course, you must submit an application. Read more on how to apply for the summer school on the UCPH courses website.

Deadline for application: 28 February

Admission response deadline: 8 March

Deadline for student confirmation of participation: 15 March

For further information contact Andreas Egelund Christensen