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Level
Level: Introductory
Member rate £572.50
Non-Member rate £1,145.00
Early bird discount available until 14 December 2026.
Save £45.00 Loyalty discount applied automatically*
Save 5% on each additional course booked
* If you attended a qualifying previous Methods School in 2026, you qualify for £45.00 off your course fee.
Date: Monday 22 – Friday 26 February 2027
Time: 09:30 – 12:30 CET
This interactive course uses advanced pedagogical tools and is designed for master's-level students and above. It runs as three-hour live sessions on Zoom over five days, with course materials and pre-course readings available on our Learning Management System at least two weeks before the start. Office hours are also available for one-to-one consultations on your own project.
The course is limited to 18 participants, ensuring that the teaching team can address the individual needs of each participant.
Political ethnography is a broad, interdisciplinary research strategy that generates contextual knowledge through the immersion of the researcher into the world(s) they study. If you remember one thing from this course, it should be: ethnography = immersion. ‘Political ethnography’ is a compound term that combines ‘politics’ and ‘ethnography’, and throughout the course we will explore both concepts and how they intersect within research methods and methodology.
The five course days are organised around the themes of situating, doing, and writing ethnography. We will engage with methodological debates, read and analyse ethnographic texts, and work through reflection and writing exercises connected to your individual research projects. Each day includes a short writing assignment. You may obtain an additional ECTS credit by completing an extra assignment at the end of the course. All assigned readings should be completed before class.
3 ECTS credits awarded for engaging fully in class activities.
1 additional ECTS credit awarded for completing a post-course assignment.
Kristin Anabel Eggeling works at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the University of Copenhagen. She teaches and writes about international politics, diplomacy, technology, culture, and ethnographic methods in international relations. Kristin has conducted ethnographic research in the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, and the United States. In 2023, she received the Anthony Deos Early Career Award for the emerging scholar in Diplomatic Studies from the International Studies Association (ISA). Her work has received additional international recognition and has been published in leading journals, including the European Journal of International Relations, International Political Sociology, Review of International Studies, Global Studies Quarterly, Millennium, Geopolitics, and Qualitative Research.
Ethnography literally means the ‘writing’ (-graphy) of ‘culture’ (ethnos), and the ethnography component of political ethnography may refer to a mode of analysis, a set of methods for generating data, and a way of writing academic text.
The political part of political ethnography can either indicate the substantial focus of the project or its constitutive dynamics. In practice, the two are often intertwined, which calls for heightened reflexivity and care. Overall, this course provides a space to learn about—and experiment with—what it means to study politics and power ethnographically.
Day 1 (online) What is ethnography and what is political about it?
Day 2 (online) Ethnographic methods
Day 3 (online) Ethnographic sensibilities
Day 4 (online) Ethnographic writing
Day 5 (online) Frictions and futures of ethnographic research in political science
Throughout the course, you will work with real-world data and case studies, and will be encouraged to apply the methods to your own research interests.
The course is designed at an intermediate level.
This course requires meaningful engagement from you. It is conceived with the intent of us exploring together what ethnographic research into politics and power looks like. Readings should be read ahead of sessions and participants need to be willing to put in extra time between or after sessions for writing, trying out, and reflection. Like any method, ethnography can only be learned by being done.
To receive 3 ECTS, you must complete and post online all five writing exercises assigned for each course day. To receive 4 ECTS, you must complete an additional assignment at the end of the course. According to the ECTS User Guide (European Commission, 2015), the norm for 1 ECTS corresponds to 25–30 hours of work. We will spend 15 hours together; the remaining time will be devoted to preparation (especially the assigned readings) and writing.
The course includes three hours of live teaching each day for five days, alongside readings and other learning activities.
Once you have registered and paid, you will receive access to our Learning Management System (LMS) approximately two weeks before the course start date. Course materials, including pre-course readings, will be available here. Allow approximately 20 hours per week before the course to review the materials and complete readings and any pre-course tasks.
During the course week, you should allow approximately two to three hours per day for preparation and assignments, in addition to the live teaching sessions.
The course offers the opportunity to earn three ECTS credits. To earn a fourth credit, you will need to complete a post-course assignment involving approximately 25 hours of work.
This course description may be subject to subsequent adaptations (e.g. taking into account new developments in the field, participant demands, group size, etc.). Registered participants will be informed at the time of change.
By registering for this course, you confirm that you possess the knowledge required to follow it. The instructor will not teach prerequisite items. If in doubt, please contact us before registering.