DISCOVERY AND DESIGN:
USING ANTHROPOLOGY TO MAKE PROJECTS WORK
SPRING 2016
RIALL W. NOLAN
When we set out to fix a problem, how do we know what problem to fix? How
do we figure out how a given problem is put together? And once we’ve found
that out, what do we do with what we now know?
These questions are fundamental to good design, but are often overlooked. Sometimes
designers don’t fully understand the problem, issue or opportunity they are designing for.
Sometimes, they understand the problem quite well, but do not know how to design an
effective response to it. Anthropology provides us with tools to learn, and respond.
This course brings these two aspects of design together, and shows people how to discover
salient aspects of a design problem and use this understanding to devise responses – ie,
projects – which will actually work. This kind of course should be attractive not just to
anthropology students, but also to students from engineering, agriculture, technology and
health sciences.
Since many Purdue students engage at one time or another in community-based project work,
and since many if not most of these projects take place in relatively unfamiliar social settings,
here and overseas, this course should enable students to improve their ability to identify salient
design opportunities, investigate them, and craft appropriate responses.
The course has three main parts:
Discovery: a set of qualitative and quantitative approaches to finding things out in
unfamiliar environments. These include Rapid Assessment Procedures (RAP), the Delphi
Technique, Domain Analysis, and Cross-Cultural Survey Design.
Design: an in-depth look at how community projects are actually put together,
beginning with goals and objectives, and moving through strategies, implementation
plans, and monitoring and evaluation. At various points, specific planning techniques
(such as PERT charting and the Logical Framework) will also be explained.
Delivery: how funding proposals for community projects are put together in ways which
clearly explain the purpose, impact, and essential features of the project in order to
secure funding or other essential support.
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COURSE SCHEDULE:
Introduction: Weeks 1 and 2
Here we will introduce the course and its aims. We will form design teams,
outline working arrangements, and begin to look at design problems to focus on.
We will also review the design process, and learn more details about where, how
and why social research fits into this process. Finally, we’ll outline the structure
of a funding proposal, and review the steps necessary to put one together.
Discovery Methods: Weeks 3 – 6
In this section, we’ll go over the fundamentals of social research, and examine a
representative set of techniques that designers use. We will look at qualitative
methods, primarily interviewing and observation. We will look at quantitative
methods, primarily survey and questionnaire design. We will also look at a
mixed-methods approach called Rapid Assessment, as well as another qualitative
technique called Delphi. Design groups will be asked to develop a set of
qualitative and quantitative approaches to their respective design problems.
Project Design: Weeks 7 – 11
Here, design groups will put the various pieces of their respective projects
together. In this process, the research methods will form an essential part of the
design process, in terms of providing the information needed for each step.
Proposals: Weeks 12 – 16
Finally, groups will write up their project designs into proposals for funding. They
will present these to a panel of judges, get feedback, and incorporate this into a
final revision.
TEXTBOOKS:
There are two required textbooks for this course:
Pelto, Pertti , Applied Ethnography: Guidelines for Field Research
Nolan, Projects That Work (revised version)
We will also be making extensive use of Blackboard and library materials to supplement the
two main texts.
EXPECTATIONS:
The course is highly participative and interactive. I’ll expect you to keep up with the reading, to
think about what you’ve read, and to talk about it in class with me and with other students.
Attendance is a requirement, and I’ll expect your assignments to be handed in on time.
Attendance at class sessions is required, unless I excuse you in advance. This will be a fairly
demanding course. You are not only expected to read and absorb written material, but to
contribute actively to class discussions with me and with each other.
I will expect you to come to class with the reading and the assignments done. We will do a lot
of discussing in class, and a large part of your grade will be based on this. And although all of
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you are expected to talk, I also expect you to think before you talk.
After our design teams are formed, there will be occasions on which teams will need to meet
and/or discuss matters outside of class time. We will need to set up a mechanism for doing this
effectively, and each of you will be expected to participate.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:
Grading will be based on participation, class presentations, and the final proposal.
Participation: Twenty-five percent of your final grade will be based on the extent and
quality of your class participation. This component includes attendance and reading: if
you don’t attend, or if you don’t read the material, you won’t be able to contribute.
Presentations: Students will do several group class presentations. Twenty-five percent
of your final grade will be based on these.
Project Design: Fifty percent your final grade will be based on your team project.
