Download ANTH 5020 Instructor: Ju-chen CHEN (陳如珍)

Updated: 6 September 2016
ANTH 5020
Fall 2016
Wednesday 6.30 - 9.15 PM
Classroom: NAH 11
Instructor: Ju-chen CHEN (陳如珍)
Office: NAH 408
[email protected]
Office Hours: Tue.4:30 -5:30 pm
RA: CHEN, Daina (陳岱娜) (NAH301)
[email protected]
Anthropological Field Methods
How do anthropologists conduct research? What distinguishes as anthropological research
from other kinds of research? How do field methods shape anthropological knowledge
production? How does the writing process frame and redefine a project? What are the
strength and limitation of anthropological field research? Anthropological fieldwork starts
from one’s desire to know an unfamiliar world out there and is made possible by one’s
determination to step out of your comfort zone. This course is designed to introduce
students to anthropology through learning about its research methods. Students will read
texts on anthropological research methods, fieldworkers’ reflections on their experience
and also a few ethnographic writings. Through various assignments, students will acquire
hands-on experience on data-collecting techniques including participant observation and
interviews. In the last part of the course, we will focus on the writing-up process and
reflect on the use of anthropological field methods in the contemporary world of global
connections.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course, students will be able to
− deepen their understanding of anthropology and anthropological knowledge
production,
− employ and further explore anthropological research methods and data collecting
techniques,
− evaluate the quality of an anthropological research project, and
− enhance their critical reading of ethnography.
Readings:
Students are expected to finish all required readings beforehand. All readings will be
available on Blackboard. The following three books are reserved in the University Library
Course Reserve Area.
Bernard, H. R. (2011) Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative
Approaches. Alta Mira Press.
Emerson, R. M., R. I. Fretz, et al. (2011) Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago,
University of Chicago Press.
Becker, H. S. (2007) Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book or
Article. University of Chicago Press.
Course Requirements and Evaluation
This success of this course depends on students’ interest in and commitment toward the
topics we cover. I hope the following requirements and evaluation will not only give you
feedback about how much you have learn in this class but also encourage such interest
and commitment.
Class participation
In class methods exercise and short writing assignments
Final report or research proposal (7 Dec.)
20%
50%
30%
Class Participation: This is a seminar course and a workshop. Your active participation in
class is highly important and valued. You will not be evaluated by the quality of your
comments but whether you have prepared for the class (i.e., done the reading and reflect
carefully about the topics) and actively participated in the discussion.
Methods Exercise and Short Writing Assignments: Other than class seminar, we will
conduct multiple methods exercises and do related short writing assignments in class.
These exercises aim at helping you get hands-on research experience and also to prepare
you for your final report or research proposal. Details will be further explained in class.
Final Report or Research Proposal: By the end of the course, you can choose to write a final
paper or submit a research proposal. 1) Final report: pick one of the exercise we did in
class or one stage/ technique of anthropological research methods this course introduced
as your topic. Design and conduct some more exercises for yourself and read more
extensively about this method-related topic. Write a critical reflection paper about it.
(World limits: 2500 words in English and 5000 words in Chinese). 2) Research Proposal:
Submit a research proposal that explains your research questions, relevance to
anthropology, methods, training and contribution. The course adopt the Wenner-Gren
Foundation model of proposal writing. More details will be explained later. (Length:
approximately 3000 words in English). Due: 7 Dec.
*Formats and other requirements: 1) Please use double-spaced, font size 12 or larger, and
standard margins. 2) All writings (except for those done in class) must be submitted to
VeriGuide (https://academic.veriguide.org/academic/login_CUHK.jspx). An assignment
without a signed declaration from VeriGuide will not be graded.
Course Outline:
WK1 (Sep. 7): Introduction
* Course overview
* No required reading
WK2 (Sep. 14): Anthropology, Fieldwork and Ethnography
Sluka, J. A. & Antonius C. G. M. Robben
2007 “Fieldwork in Cultural Anthropology: An Introduction.” In Ethnographic
Fieldwork. Pp. 1-28. Blackwell.
