Ethnographic Methods and Research Design I

Fieldwork is the defining research strategy of anthropology and demands solid preparation. This course is devoted to the practicalities of actually ‘doing’ ethnographic fieldwork in real world settings. The course is dedicated to an understanding of the practice of fieldwork methods, in particular participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, and writing and processing ethnographic field notes. Participant observation is dealt with not so much as a formal method but as a way to gather contextual information that can help in the recognition of topics for investigation, to help identify potential informants for subsequent interviewing, and to build rapport in the fieldwork setting. Further, students are taught how to classify and organize their field notes, turn observations into ethnographic data, and pay close attention to gaps in their local knowledge. The importance and complexity of language usage is also investigated by emphasizing how the social relationship between researcher and research subject shapes inter-personal communication.

Part of a solid preparation also includes the development of research skills. The scientific knowledge about people's lives, decisions, interactions, cultural models, and practices is acquired to an important degree through verbal communication. Conversations, dialogues and interviews are complex speech forms which require a thorough understanding of the social interaction among the interlocutors. A range of interviewing strategies are introduced and critically assessed, including unstructured interviewing, semi-structured interviewing, and structured interviewing. Students are trained through recording of their own exercises and post-interview evaluations. Technical aspects of interviewing such as recording and transcribing are dealt with as well.

At the same time, the course will guide students in writing their research proposal. They will complete drafts of their proposals by the end of the course in consultation with their thesis advisors with whom they will have weekly meetings.

Schedule:
For a week-by-week class schedule, please consult the course manual. Note that the schedule of the interview masterclass is intensive (3 to 4 days a week).

Commitment:
Utrecht University has an official course commitment policy. This policy consists of:

There exists no collective possibility to resubmit rewritten papers. Only students who have complied with all commitment policy requirements will be given one additional chance to submit a rewritten paper within three weeks after the course ended. Resubmission is not a right of students but a privilege given by the course coordinator on a case-to-case basis, and therefore require his permission.