ANTH 380.001 ethnographic field methods: the practice of theory

ADVANCE \d 4course description

Ethnographic fieldwork has remained in dialectical tension with anthropological theory for over

100 years. It is, therefore, the "practice of theory." The highly experiential world of

ethnographic research has the power to "penetrate" abstractions of social theory--illuminating,

adumbrating, undermining. Of course, ethnography is not just naive empiricism. It is theory that

directs the course of ethnographic fieldwork for, in the words of one anthropologist, a "way of

seeing" is simultaneously a way of "not seeing," i.e., aspects of life selected through theory

require an anthropologist to ignore other, possibly puissant, areas of social and cultural life.

"Anthropological theory" and "ethnographic fieldwork" move together, one opening up a critical

space while another reveals a limit; one unveiling a contradiction while another engenders new

possibilities and so on

On another level, ethnographic fieldwork is a way of knowing intimately related to everyday life, a

method that is very much an extension of our quotidian, phenomenological experience. Whenever

we travel, begin a new job or attend a new school, we engage in something very much like

ethnographic research. So although fieldwork is very much imbricated by questions of

anthropological theory, it is also part of the everyday aesthetics of living. In Paul Willis’s words,

art is "a defining and irreducible quality at the heart of everyday human practices and interactions"

(3). In our interpretations of everyday life, we will need to tap into our artistic sensibilities of the

everyday. This course will, fittingly, adopt multiple perspectives on ethnographic research. On the one

hand, we will consider ethnography’s relationship--historical and theoretical--to cultural

anthropology. We will consider the historical development of ethnography from early

experiments in the mid-nineteenth century up to the present and link those putatively

methodological developments to theoretical debates (then and now) in cultural anthropology.

We will also review experimentation in ethnographic methods as sometimes oblique challenges to

anthropology’s status quo. But we will also engage a great deal in the practice of ethnographic research,

structuring class activities that bridge the gaps between everyday understanding and experiential, ethnographic

knowledge. Additionally, students will take the first steps towards their own ethnography,

following the building blocks of ethnographic research from the initial proposal through the initial

site survey.

course objectives

1). Students will understand ethnographic methodology as arising in a context of anthropological

theory.

2). Students will study contemporary (and even experimental) methodologies through careful

readings of ethnographies.

3). Students will become familiar with qualitative methods germane to the anthropological

encounter: participant observation, interviews, life stories and visual anthropology.

required reading:

Hume, Lynne, ed.  Anthropologists in the Field.  New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.

Geschiere, Peter.  The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa.   Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1997.

Additional required readings (see below) are available online through Cook Library's online databases.

graded assignments

In-Class Assignments (Due on assigned days) Students will each complete four, in-class

"projects" over the course of the semester. Projects will include 1) books reports; 2) acting as an

informant for "in-class" ethnographies; 3) engaging in and reporting on truncated instances of

"fieldwork" inside or outside the class. We’ll begin in-class assignments during week 2. 75 pts.

Mid-term Examination Students will demonstrate their knowledge of

readings by answering a battery of true-false, multiple choice and short answer questions. 50 pts.

Research Proposals (February 16) Students must write a three to four page proposal for ethnographic research during a future, one-semester independent study or study abroad experience.  The essay should describe research questions, methodology, ethical considerations and analysis. 50 pts.

Final Examination (May 18) Students will demonstrate their understanding of ethnographic methodologies by applying concepts and theories from readings and lectures to a short, film clip.  25 pts.  

Explanation of Grading:

A+ 186+

A- 180-185

B+ 174-179

B 166-173

B- 160-165

C+ 154-159

C 140-153

D+ 134-139

D 120-133

F <120

class schedule:

1st Week Introduction to the course and explanation of syllabus.

(1/30-2/1) Film: Lone Star (1995)

2nd Week Ethnographer and Flaneur

(2/6-2/8) Readings: Hume, Chp. 1

Geschiere, Chp. 1

February 7--Change of Schedule Period Ends.

In-class assignments begin

3rd Week Varieties of Ethnographic Research.

(2/13-2/15) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chp. 2

Geschiere, Chp. 2

Additional Reading: Pels, Peter (1999). "Professions of Duplexity: A Prehistory of Ethical Codes in Anthropology."