Malinowski, B.
1922 “Introduction: The Subject, Method and Scope of this Enquiry.” In
Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure
in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea. Pp. 1-25. Prospect Heights, IL,
Waveland Press, Inc.
!2
Recommended:
Spradley, James P.
1980 Part I. “Culture and Ethnography” and Ch.1 “Ethnography and Culture.” In
Participant Observation. Pp.1-12.
Spradley and McCurdy
1974 Ch.1 “Culture and Contemporary World.” In Conformity and Conflict. Pp.
1-11.
Film/Video: A Man Called ‘Bee’: Studying the Yanomamo. By Napoleon A. Chagnon and
Timothy Asch. Watertown, Mass.: Documentary Educational Resources. 2001(1974).
43 mins.
Film/Video: An anthropological introduction to YouTube. Presentation at the Library of
Congress, June 23rd, 2008 by Michael Welsh http://www.youtube.com/watch?
feature=player_embedded&v=TPAO-lZ4_hU# , accessed 28 August, 2014.
WK3 (Sep. 21): Defining Research Problem: From Idea to Research Project
Bernard, H. R.
2011 Ch. 3: “Preparing for Research.” In Research Methods in Anthropology:
Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pp. 54-81. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing
Group, Inc.
Becker, H. S.
1986 Ch. 8: “Theorized by the Literature.” In Writing for Social Scientists: How to
Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book or Article. Pp. 135-149. University of Chicago Press.
Wolcott, H. F.
1995 “4: Fieldwork vs. (Just) Being in the Field.” In The Art of Fieldwork. Pp. 65-85.
Walnut Creek, AltaMira Press.
Recommended:
Barley, Nigel
1983 Ch.1 “The Reason Why;” Ch.2 “Be Prepared;” Ch.3 “To the hill;” & “Ch.4
“Honi soit qui Malinowski.” In The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut.
Pp. 7-36. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc.
Exercise 1: Problem definition exercise
WK4 (Sep. 28): Planning: Grant Proposal and Field Sites
Maxwell, J. A.
1996 Ch. 1: “A Model for Qualitative Research Design,” Ch. 2: “Purposes: Why
Are You Doing this Research” & Ch. 4: “Research Questions: What Do You Want to
Understand?” In Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. In Qualitative
Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Pp.1-13, Pp. 14-24 & Pp. 49-62. Thousand
Oaks, London, New Delhi, Sage Publications.
Marcus, G. E.
1998 [1995] “Ethnography In/Of the World System: The Emergence of Multi-Sited
Ethnography.” In Ethnography through Thick & Thin. Pp. 79-104. Princeton University
Press.
Przeworski A. & F. Salomon
1988 “On the Art of Writing Research Proposals.” New York: Social Science
!3
Research Couuncil. www.ssrc.org
Instruction of the Wenner-Gren Foundation. http://www.wennergren.org/programs/
application-procedures/project-description-questions
Recommended:
Hannerz, Ulf
2007 [2003] “Being There… and There …. And There! Reflections on Multi-Site
Ethnography.” In Ethnographic Fieldwork. Pp. 359-367. Blackwell.
Exercise 2: Problem definition and editing exercise
Exercise 3: Field site definition exercise
WK5 (Oct. 5): Participant Observation and Rapport
Malinowski, B.
2007 [1922] “Methods and Scope of Anthropological Fieldwork.” In Ethnographic
Fieldwork: An Anthropological Reader. Pp. 46-58. Oxford: Blackwell.
Bernard, H. R.
2011 Ch. 12: “Participant Observation” In Research Methods in Anthropology:
Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pp. 256-290. Rowman & Littlefield
Publishing Group, Inc.
Agar, Michael H.
1980 Ch.3: “Who Are You to Do This?” In The professional Stranger: An Informal
Introduction to Ethnography. Pp. 41-62. New York: Academic Press.
