PRACTICING ETHNOGRAPHY (10 POINTS)
Cultural anthropology is centered on careful observations of people. In this exercise, you will practice making anthropological observations.Your assignment is to make formal observations, consider your results and then write them up for the essay. The aim of the observation is to identify patterns of behavior anthropologists call social norms.
Observe and record people in a public setting such as the CUB, library, dining hall, or UREC. Choose an area where you will not be interrupted by friends, so try out a new place for you. In order not to intrude, your observations should be primarily nonverbal such as kinesics (body language) and proxemics (distance between people) rather than trying to eavesdrop.
Use the recording forms to make observations. Plan to observe for at least1-1.5 hr continuously. People often leave before you can observe them, so expect to be patient.Make observations every few minutes on each individual. Include interactions between people, body language, position, how material objects are used, etc. You can record conversation if you can hear it without intruding. Make note of gender, age, group size, etc. This will take at least one full side of the log, probably more.
After you make observations, think about how you can organize your information. Can you identify conventional behaviors representing social norms?For instance, were there conventions of how people greeted each other, or how they sat, or how they talked together? Didbehavior change when new people joined the group? How did group patterns differ from what people did alone?
Essay
Your essay should include a summary of the people you observed, the setting, why you chose it, your observations, and any patterns that you observed. You will also submit the log.
Format
• 2 pages double spaced, standard fonts, 1 in margins.
• Write in first person using formal language (try to be a cultural relativist!)
• Turn in your log.This can be a print of a photo of the log (such as from your phone), or you can type out your notes as you choose.
A few tips:
– Write quietly without jerking into action or writing enthusiastically, which makes people stop acting naturally.
– Give each person a code name like S1 so that you have an easy way to differentiate your observations by speaker.
– Try not to get frustrated if the first group leaves before you have seen much – chalk it up to experience and start again. People often linger during lunch and in the afternoons, which may be good “people watching” times.
– Have a plan for what to say if you see friends while working. If they interrupt you, you will have to start over. Usually a simple gesture will indicate you are not free right now.
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