E105 Culture and Society
Writing assignment
Introduction
The goal of this writing project is to allow you to use the concepts and analytical forms that are taught in the course by placing you in an ethnographic situation and recording your observations and participation. The project will facilitate your understanding of anthropology, and help you develop a critical awareness of events that may seem common or unremarkable to you.
The assignment will require data collection, library research, and your written analysis of the fieldwork. There are four parts to the assignment: 1) selecting a location, 2) conducting fieldwork, 3) research and analysis, and 4) writing the results into a small ethnography. Each part is described below.
Remember that this assignment is worth 20% of your course grade. Take it seriously. I hope you find the assignment interesting and enjoyable, and I look forward to reading your work.
The Ethnography Project
Location
The first part of this assignment will require you to select a field location where you can use the method of participant/observation. In this setting you will participate in the event and observe the behavior of others, taking notes so you can remember important points in the interaction.
You will need to select a location where people are engaged in a common activity. There must be an interaction. They may be in a seminar, business meeting, a work place, a concert, a religious gathering, etc. Ideally you will select a group that is small, where you can manage the amount of information you receive.
Some tips:
-Dont select a setting where there is a limited amount of interaction, like people leaving a building. These settings require more time and patience to discover patterns in behavior.
-Your location must be public and safe for you to participate.
-Do not spy on people.
-Do not feel that you must spend money on this assignment. Deciding to research a rock concert (or whatever) is fine if you are planning to pay for the ticket anyway.
Fieldwork
For this assignment you will use the technique of participant/observation to gain information on the event. While in the field you will take field notes, covering all sorts of information: What was eaten? Who was there? How are they related? Where was the event held? Etc. One of the challenges when taking field notes is recognizing what is relevant, so you can try to capture as much information as you can. While you conduct your fieldwork, simply jot down notes to yourself. Dont spend all of your time writing down information. Anthropologists use participant/observation, so participation is just as important. Ask questions of the people you are with.
After the event develop your jottings into full field notes. Describe the scene, and document the events that stood out as the most important to you. Dont rely solely on memory. These full notes will be your unit of analysis for your paper.
Research and Analysis
Once you have completed your data collection in the field, you will then need to interpret this information using one of the theories that was discussed in the lectures on the history of anthropology. During the lectures several theoretical orientations were discussed (functionalism, structural functionalism, historical particularism, multi-lineal evolutionism, structuralism, cultural materialism, interpretivism, and post-modernism). In this part of the assignment, you will select one of these perspectives, and use it as a lens through which you will describe and explain what you witnessed.
You will need to look at each type of theoretical orientation discussed in lecture, and imagine what type of questions these people would ask of their data. This will involve some library work. Research the major thinkers associated with the different approaches covered in class. Use your imagination. What did they look at? How did they answer their questions about the people they researched? Papers that actually cite anthropologists in their analysis will demonstrate greater effort, and they will be rewarded accordingly. Therefore look into the actual books written by the people mentioned in the lectures. Once youve looked at your data and formed a question you would like to answer, you will need to begin drafting your ethnographic paper.
Writing up your ethnography
Now that you have conducted your research, it is important to write about what you have learned. Your paper must be presented in the format that I outline here. If the paper is not in this format, your grade will suffer.
The paper will have 5 sections: 1) Introduction and Methods, 2) Setting and Context, 3) Analysis, 4) Conclusion, and 5) Bibliography. Label each section of the paper clearly.
In the Introduction and methods you will state the reasons for writing the paper and provide important definitions for the key terms that you use. This section normally contains a literature review that shares what other people have said about the issues you are exploring. You must also include a brief description of what you did to get the information that you are analyzing. Here you will briefly describe your activities in Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the assignment. This section is brief, but it should be effectively written. If someone else read this section of your paper, they should be able to replicate what you did based on your description.
Next, you will write the Setting and Context section. This part of the paper is where you describe the place, people and events you witnessed. This is mainly a description, but your description will only cover the events and the people that you will later analyze. Be thorough, but be concise.
Next, in the Analysis section, share with the reader what you have learned. Throughout my description of the assignment, I have presented some questions. You can answer these questions in this section. Or, if your research presented information that surprised you, mention this information here. The key is to interpret what you have found. What did you find of anthropological interest? Why was it interesting?
In the Conclusion, you will end the paper with some concluding comments about how your chosen theoretical orientation helped you better understand the event in a new way. You will simply summarize your conclusions. Do not include new information in this section. This is a common error in papers, so be careful.
Other Instructions
-The paper you write should be 5-7 pages, double spaced, and in 12 pt font (not including the Bibliography). Papers that are too short or too long will be penalized.
-Never turn in a paper without editing it first. Get friends to help with this.
-Include a bibliography. If you cite someone elses ideas, be certain you properly reference them. Plagiarism can get you kicked out of the university.
-Submit your paper as a Word document through SafeAssign on Blackboard.
Grading
Your paper will be marked using the standard percentage system (90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-59 = F). As are reserved for papers that demonstrate: adherence to the instructions provided here, a critical engagement with the anthropological literature, original thought in the analysis of the data recorded. The mark of a B will be given to papers that show good engagement with the literature, clear organization, but does not engage with relevant issues closely enough. Any paper that shows competence, but lacks focus will be given a C. Papers that get a D will show poor judgment, deficient understanding of the relevant issues, or they are unduly brief. Work that shows limited or no awareness of the topic at hand, contains serious errors in judgment and analysis, or does not conform to the rubric will receive an F.
I will use the following rubric as I grade your paper:
Thesis Statement 10 points
Grammar & Composition 5 points
Bibliography & Citations 5 points
Description 30 points
Analysis 50 points
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