Current Anthropology 40(2). [JSTOR]

4th Week The History of Anthropological Fieldwork

(2/20-2/22) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 3-4

Geschiere, Chp. 3

Additional Reading: Nelson, Nancy L. (1996).  “The Thief and the Anthropologist.”  City and Society 8(1): 119-127. [Anthrosource]

5th Week Contemporary Anthropological Fieldwork

(2/27-3/1) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 5-6

Geschiere, Chp. 4

Additional Readings: Forsythe, Diana E.  (1999). “Ethics and Politics of Studying Up in Technoscience.”  Anthropology of Work review 20(1): 6-11. [Anthrosource] 

6th Week Challenges to the Anthropological Episteme

(3/6-3/8) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 7-8

Geschiere, Chp. 5

Additional Readings: Price, David (2002).  “Interlopers and Invited Guests.”  Anthropology Today 18(6): 6-22. [Anthrosource]

7th Week Foundations of Ethnographic Research: Global histories in situ

(3/13-3/15) Library Research Methods

March 15: MIDTERM EXAMINATION

8th Week SPRING BREAK

(3/20-3/22)

9th Week Fieldwork: "A Predicament Turned Into a Method."

(3/27-3/29) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 9-10

Geschiere, Chp. 6

Additional Readings: Ulysse, Gina (2002).  “Conquering Duppies in Kingston.”  Anthropology and Humanism 27(1):10-26. [Anthrosource]

10th Week The Secret Lives of Informants

(4/3-4/5) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 11-12

Geschiere, Chp. 7

Additional Reading: Final Report of the AAA El Dorado Task Force (2002).   (http://www.aaanet.org/edtf/index.htm)

11th Week Participant Observation

(4/10-4/12) Assigned Reading: Hume, Chps. 13-14

Geschiere, Afterword

Additional Reading: Hoover, Eric (2005).  “The Ethics of Undercover Research.”  Chronicle of Higher Education 51(47): A37. [Academic Search Premier]

April 10: Last day to withdraw with a grade of ‘W’

12th Week Scratchnotes, Fieldnotes and Journals

(4/17-4/19) Assigned reading: Hume, Chps. 15-16

13th Week Varieties of Interviews

(4/24-4/26) Assigned Reading: Chp. 17

14th Week Building Ethnographic Theory

(5/1-5/3)

15th Week Ethnographic possibilities

(5/8-5/10)

16^th Week

(5/15)

May 15: Last day of classes. 

May 22: Final Examination, 3-5 pm

notes 1. Although exams and graded work will remain as stated above, I may have to change different readings or films on the syllabus throughout the semester. I will, in any case, try to give you ample warning of any syllabus changes. 2. Each student is required to review and understand the University's rules regarding cheating and plagiarism (Towson University Undergraduate Catalog, Appendix F). Neither will be tolerated in my class and will result in a flunking grade.

Department Statement on Academic Dishonesty

The faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice take a strong stand against Academic Dishonesty of all forms. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any class. It includes, but is not limited to, any form of cheating or unapproved help on an exam or academic exercise, copying someone else’s written work without citation, presenting fabricated information as legitimate, any unauthorized collaboration among students, or assisting someone to cheat in any way. All students have the ethical responsibility for doing their own work. A student who is uncertain about whether or not something constitutes academic dishonesty in a particular class has the obligation to see their instructor for clarification. Consistent with university policy, the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty in any form is determined by the individual faculty member in each class, and may consist of ““a reduced grade (including ““F”” or zero) for the assignment; a reduced grade (including ““F””) for the entire course,”” or other options as stipulated in Appendix F of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students who are charged with academic dishonesty must remain enrolled in the course and cannot withdraw. Instructors who make the determination that academic dishonesty has occurred will notify the student in writing of the finding, the penalty, and the process for appeal. The same written notice will be forwarded

 3. Students with learning disabilities should register at the Disability Support Services Office.

explanation of grading

explanation of grading

Consistent with University policy, the following grades will be assigned according to the designated criteria:

A: A superior performance surpassing assigned work in unique and novel ways and

integrating diverse ideas from a wide range of sources in addition to those discussed in class.

A-

B+

B: Excellent work surpassing the expectations of the assignment and demonstrating initiative

and a willingness to move beyond the basic requirements of the assigned work.

B-

C+

C: Satisfactory work meeting all basic requirements of the assignment.

D+

D: Work in some way less than satisfactory. Although conforming to basic requirements in

some way, the completed work is nevertheless not a coherent response to the

assignment.

F: A profoundly unsatisfactory performance which doesn't meet

the intent of the assignment at any level.