25% of the Final Grade
Grade
A
B
Attendance
attends all
class
sessions
attends all
class
sessions
Reading
does all
required
reading
does all
required
reading
Class
Participation
class
participation
makes a
major
contribution
to the class
and the aims
of the course
class
participation
is lively,
informed and
helpful to the
aims of the
course
25%
Class
Presentations
presentations are
thoughtprovoking and
highly original;
could be
delivered before
a professional
audience
presentations are
polished and
professional, and
contains original
ideas and
approaches
50%
Project Design
Design is
thoughtprovoking and
highly original;
could be
submitted for
funding.
this grade is
reserved for truly
excellent
performance
Design is
polished and
professional and
contains original
ideas and
approaches
this grade
reflects superior
performance
C
attends all
class
sessions
does all
required
reading
participates
fully in class
discussions
are of acceptable
quality - no major
mistakes
Design is of
acceptable
quality - no
major mistakes
D
does not
attend all
class
sessions
does not
do all
the
reading
does not
always
participate in
class
discussions
the presentations
could have been
improved in
some important
ways
The design could
have been
improved in
some important
ways
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Comments
this grade
reflects
adequate (i.e.,
good)
performance
which fully
satisfies the
course
requirements
this grade
indicates
performance
which is less
than adequate in
certain respects
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In situations where final grades are “borderline” (between a C and D, for example, or between
an A and an A-) I will take class participation into account. Class participation doesn’t just mean
raising your hand and talking; it means making sense when you do that. So it’s not just the fact
of your speaking up in class, it’s the quality that you bring to the discussion. Not talking is your
choice, but it may count against you.
A FEW SIMPLE GROUND RULES FOR CLASSROOM PROTOCOL:
I will expect you to give your undivided attention to what goes on in my classroom. If you are
here, then be here. This means no cell phones, no laptops, no newspapers, no iPods – nothing
at all that takes your attention away from the class. You can bring them in, but they must be
turned off and put away, off your desk. You’re not allowed to text, check email, or use any
electronic device while in class.
I do not allow weapons of any kind in my classroom. If you’re unsure about what the word
“weapon” means, see me. If you’d like to discuss your views on the Second Amendment with
me, I’m happy to oblige. See me after class.
No loud eating. I don’t particularly care for food in my classroom, but I understand your need
for nutrition. Keep your eating and drinking quiet, and clean up after yourself.
Come to my class sober and alert. If I see you sleeping or nodding off, I will send you home.
Finally, take your hats off in my class, please. I’m just old-fashioned in that respect. It’s not
really an obstacle to your learning, more an obstacle to my teaching. Humor me if you will.
LATE SUBMISSION/MAKE-UP/EXTRA CREDIT WORK
I do not accept late assignments. Things are due when I say they are due. I don’t allow people
to make up work or tests they’ve missed, or to do things for extra credit.
OFFICE HOURS/MEETINGS
I am happy to meet with you at any mutually convenient time. The easiest way to set this up is
to email me and tell me when you’re free. You’ll generally get a response right away.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
US Federal law and Purdue campus policy protect you from sexual harassment. If you feel that
you are or have been the victim of sexual harassment, please contact me, another faculty
member, or the Human Resources Office.
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY
The work you turn in for this course should be original – i.e., your own. Any material that you
borrow from other sources should be acknowledged in the appropriate way, using standard
academic formats. Plagiarism is a serious academic and professional matter, and if you do
this, you will receive a failing grade for the course. If you have any questions whatsoever
about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me.
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OBSTACLES TO LEARNING
Anyone having any condition interfering with their learning and participation should bring this
to my attention. This includes such things as difficulty with sight or hearing, dyslexia, difficulty
with understanding, speaking or reading English, allergies, medical conditions, or any other
factor -- physical, mental or situational -- which affects your performance in this course.
Knowing this will help me help you.
If you have a disability that requires special academic accommodation, let me know during the
first week of class, and also notify the Disability Resource Center. It is your responsibility to do
this.
ABOUT ME
I’m a social anthropologist and a specialist in development planning. I have a BA in Psychology
from Colgate University, and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex in
England. I did my doctoral dissertation on social and economic change among the Bassari
people of Eastern Senegal, where I lived for three years.
I’ve worked for the World Bank, USAID, and several national governments, in addition to a
variety of US consulting firms and NGOs. I’ve lived overseas for nearly twenty years, in mainly
in Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Tunisia and Sri Lanka. In these countries I helped design and
manage a variety of development projects in areas such as housing, community development,
urban development, agriculture, livestock and water supply. I’ve also done short-term
assignments in areas such as training, needs assessment, and project evaluation, in Asia, Africa
and the former Soviet Union. I speak French, Melanesian Pidgin, and two Senegalese languages.
I’ve taught and/or done research at several universities and colleges, including the University of
Papua New Guinea, the University of California at Berkeley, Georgia State University, the School
for International Training, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Cincinnati, and the
Universities of Sussex and Cambridge in the UK.
I’ve written a book and a series of articles on the Bassari, and have also written books and
articles on other topics, such as international development work, cross-cultural adjustment,
and careers for non-academic anthropologists. I have written several other books on nonacademic subjects. Until recently, I was Purdue’s Dean of International Programs, and I still am
active in the international education field.
I’m married to Christine Nolan, who used to work for Purdue as a regional development
planner. We have one son, William, who is a software designer and lives in San Francisco. I like
to travel, hike, write, and build furniture.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions or concerns at any time, please call me at 496-2014, email me at
rwnolan@purdue.edu, or take your chances and stop by the office at 219B Stone. If I’m there
and I’m free, I’ll see you. If I’m not there, you can make an appointment to see me, either with
the departmental secretary, or by email to me.
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