I. Course Title: Principles of Ethnography (GE)
II. Course Number: ANSC 305
III. Credit Hours: 3 credits
IV. Prerequisites: ANSC 106
V. Course Description:
This course will introduce students to the principles of ethnographic practice as
employed in cultural anthropology. Students will learn the first principles of ethnographic
methods, explore fieldwork practices, and analyze ethnographic writing practices.
Finally, we will practice an applied form of ethnography as students seeks to take
what they have learned in the classroom and conduct ethnographic research in their
own community.
Note(s): General Education and Humanistic or Artistic Expression designated course.VI. Detailed
Description of Content of the Course:
1. First Principles
In the introductory unit of this course, students will review the anthropological
concept of culture and the primary principles of the discipline. Students will also
engage with ethical principles in anthropology as we lay the foundation for sound
practical applications.
2. Fieldwork Practices
In this unit, students will learn past fieldwork practices in anthropology, starting
with participant observation, and including informant cultivation, language lessons,
note taking practices, and other documentation methods.
3. Ethnographic Writing
Once data has been collected, anthropologists have long debated over best practices
in how data can be summarized and presented to best represent a foreign culture.
Students will learn about various methods in ethnographic writing, including culture,
structural functionalism, symbolic approaches to encapsulating a foreign culture.
4. Applied Ethnography
In the final unit of this class, students will apply the principals of ethnography
to a study of their own community. Students will practice participant observation,
document interactions, and summarize the results in an ethnography that is rooted
in anthropological best practices and aligned with ethical principles within the discipline.
VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:
This course will include a combination of original source readings, lectures, and
discussions to lay the foundations of ethnographic practices. Students will participate
in an active learning assignment throughout the semester where they prepare for their
own ethnographic experience, which will include background research, fieldwork preparation,
and observations, all of which will be summarized in a final ethnographic paper.
VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:
This course is designated as E (Humanistic or Artistic Expression) Area for the REAL Curriculum and fulfills the learning goal: To explore humanistic or artistic expression through inquiry or creativity. Students will fulfill the learning outcomes in this area: demonstrate understanding of diverse ideas, languages, products, or processes of humanistic inquiry or artistic expression and critically evaluate, synthesize, or create forms of human expression or inquiry.
This course may be applied to the REAL Studies Minor in Humanistic/Artistic Expression.
Goal of the Class:
Students will explore cultural diversity by learning about ethnographic practices
and enacting their own ethnographic study.
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of ethnographic methods and practices.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity and differences.
3. Students will be able to critically evaluate the differences between methods of
ethnographic writing to describe other cultures.
VIII. Assessment Measures:
Students may be evaluated on the basis of their performance in class discussions,
examinations, papers, and/or oral presentations.
Review and Approval
August, 2020
August, 2021