Topics in Anthropology (490-0-26)

Topic

Ethnographic Methods

Instructors

Ana Aparicio
847/491-5132
1810 Hinman Ave. #212

Meeting Info

2001 Sheridan Anthro Lab 1410: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This course is designed to familiarize students with methods used in ethnographic research. We will study and discuss the importance of qualitative data collection tools such as participant-observation, oral histories, interviewing, photo-elicitation, and writing fieldnotes. In addition to discussing the methods as technique, we will examine issues related to the practice of ethnographic research; these include but are not limited to IRB, ethics, gender, race, class, age, etc. Our discussions will be based on the assigned readings and on students' own proposed research and field experiences. The course will enable you to understand why certain methods are chosen for different kinds of research, begin to utilize various methods, and determine which method(s) would be most useful in your own research.

Class Materials (Required)

Bernard, H. Russell and Amber Wutich. 2026. Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781538190937 Emerson, R. et al. 2020. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, 3rd Edition. IL: Univ of Chicago Press ISBN 978-0226206837 Madden, Raymond. 2017. Being Ethnographic: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ethnography. CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1529791860 Smalls, Krystal. 2024. Telling Blackness: Young Liberians and the Raciosemiotics of Contemporary Black Diaspora. NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0197697597