Fieldwork Exercise – Anthropology 110
The purpose of this exercise is to practice conducting fieldwork and to experience the
challenges that come with doing participant observation.
1. Go to the local shopping mall
2. Sit and observe for 15 – 20 minutes and record your observations of the
following:
a. Surroundings
i. Environment
ii. People: individuals or groups and their behavior/s
3. Then go into at least 5 stores or departments within larger department stores in
which they have never been. The idea here is to be in etic situations.
4. Now sit and reflect upon your etic situations. Record your thoughts on these
experiences.
5. Write a 1 – 2 page reflection of their experiences on conducting their fieldwork.
6. Submit your original hand-written notes from #1 with your typewritten
assignment.
7. Your Fieldwork Exercise submission should be 2 full pages in length, Times New
Roman 12pt. font, and it should be single-spaced, 1” margings.