Sluka, J. A.
2007 “Fieldwork Relations and Rapport: Introduction.” In Ethnographic Fieldwork: An
Anthropological Reader. Pp. 121-125. Oxford: Blackwell.
DeWalt, K. M. and B. R. DeWalt
2011 “6: Gender and Sex Issues in Participant Observation.” In Participant
Observation: a Guide for Fieldworkers. Pp. 99-108. Walnut Creek, CA, AltaMira Press.
Recommended:
Spradley, J. P.
1980 Ch. 2: “Doing Participant Observation.” In Participant Observation. Pp. 53-62.
New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Warren, Carol A. B.
1988 Ch. 2: “Gender and Fieldwork Relationships.” In Gender Issues in Field
Research. Pp. 12-41. Newbury Park, Beverly Hills, London and New Delhi: Sage
Publications.
Exercise 4: Participant Observation Plan Exercise
WK6 (Oct. 12): Participant Observation and Fieldnotes
DeWalt, K. M. and B. R. DeWalt
2002 “1: What is Participant Observation,” “3: Doing Participant Observation:
Becoming a Participant” & “4: Doing Participant Observation: Becoming an
Observer.” In Participant Observation: a Guide for Fieldworkers. Pp. 1-15, Pp.
35-66, and Pp. 67-82. Walnut Creek, CA, AltaMira Press.
Bernard, H. R.
!4
2006 Ch. 13: “Field Notes and Database Management” & Ch.14: “Direct and
Indrect Observation.” In Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches. Pp. 291-305 & 306-336. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing
Group, Inc.
Recommended:
Emerson, R. M., R. I. Fretz, et al.
1995 Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Exercise 5: Fieldnote Writing & Editing Exercise
WK7 (Oct. 19): Interviews and Sampling
Bernard, H. R.
2011[1995] Ch. 5: “Sampling-the basics,” Ch.7: “Nonprobability Sampling and Choosing
Informants” & Ch. 8: “Interviewing I: Unstructured and Semistructured.” In
Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pp.
146-168, 186-209 & 210-250. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
Recommended:
DeWalt, K. M. and B. R. DeWalt
2002 Ch. 7: “Informal Interviewing in Participant Observation.” In Participant
Observation: a Guide for Fieldworkers. Pp. 120-140. Walnut Creek, CA, AltaMira Press.
Spradley, James P.
1979 The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Exercise 6: Unstructured and semi-structured interview exercises
WK8 (Oct. 26): Visual Materials: Alternative Data and Representations
Collier, John Jr. and Malcolm Collier
1986 “Ch. 1: the Challenge of Observation and the Nature of Photography,”
“Ch. 2: The Camera in the Field,” “Ch. 3: Orientation and Rapport,” “Ch. 10:
Risks to Rapport in Photographing Probing,” “Ch. 17: Finding Patterns and
Meaning,” “Ch. 18: Making Conclusions.” In Visual Anthropology:
Photography as a Research Method. Pp. 1-28; 133-138; 195-206. University of
New Mexico Press.
Film/Video 3-5: Selections of clips from “Jaguar (1967),” “Jean Rouch – Premier Film
1947-1991 (1991)” and “Jean Rouch & His Camera in the Heart of Africa (1979).”
Recommended:
Rouch, Jean
2003 Ciné-Ethnography. Edited and Translated by Steven Feld. University of
Minnesota Press.
Exercise 7: TBA
WK9 (Nov. 2): Ethics and Relationship
American Anthropological Association
!5
2012 “Statement on Ethics: Principles of Professional Responsibility.” http://
www.aaanet.org/profdev/ethics/upload/Statement-on-Ethics-Principles-ofProfessional-Responsibility.pdf, accessed September 4, 2013
Bourgois, Philippe
1990 “Confronting Anthropological Ethics: Lessons from Fieldwork in Central
America.” In Ethnographic Fieldwork. Pp. 288-297. Blackwell.
