As a graduate instructor of record for undergraduate Introduction to Social Anthropology courses, I recognized a crucial gap in my own training – while I had learned about various ethnographic research methods in theory, I lacked firsthand experience applying and reflecting on these techniques before being expected to conduct fieldwork as a graduate student. To bridge this gap, I designed a comprehensive four-part assignment that guided students through progressively immersive participant observation exercises.
The assignment sequence begins by developing foundational skills in passive observation and detailed note-taking through an exercise conducted in a public setting (Part 1). Students then advance to conducting non-directive interviews that explore identity and expressions of self (Part 2), honing skills like active listening, open-ended questioning, and analyzing interview dynamics – abilities that fall within the "applying" and "analyzing" levels of Bloom's taxonomy.
|
|
Part 3 challenges students by requiring observation without concurrent note-taking, forcing them to rely on post-hoc recollection and critically evaluate the pros and cons of this method. This exercise targets higher-order skills such as creating, evaluating, and synthesizing ethnographic data from memory.
The culminating Part 4 involves conducting and recording in-depth interviews centered on the students' domains of interest, further developing competencies like open questioning, active listening, and coding/analyzing qualitative data.
The culminating Part 4 involves conducting and recording in-depth interviews centered on the students' domains of interest, further developing competencies like open questioning, active listening, and coding/analyzing qualitative data.
|
|
By systematically progressing through these four components, students gain invaluable hands-on training in key ethnographic methods while simultaneously developing metacognitive abilities to critique their experiences as researchers. The assignment's design reflects a carefully scaffolded approach that builds observational, interpersonal, analytical, and self-reflective capacities – vital skillsets for any aspiring anthropologist or ethnographer.
This sample rubric aligns the criteria to the specific skills and level of competency expected for each part of the 4-part ethnography assignment sequence. The descriptions provide clear feedback on what constitutes exemplary, satisfactory or insufficient performance for each ethnographic skill area.
|
|