Name:
RACE FIELDWORK ASSIGNMENT:
Typed Report and Interview Sheet
This is what you’ll submit for credit. BEFORE STARTING THE ASSIGNMENT, READ THE
INSTRUCTIONS SHEET!
Address each question below, for a total word length of at least 250 words. Proper sentence
structure and spelling counts! Type your answers in the space beneath each question, and don’t type
your responses in bold.
I. INTRODUCTION:
1) Briefly explain whom you interviewed, the date(s) of your interviews, locations and
method(s) you used (e.g. by telephone, in person, etc.). Discuss whether you ran into
any obstacles or challenges while you collected your data.
II. DATA INTERPRETATION:
Refer to the data you recorded on the Interview Sheet(s) to address the following and make sure you
answer each part of each question:
2a) Explain whether you detect any correlation, or link, between the numbers of “races”
the people in your study sample provided and their gender, age, “race” or other
cultural/social factor (e.g. education level, nationality, religious beliefs, class, etc.)?
b) There’s a lot of confusion in our society about the “race” concept: what it means, how
it differs from the concept known as “ethnicity”, etc. More than likely, members of your
study sample gave varying descriptions of race. Look over your data and consider the
number of people who defined “race” in the following manner:
Culturally (described such things as nationality, cultural heritage, or social, linguistic or
religious traditions)
Physically (emphasized physical/biological characteristics, such as facial features, blood
types, genetic makeup, etc.)
Both Culturally and Physically (included a combination of cultural and physical
elements in their answer)
Provide a brief explanation, with examples, of how the people in your study sample
described race. Then explain why you think different people may perceive race
differently, by discussing the factors you feel influence the way people view race.
III. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Answer the following questions based on your interviewing experience, the information provided in
Chapter 12, and the “Does Race Exist?” articles:
3) Racial classification systems differ dramatically around the world. Different societies
define race differently, recognize different numbers of races, use different criteria with
which to classify people into races, etc. What do you think might be some of the reasons
behind this?
4) Many anthropologists argue that Races (categories based on biological/physical traits)
are not a valid means of classifying people. In fact, many argue that Race does not exist
at all and this topic cannot be studied scientifically. These social scientists prefer using
the term Ethnicity (categories based on cultural heritage) to describe humans. What is
your opinion on this issue? Justify your position with examples from the readings and
your interviews.
5) How do you think the knowledge obtained in studies on Human Variation – the branch
of Physical Anthropology that studies the relationship between biological traits and
environment, discussed in Chapter 12 - can be used to fight the racial discrimination that
still exists in our country and around the world?
RACE INTERVIEW SHEET
Print this sheet and bring it with you to your interviews. Don’t allow the people in your study sample to fill in
the answers themselves or look at this sheet! After the interviews, type everyone’s responses below. You must
interview at least 10 people, but may include more in your study sample if you wish (simply add rows to the
table below or cut and paste to create a second one).
Questions to ask each person:
1) How do you define “race”?
2) How many human races do you believe there are?
3) What are several examples? (have them provide names of several races they know of)
Personal data:
Record each person’s sex, age (approximation OK), & race (as he/she describes it, not your opinion!)
Definition of Race
#
Examples
Sex
Age
Race