San Diego Mesa College ~ Fall 2005
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This small project involves conducting a ethnographic study of a religious community.
The results of this project will be submitted in the form of a short (3-5 page) paper at the end of the class. This paper will involve more effort than you think, so please attend to this project as soon as possible.
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The point of this exercise is to encourage you to learn about your local community, to more carefully examine cultural patterns around you, and to gain some experience in objectively recording social phenomena. In this assignment you will apply some of the terms and ideas you have acquired in this class a specific range of social behavior. You should use these concepts to construct an ethnographic description of what you have observed. This will involve conducting background research, creation of a series of study objectives,
This study will be aimed at broadening your understanding of an individual religious community in our larger socio-cultural framework. This target group has the following advantages for this type of study:
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Their meetings are usually held regularly at permanent locations.
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They are usually welcoming or tolerant of outside visitors
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They are often integrated into larger ethnic communities
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They center on extremely complex symbolic systems and worldviews.
Careful selection of the proper subject group can provide great opportunities for examining your own ethnocentrism as well as the extent of your cultural literacy.
You should pick a project that interests you. What group, or groups, in the local area would you like to know more about? Choose a religious community which is either completely unknown to you or which is not your own but that holds your interest. Check the phone book or Internet to locate nearby meetings. Make sure that you will be able to attend at least two meetings. Before proceeding contact the leaders of the community, preferable in person. Identify yourself, explain your purpose, and make certain that your presence will not be disruptive. Find out what attire and conduct is expected. In scheduling your visits be aware of special celebrations or events.

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Prior to your field visits you will need to conduct an extensive background study on your religious group. Things that you need to consider are:
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The basic theological framework of the groups beliefs
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The origin and history of the group
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The relations of this group to its parent religion and other religions
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Aspects of this group you would like to explore or explain.
You should derive a set of research questions that you think can be addressed by your observations. Your question might address the relation between this community and ethnicity, or the emic/etic views of relations of this faith community with the larger society, the social functional aspects of this group, or the socio-economic status of its members. Once you have arrived at these, make a check-list of things you particularly want to note. Lastly, if you want to interview individuals in this project you should produce a brief and culturally sensitive questionnaire to use in your study. The instructor must certify the questionnaire prior to use.
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Choose a location in which you can safely place yourself in the position of an observer. .
Approach the problem as if you were an ethnographer observing this aspect of a society for the very first time. Be sure to record all the important facts you can gather such as:
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Who? Who makes up the study group? Are their social divisions? Can you discern these divisions by behavior or symbols? How?
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Why? What social or personal function does this behavior serve? What are the social proscriptions or persuasions that lead these people to this gathering?
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Where? Is the site significant? If so, what aspects are important, and why?
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How do the people interact? What, if any, are the rituals or socially proscribed behaviors you observe? Are their different roles in the group? Are they based upon wealth, status, or other factors?
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The final paper should consist of 3 to 5 pages of single-spaced text and additional reference pages as needed. A sample of your survey forms, if used, should also be attached. The essay should be divided into sections that describe any necessary background to the study, your study group, circumstances of your observations, your data, and your conclusions. This is a college level paper, so proper spelling, use of citations, and sentence structure is required. References to outside sources are encouraged. If you have questions regarding reference formats please contact me. I will accept any recognized citation format for this paper.