F I E L D M E T H O D S in A N T H R O P O L O G Y

F I E L D M E T H O D S in A N T H R O P O L O G Y

Anth 105 Fall 2003

Prof. Susan Seizer, Scripps College

Class meetings: T-R 2:45-4, Humanities 202

Office: Humanities 215

Office hours: Wed 2-4

Office phone: 607-3547

Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:sseizer@scrippscollege.edu" sseizer@scrippscollege.edu

This course investigates the range of research methods used by cultural anthropologists to study human culture and its meaning in people’s lives. Students will be introduced to methods that include: fieldwork, observation, participant-observation, interviewing, transcription, charting, sampling, and fieldnotes. Students will also learn of historical debates surrounding these methods (from changing definitions of “the field” to the re-valuations of outsider and insider research). Course materials include books, articles, and in-class screening of 4 videos. Students will be guided in collecting, compiling and analyzing sociocultural materials by carrying out a range of research projects and exercises inside and outside of class during the course of the semester, culminating in a field project by the end of term.

There are five required books for this course. They are on Reserve at Honnold Library, and are available for purchase at Huntley Bookstore.

1) Bernard, H.R. Research Methods in Anthropology (3^nd Ed.) Alta Mira Press.

2) Hall, Edward. 1966. The Hidden Dimension

3) Becker, Howard S. 1998. Tricks of the Trade: how to think about your research while you’re doing it. U Chicago Press.

4) Wolf, Margery. 1992. A Thrice Told Tale: Feminism, Postmodernism, & Ethnographic Responsibility. Stanford U Press.

5) Emerson, Robert, et. al. 1998. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. U Chicago Press.

Additional required readings are available on electronic reserve (ERES) and as hard copies at the Reserve Desk at Honnold Library. Students are fully expected to read the assigned readings for each class prior to the class meeting, and to participate in class discussion. (Class participation contributes 10% of your final grade.)

The main goal of this class is to learn how to better observe human culture. Toward this end we will read and discuss the ideas of several anthropologists who write specifically about anthropological methods, and we will also look at the work of several filmmakers who engage keen observational and research methods regarding particular historical and cultural events or subjects, but who are not anthropologists per se. Anything is interesting that interests people. We want to find our own way into an “interested” state of mind by asking questions and being open to hearing answers that may be other than we expect.

Work and Evaluation:

There will be no major examinations in this course, but there are five specific written assignments due roughly every two weeks (as noted on the syllabus) that in total comprise 50% of your grade. There will also be two in-class quizzes that in total comprise 10% of your grade.

The major product for this course is your Field Project. Many of the smaller writing assignments in the course will contribute to this project, and you will be working on it throughout the semester. Each student will have a chance to present a report on her Project towards the end of the semester; this is a15 minute, mandatory but ungraded report that is intended as an opportunity to share your interests with the class, and to get our collective feedback and ideas, well before you submit your Field Project for a final grade.

All work must be submitted on the day it is due, or your grade for that assignment will be lowered incrementally for each day it is late. In addition, class attendance is mandatory and will have an impact on your final grade. You may miss a maximum of three classes without penalty (though I sincerely hope you will miss none) after which your final grade will be lowered incrementally for each missed class.

Written assignments: 10% each (5 x 10%) = 50%

In-class Quizzes: 5% each (2 x 5%) =10%

Class Participation: =10%

Final Field Project Presentation & Portfolio = 30%

Week 1 Introduction

T Sept 2 Intro to course and syllabus

The two relevant domains here are People and Texts

Review syllabus

Pick up the two handouts to read for next meeting

Th Sept 4 What do we mean by “the field?”

Class discussion of readings handed out in first meeting:

ERES James Clifford, “Spatial Practices: Fieldwork, Travel, and the Disciplining of Anthropology” Anthropological Locations, pp. 185-222

1-page handout on the multiple subcultures to which we belong

Week 2 Observation

T Sept 9 Spatial observations

In-class viewing: “Personal Space” (1999, 28 min)

Read: Hall, The Hidden Dimension, Chs. 9, 10, 11, 12.

Th Sept 11 Problems and issues of cross-cultural observation

In-class: quiz on Hall’s terms for observing spatial use.

As a class: set the terms for observational exercise over the weekend.

Evening! Screening of the ethnographic film, “Stranger with a Camera” venue TBA. This event in conjunction with The Humanities Institute

Weekend exercise: Proxemics exercise: what do you see non-verbally? At the mall… chart the two kinds of exercises: Spot Observations (snapshots) & Systematic Behavior Observations (watching something particular)

Week 3 Description

T 16 In-class discussion of ethnographic film and of proxemics observation exercise

Homework: write a description of today’s class, and bring to class Thursday (ungraded)

Th 18 The ideal of complete description vs. the reality of sampling “understood in [an] extended way, as a question of what we can say about what we didn’t see on the basis of what we did see” (Becker p. 75)

Read: Becker, Tricks of the Trade, Ch. 3: “Sampling,” pp. 67-108

Supplementary reading

*(for those who want basic scientific info on sampling):

Bernard, Ch. 4, “Sampling,” pp. 71-101

Weekend exercise: Describe the place where you obtain food and bring your description to class. This can be anywhere between 1-4 pages long. Bring with you to class on Tuesday -- This is writing assignment #1

Week 4 Selecting a fieldsite

T 23 What do you want to know? How will you approach it?

Read:

Bernard Ch.5, “Choosing Research Problems, Sites, and Methods,” pp 102-118

ERES Jackson, Ch. 2, “Planning,” pp. 20-28 in Fieldwork– short & practical

Read: Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, Ch. 1, pp. 1-16

View in class: “Un Cirque à New York” (F. Pressman, 2002; 54 min.)

*FIELD SITE PROPOSAL ASSIGNED

Th 25 How do the ways you think about the project shape it?

Read: Becker, Tricks of the Trade, Ch. 2, “Imagery,” pp. 10-66

In-class quiz on Becker’s tricks

Week 5 Fieldnotes

T 30 The not-so-simple notion of insider research

View in class: “Bertha Alyce” (Gay Block, 2002)

Discuss the relative merits of insider and outsider research methods as evidenced in the two films “Un Cirque” and “Bertha Alyce”

Th 2 What is a fieldnote? Why write fieldnotes?

*FIELD SITE PROPOSAL DUE – this is writing assignment #2

Read:

Wolf, Thrice Told Tale, Ch 3

ERES: Jean Jackson, “I am a Fieldnote,” in Fieldnotes, ed. Roger Sanjek, 1990, pp. 3-33

Supplementary Reading:

ERES: Sanjek: “A Vocabulary for Fieldnotes” in Fieldnotes, ed. Roger Sanjek, 1990, pp. 47-70

Week 6 Becoming a Participant Observer

T 7

Read:R. Bernard, Ch. 7 & 8, “Participant Observation,” pp. 136-164 and “Informants” pp 165-179, in Research Methods

Th 9

Read: Emerson et al, “In the Field: Participating, Observing, and Jotting Notes” pp. 17-38