As part of ANTH 105, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, a strong emphasis is placed upon the methodology of anthropologists, and their roles and responsibilities to the communities they study. As part of this content, students are assigned a two-part paper which requires them to identify a sub-culture and spend three hours of participant observation at an event or venue associated with that sub-culture.  This assignment is based on a similar approach adopted for undergraduates by Paul Kutsche (1998) of Colorado College. 

 

Students first submit a 'methods' paper, where they summarize existing literature and research on the group, and outline their methodological approach, including modifications for ethical practice (e.g. informed consent). Once this methods paper has been reviewed, and feedback given, the students undertake their fieldwork and compile their results within a research paper which documents their experience of, observations and conclusions on this sub-culture, within the context of existing research.

 

Bibliography:

Kutsche, P. 1998  Field ethnography : a manual for doing cultural anthropology. Prentice Hall.