Berreman, G. D.
2007 “Ethics versus ‘Realism’ in Anthropology.” In Ethnographic Fieldwork. Pp.
298-315. Blackwell.
Shay, Christopher
2009 “Should Anthropologists Go to War?” Time December 13., http://
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1947095,00.html
Recommended:
Allen, Charlotte
1997 “Spies Like Us: When Sociologists Deceive Their Subjects.” Lingua Franca
Nov., 30-39.
Exercise 8: Assess AAA case studies of ethical dilemmas. (http://www.aaanet.org/
committees/ethics/ch3.htm)
WK10 (Nov. 9): Graduation Day, No Class
WK11 (Nov. 16): Writing-up
Spradley, J. P.
1980 Ch. 3: “Making an Ethnographic Record. In Participant Observation. Pp. 63-72.
New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Emerson, R. M., R. I. Fretz, et al.
1995 “6: Processing Fieldnotes: Coding and Memoing.” In Writing Ethnographic
Fieldnotes. Pp.142-168. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Emerson, R. M., R. I. Fretz, et al.
1995 “7: Writing an Ethnography.” In Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. 169-210.
Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Recommended:
Bernard, H. R.
2006 Ch. 17: “Qualitative Data Analysis I: Text Analysis.” In Research Methods in
Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pp. 463-521. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
Exercise: Daniel Golstein’s Grant Proposal, Fieldnotes and Spectacular City
WK 12 (Nov. 23): Validity and Limits of Ethnography
Clifford, J. and G. E. Marcus, Eds.
1986 “Introduction: Partial Truths” & “Afterward: Ethnographic Writing and
Anthropological Careers.” In Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography.
Pp. 1-26 & Pp. 262-266. Berlekey, CA, University of California Press.
Abu-Lughod, Lila
1993 “Introduction.” In Writing Women's Worlds: Bedouin Stories. Pp. 1-44.
!6
Berkeley, Los Angeles, Oxford, University of California Press.
Stroller, Paul
2015 “In Defense of Ethnography.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stoller/
in-defense-of-ethnography_b_8028542.html accessed 1 September, 2015
Recommended:
Wolf, M.
1992 Ch. 5: “Writing Ethnography: The Poetics and Politics of Culture.” In A
Thrice-Told Tale: Feminism, Postmodernism, and Ethnographic Responsibility. Pp.
127-142. Stanford, Stanford University Press.
Singal, Jesse
2015 “The Internet Accused Alice Goffman of Faking Details In Her Study of a
Black Neighborhood. I Went to Philadelphia to Check.” http://nymag.com/
scienceofus/2015/06/i-fact-checked-alice-goffman-with-her-subjects.html
Accessed, 1 September, 2015.
WK 13 (Nov. 30): The Impacts of Anthropological Methods
Stoller, Paul
2009 “Prologue: The Power of the Between.” In The Power of the Between: An
Anthropological Odyssey. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. Pp.
1-11.
Rabinow, P.
2007 (1977) “Preface to the Thirtieth Anniversary Edition.” In Reflections on Fieldwork
in Morocco. Pp. xi – xxv. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, University of California
Press.
Recommended:
Marcus, George E.
2009 Introduction. In Fieldwork is not What it Used to Be. D. James Faubion and
George E. Marcus, eds. Pp.1-34. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
* Final Report or Research Proposal due on 7 December at NAH407
Policies
Late Submission: Late submission will suffer a fraction of a grade per day. For example, an
A will become an A-.
Academic Honesty: You are required to cite properly (guidelines: http://
www.cuhk.edu.hk/ant/tstyle.doc) and please refer to the university website ( http://
www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/index.htm and http://
www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/english/resource/referencing_avoidingplagiarism1.pdf) to avoid
plagiarism.
Laptop Policy: This course discourages students from using mobile phones, tablets, or
laptops in class.
!7