Anthropology 101 Fieldwork Project
In this class, your final assignment will be a fieldwork project, which you will work on
throughout the semester. There are several learning goals for this project:
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You will get to experience fieldwork and reflect on the ethics, challenges and rewards of
research.
You will be able to experiment with different fieldwork methodologies.
You will have the chance to apply what we are learning in the class to a real world case.
You will have the chance to think about the interrelationship between theory and people’s
lived experiences.
You will be supported in developing your writing and critical thinking skills.
Every paper written as part of this project should be clearly written, well-organized, and should
include proper citations and a references cited page. Papers should be double spaced, in Times or
Times New Roman font, with standard margins (1” top & bottom, 1.25” left and right).
The project will be broken down into many steps, so please read this entire assignment carefully,
and ask questions if anything is unclear to you.
Step 1: Practice fieldwork assignment
20% of final project. Due in class Thursday 9/20.
Visit a field site of your choice, observe the everyday activities taking place there, and
analyze them in terms of either race or gender. Write up a 2-3 page reflection on what you saw
and experienced. Before you conduct your field-visit, you should take notes about your
expectations as to what you will see, so that you can compare them to what you actually witness.
It is important to relate your observations to the readings from class. Think about the
different approaches to fieldwork we have read and discussed in class thus far. Remember: you
are a social scientist visiting a research site. Try to keep an objective stance, pay close attention
to the details of your observation, take notes during the visit (if appropriate) or immediately
after, and be respectful.
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Choose an everyday activity being performed by one person, or a small group of people
(e.g. friends getting ready to go out, a person preparing dinner, a trip to the shopping
center, etc.)
Watch this activity carefully. Do not take notes if this may be embarrassing or
distracting for you or the people being observed.
Write up your observation. Describe it in detail- include the location, specifics about the
individuals involved, your own reactions, the actions involved.
Analyze what you have observed: Do you notice aspects of this behavior that seemed to
be related to people’s beliefs and experiences of race or gender? Describe.
Step 2: Choose your fieldwork topic, and conduct background research
Reflect on your experience doing fieldwork, and the readings from class as we go along,
and select a topic to study for the remainder of your fieldwork project. Our class focuses on
anthropological approaches to race, class and gender, and so you should be able to examine your
fieldwork topic through at least one of these lenses. Try to think of a topic that is easily explored
through on-site fieldwork. If you are interested in how people’s racial experience influences their
relationship with the criminal justice system, for example, you could conduct fieldwork in the
arraignment courtrooms at central booking, or on the busses that carry New Yorkers to visit
family members to visit Riker’s Island.
After you have selected your topic, and brainstormed how you could conduct fieldwork
related to it, do background research on the subject. What larger power structures and historical
trends are influencing your topic, and shaping the place you will be conducting fieldwork? Look
up more information on these structural forces. News articles are a good starting point for these
investigations, but should be complemented by scholarly sources. Try searching anthropological
journals on: http://www.jstor.org/
Step 3: Short research paper
30% of final project. Due in class Thursday, 11/13.
In a 2-3page paper, outline the results of the background research you have conducted on
your topic. What larger power structures shape people’s experiences in your field site? What is
the nature of these structures, and how do they work? Pick the best parts of your research, which
relate closely to your chosen fieldwork topic, and briefly indicate what kind of behaviors,
attitudes, opinions or social dynamics you will watch out for during your upcoming fieldwork in
order to identify these structures at work.
Step 4: Participant observation
If you haven’t started already, visit a field-site and conduct participant observation
related to your topic. Try to keep an eye out for activities, behaviors, or expressions of beliefs
related to the structural forces you have uncovered in the course of your background research.
Step 5: Write a rough draft of your paper.
Must be completed by Tuesday 12/4
Write a rough draft of your final paper, which you can use for reference during a class
presentation. This paper doesn’t have to have perfect structure or grammar, but should indicate
your argument and the evidence you are using to support it.
Guidelines for the paper: In a 4-6 page paper, analyze the things you observed during
your fieldwork in terms of the class readings and your own background research. Make
substantive use of at least two course readings in constructing your analysis. Make sure to reflect
on the following questions:
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What kind of class, race or gendered power structures did you uncover in the
course of your background research, and how do you see these structures at work
in your field site?
How do readings from class relate to the dynamics you observed at your field site,
and the rest of your research?
What is your relationship to the group or behavior you observed, and did your
presence affect the actions of people in your field site in any way?
Did you come in with assumptions that changed? If so, what were they?
What are some questions this research raises for you? How could you go about
conducting further research to answer them?
Step 5: Class presentation
During class, present the rough draft of your paper. Share with your fellow students the
fieldwork topic you chose, the results of your background research, and how you think class,
racial or gender power structures impinge upon what you observed. Indicate evidence from your
field notes that support your hypotheses.
Following your presentations, students will offer constructive critiques and feedback that
may help you identify weak points in your argument, indicate other texts that may be helpful in
your analysis, or otherwise help you write a good final draft.
Step 6: Revise your paper and complete a final draft
50% of final project. Due in class Monday 12/12.
Using the feedback you got from class, revise your paper and complete a final draft.
Check your grammar, spelling, organization, formatting etc. Even more importantly, make sure
that your ideas are clearly communicated, and that your analysis is strong, and makes use of the
course materials, the research you have conducted, and your field notes. You may want to try
reading your paper aloud to be sure that it makes sense, or sharing it with a friend or family
member.