Ethnographic Research Methods/ANTH 460
Spring 2013/Minnesota State University Moorhead
Wednesdays 6:00 - 8:30 PM, KH 120
Instructor: Dr. Bruce Roberts
Office: King Hall 213; Telephone 477-2043
Office Hours:  T, H 3-5PM; W 8:30AM-12:30PM, 3-5PM; also by appointment

E mail: robertsb@mnstate.edu
Class web site: http://web.mnstate.edu/robertsb/460

Official Course Description:

Presentation of appropriate methods for conducting field research in cultural anthropology. This includes: research design, sampling strategies, participant-observation, questionnaire formulation, interviewing techniques, and report writing.

Objectives

This course is designed to introduce you to some of the basic research methods available for use in cultural anthropology. The course has two interrelated aims:

1)    to examine some of the numerous practical and conceptual problems involved in field research.

2)    to demonstrate specific data gathering techniques by using them in a “field setting. “

Please be aware that each student is required to complete an independent ethnographic project demonstrating a reasonable grasp of the research methods covered in class and their application in a “real world” local setting

Texts

• Michael V. Angrosino,  Doing Cultural Anthropology: Projects for Ethnographic Data Collection. 2007. Second edition. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press.  (abbreviated “Doing” in reading schedule below)
• Michael V. Angrosino, Projects in Ethnographic Research. 2005. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press. (abbreviated “Projects” in reading schedule below)
• Michael V. Angrosino, How Do they Know That? The Process of Social Research. 2010. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press. (abbreviated “HDTKT” in reading schedule below)
• Family Health International, Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collectors Guide. (abbreviated “QRM” in reading schedule below)
• Other assigned on-line articles indicated below

Course Requirements/Evaluation Standards

Caveat: This is a 400-level, upper division course. It’s a serious undertaking that will require a lot of work from you and me. If you have serious doubts regarding the amount of time you can commit to this class then you may want to reconsider your decision to take it. The same is true with regard to the mini-ethnography you’ll do – if the thought of going out into the community and engaging in a well-designed research project intimidates you, now is your chance to bail out.

Attendance: As adults, this is totally up to you. However, if you don’t attend class it will hurt you. I guarantee it.

Readings: Please do the readings before coming to class because you’ll be quizzed on them and expected to discuss them as well.

 Quizzes: I will quiz you just about every other week to give you incentive to keep up on the readings. These unannounced pop quizzes will be short answer format and based upon the readings. Each will be worth 10 points. That may not sound like a lot but it adds up.  Also, in case you’ve never had me for a night class before, the only offense I consider worse than missing class altogether is coming just to take the quiz and then leaving, either during the halftime break or even before. Therefore if you leave early and don’t have an important reason for doing so, your quiz will be “lost” and you will get, as Bill Clinton likes to say, a big fat ZEERO.  Well, so much for that idea. Don't worry, I'm thinking up something for you to do!!

Data Collection Assignments: Throughout the semester you’ll do four assignments that are designed to give you practice using specific techniques or methods for data collection. They’re like "mini-projects" because each is worth 25 points. They must be typed (hand written suggests you did it 5 minutes before class in your car) and are due in class on the date specified. Late assignments will be penalized 10 points per half day late.

Final project: Last but not least you will be doing an ethnography and it will comprise 43% of your grade. The only questions are what and where? The exact venue and subject for this project must be decided upon in close consultation with me quickly because it must go through an internal departmental review based on the University's Institutional Research Board policies before any research can commence. Rather than view this as a large pain in the buttocks I encourage you to see it as a necessary preliminary step that further illustrates the various stages involved in the conduct of all ethnographic research. The final project must be typed and is due in class on May 8th.  Late projects will be penalized 10 points per half day late.

Presentation: As part of the project you will be required to give a 15 minute in-class oral presentation based upon your project during the last 2 weeks of the semester. On January 28^th in class we will decide by random drawing who goes on the 21st and who goes on the 28th of April. Failure to do an in-class presentation will entail an automatic deduction of 50 points off the 150 you could possibly receive on this project.

Summary of evaluation criteria

Preliminary schedule*

*Subject to modification. Any changes will be announced via class mailing list and posted on class website.

Back to ANTH 460 main page