Ethnographic approaches are foundational in anthropology, drawing on a range of qualitative methods to construct a portrait of people, their culture and lifeworlds in situ. Ethnographic methodologies have also become increasingly popular in non-anthropological disciplines which recognise the value of understanding social processes from ‘within’ the contexts in which they occur through participant-observation. This paper aims to equip students with both a sound theoretical understanding of ethnographic approaches and a set of practical skills that may be immediately applied to academic or other forms of social research, inside and outside of anthropology. Students will have the opportunity to develop and carry out a complete research project with support and constructive feedback through each stage, including: planning and design of research, ethical issues and processes, life ‘in the field’, visual, digital, sensory, geospatial, and applied forms of ethnography, interviewing, data recording and analysis, and oral and written presentation of findings. Students who take this course can expect to come away with the skills, understandings and experience of the research process necessary for self-directed research at masters-level or above.

This course is taught in a weekly, three-hour seminar on Mondays from 1pm - 4pm. In addition to attending these classes, students will be expected to complete assignments and read materials. As a 30-point paper, the expected workload for this paper is an average of about 20 hours per week.

There are a number of assigned readings for each week listed below. These will be available to you through Moodle. You are expected to do all these readings prior to class, and arrive ready and willing to discuss them with your classmates. Alongside the required readings, some relevant and recommended resources will be linked through Moodle.

Our weekly classes will be discussion-based workshops that include practical activities aimed at developing your understanding and honing your research skills in relation to your research assignment and your future research plans. These classes also function as a space for supervision, guidance and support for you as you carry out your research project. For ethical and safety reasons, therefore, attendance is compulsory. If you are medically unable to attend a class, or need to miss a class due to life events (bereavement, family illness, etc.) you will need to negotiate this with the course convener. You may be asked to meet with your lecturer in person or via Zoom, and/or view the lecture online (live-feed or recording) in lieu of in-class supervision.

As a class member, you are also expected to arrive to class prepared, participate fully in activities, and create a safe and supportive environment for your classmates, including offering constructive feedback. As well as any questions or issues the readings raise for you, you should come prepared to share something you are taking away from the readings to apply to the development of your research project. As graduate students you are expected to think critically and independently, making connections for yourselves between the materials and ideas you are exposed to in different papers and be able to present and debate your ideas constructively with your peers.

The course assessment is oriented around a core research project that you will develop, carry out, and report. The assessment components are designed to build upon each other to guide you through this process. You will be provided with a detailed description of each assessment component and assessment criteria on Moodle as well as in-class explanations.

All resources for this course can be found on Moodle or Talis.

This is a 30 point paper and so students can expect to spend 20 hours per week on lectures, readings, and assignments.