JSIS 202 MINI-ETHNOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT
Final Project due by August 21, 11;59PM
The final project is doing an online or in-person ethnographic field research project. Ethnography is most often associated with anthropology, but it is used across the social sciences. Ethnography involves the participation in and observation of social life. Think about this paper as your chance to “make the familiar strange” by describing and analyzing the culture of a particular site. For this assignment, you will analyze a space that you frequently use—e.g. your workplace, gym, classes/library, website of an NGO, Tik Tok, YouTube, or a fanfiction site. You can start your observations with these sample questions in mind: How power works in my research site? How is gender performed in the observed interactions? How is “otherness” constructed in the observed interaction? How are boundaries between “insiders” and “outsiders” (re)produced?
I want you to pick interesting social process/cultural event/phenomena and go out into the world and observe and/or participate in it. To gain a full picture of the real or virtual site’s culture, you should visit it at least three times and take notes of your observations. Describe the interactions, activities and the space. The purpose of visiting more than once is to capture new dynamics and interactions as they change over time.
Interpret your observations by using one of the course concepts (e.g. ethnocentrism, hegemony, disciplinary power, liminal space, humanitarian aid, structural violence, etc) or by drawing upon the authors we’ve read to support your analysis. Sample topics include: the socialization and guild dynamics of a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG); reaction videos; or the gender and class dynamics of mommy bloggers on Instagram. If possible, pick spaces that you are already part of.
In order to receive credit for this assignment (i.e. 30% of your grade) you must complete two assignments. Failure to do so means no credit for the assignment.
(%20) Final Project: Due by August 21 @11:59pm.
It is a traditional research paper of 8 pages
Formatting: 12-pt font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double spaced, 8 pages including a bibliography page, you can use any citation guides as long as you are consistent throughout your paper
Grading: You will be graded on how well you follow the assignment directions, the clarity of your writing, your field notes, the thoroughness of analysis and interpretation, how well you connect your observations to concepts covered in class, and your general creativity. You are encouraged to see me during office hours to get advice and help with your project.
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STEP BY STEP: HOW TO DO YOUR ETHNOGRAPHIC PROJECT?
a brief description of what cultural activity, interaction, and site you are going to study;
a brief justification of how your activity relates to a concept discussed in class;
a discussion of why you have chosen this particular topic;
how you think multiple observations of this activity will be
Step 1. The Outline
Your outline must include:
Step 2. Doing the research
You are to observe a cultural “activity” on three separate occasions (for a total of approximately 2-3 hours, over the three periods) and write detailed notes about what you see, smell, hear, think, and experience. Use a small notebook to jot down notes during or immediately after the activity. Do not use any recording devices (recorders, cameras, phones etc.). In the process, you will come up with your own system for taking fieldnotes. Some people use fragmentary notes (a word, a phrase), some use prose right away, some divide the page in half and record observations on one side and ideas –questions, judgments, impressions – on the other.
Do no harm in the field. Do not use “real” names of people. Make up names (pseudonyms) in your notes. Depending on your context, you may need to ask permission to conduct your research (e.g. “Is it alright if I take some notes about the office for a class assignment. I won’t use anyone’s real names.”) For some online spaces, it may be less necessary to get consent. Avoid picking any subject that involves minors (under 18) or “vulnerable populations” (like homeless, incarcerated, institutionalized people).
As soon as you can, find a computer and transcribe your scribblings into something more expansive, with full sentences. This allows you to clarify what you wrote, add things you forgot to record, and most importantly suggest some interpretations.
Hand in the typed transcription of your field notes. This is important. WITHOUT NOTES, YOU WON’T GET FULL CREDIT FOR THE OUTLIE & ROUGH DRAFT THAT IS DUE BY AUGUST 5.
***SEE SUPPLEMENTARY READING [TIERNEY 2002
Actions
] FOR BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION.
Step 3. Writing the Paper. Your write-up should include all of the following (use the
bolded headers in your paper to separate each section).
Introduction: The Field Site and the Research Question. Briefly describe the event/activity that you are Why is it interesting? What is the general cultural question or theme that this research helped you better understand (power, gender, alterity)?
In your introduction, as in all papers, provide the thesis statement about what your research illustrated. For example: “Through multiple observations of my office, I gained insight in how hierarchies are gendered at work.” Or: “Through close observation of a football team, I learned how masculinity is performed through jokes and the use of certain kind of labels.” Or: “By observing a market, I gained insights into ideas of cultural difference are used to sell specific products.” These are just examples, you will have your own ideas.
Methods: How did you collect your data? Was it mostly observation? Was it in-person or virtual? Did you participate? Did you talk to anyone? Did any problems come up in getting access to this site? When did you observe this activity?
Description: Is there a story or vignette that illustrates important themes? Paint a picture of important moments or interactions or Who is involved in the activity (age, gender, religion, political views, etc.)? What is the purpose of this activity? What types of artifacts (e.g., clothing, zombie dart guns, food) or specific environmental conditions (e.g., weather or specific location) are present and/or necessary for this event? What kind of language or labels was used? Be as detailed as possible here. Note that this section will draw selectively from your transcribed field notes. Use descriptions of interactions that relate to your argument. These descriptions may offer a different examples of what you are studying, and you may seek to try to explain those differences in your interpretation section.
Interpretation and Findings. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE PAPER. Describe what you learned from this activity and why it was important. Did you observe something that reinforced or conflicted with what you learned in class? How does it relate to a concept(s) we have discussed in class? You should cite course reading material that specifically discusses this concept. You can also draw from concepts and examples discussed in the lecture. How did having multiple observations of the same activity impact your findings? Was the activity consistent over time or did you get different results each time?
Did you observe the event at different times of the day?
Conclusion: Reactions and Reflections: What is the big “take-away” of the paper? What challenges did you encounter? What did this activity teach you?
