ETHNOGRAPHY:
Theory and Practice
(SCAN08005)
2012/2013
School of Social and Political
Science
COURSE ORGANIZER
Dr Rebecca Marsland
r.marsland@ed.ac.uk
Social Anthropology
COURSE SECRETARY
Ms Karen Dargo
Karen.dargo@ed.ac.uk
tel: 0131 651 1306
Undergraduate Teaching Office
School of Social and Political Science
Chrystal Macmillan Building
GUEST LECTURERS
Siobhan Magee
Dr Lotte Hoek
Dr Maya Mayblin
TUTORS
Siobhan Magee
s.h.magee@sms.ed.ac.uk
Lucy Bull
L.Bull-2@sms.ed.ac.uk
Elizabeth Hodson
ehodson@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
LECTURES
Tuesday, 15:10 - 16:00
Appleton Tower, Lecture Theatre 4
Students must become familiar with course regulations applicable to first and
second-year courses in the School of Social and Political Science as a whole. Thus
this document should be read in conjunction with the Social and Political Science
Student Handbook, 2012-2013 - a guide to common information and procedures for
students in first and/or second year courses throughout the School. This booklet
contains detailed information on assessment of coursework, criteria for grading
coursework, plagiarism, study skills, penalties for late essays, course evaluation, etc.
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
page 3
Course Overview
page 5
The Wiki
page 6
Assessment
page 7
Fieldnotes
page 8
Interview Transcript
page 9
Book Review
page 10
Final Project Report
page 12
Tutorials
page 13
Lectures
page 16
Reading
page 19
Plagiarism
page 21
Referencing and Bibliography
page 21
How to Submit Your Project Report and Book Review on Learn
page 22
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Ethnography: Theory and Practice. This is a course which combines a
number of experiments in teaching and learning. It introduces students to the method
of social research known as ethnographic fieldwork or ethnography. Although most
often associated with anthropologists working in distant corners of the world,
ethnography is a method increasingly employed by researchers across the social
sciences, with interests that range from traditional religious practices to the use of
modern high-technology products. It builds on one of the most successful and longrunning components of our teaching - the Space Project, a group research project
which ran for many years as part of Social Anthropology 2. The course is different
from other courses in the School in several ways: it makes less use of lectures, with
the key work all happening in small groups based in weekly tutorial sessions; it has
no final exam, but demands more from students in terms of regular writing and
engagement in practical project work; and it involves students in their own
assessment, and in the assessment of other students’ work.
3
This course introduces undergraduate students to the theory and practice of
ethnographic fieldwork. At the heart of this course is a collaborative project in which
students will learn about qualitative methods by putting them to the test in practical
group work. The course is open to all second year undergraduates within the School
of Social and Political Science.
Aims
This course aims to familiarize students with the history, theory and practice of
ethnography as a method of social science research. Through collaborative practical
work, students will gain an understanding of ethnographic research methods and
working in research teams. The continual assessment of written field notes and
research reports will improve the writing competence of undergraduate students and
make them aware of different writing styles.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of
ethnography as a qualitative method, both practically and theoretically. They will
have engaged in a collaborative research project, learned how to work in research
teams, and have gained an understanding of the practice of ethnographic fieldwork
and its methodology. Through the writing of field notes, research reports and an
ethnographic essay, students will exercise and improve their writing skills.
Teaching Methods
This course will consist of lectures on the history and theory of ethnography and
tutorials in which the practice of ethnographic methods will be prepared and
evaluated. Practical ethnographic fieldwork is undertaken by the undergraduate
research teams during the second half of the course. The course will be delivered by
dedicated lecturers and tutors who will closely accompany the practical work
undertaken by the students. The tutors’ engagement with the undergraduate
research teams will be the key for the transfer of methodological skills.
Because of the importance of the tutorials it is essential that you attend every
tutorial. If you cannot attend (e.g. because of illness) please contact your tutor
before the tutorial in question.
Format
This course will run over ten weeks and consist of a one hour lecture and a one hour
tutorial per week. The lectures will stress the history and theory of ethnography. The
tutorials will facilitate the practical research work.
4
COURSE OVERVIEW
Week
Tutorials
Lectures
Week 1
No tutorial
Week 2
Space Project:
ethics and ethnography
Week 3
Reporting back:
observations and field
notes
Interviews and talking
to others
Introduction: The
Project, The Wiki,
the Tutorial
(RM)
Fieldwork and
Anthropology
(SM)
Space 1: Writing
fieldnotes (RM)
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Exceptional
Ethnography
(LH)
Field notes uploaded
to the wiki (deadline
12 noon 12 Oct)
Reporting back:
observations and field
notes
Space 2: Spaces
and arguments
(RM)
Interview transcripts
uploaded to the wiki
(deadline 12 noon 19
Oct)
14:00-16:00, 17th
October, special
session on the Library
and Online Research
Resources, Faculty
Room North, David
Hume Tower
Analysing fieldwork
data and finding
themes
Exceptional
Ethnography
(MM)
Book reviews
submitted to Learn
(deadline 12 noon 26
Oct)
Week 7
Exploring relevant
literature
Week 8
No tutorial
Space 3: Writing
ethnography
(RM)
Drop in Clinic (RM)
Week 9
Project presentations
No lecture
Week 10
Peer review of projects
Course review
No tutorial
No lecture
Week 11
Coursework
deadlines
Final Wrap Up of
the course
(RM)
5
Submit final project
reports to Learn
(deadline 12 noon 16
November)
Reports returned
THE WIKI
As you do your coursework and learn about ethnographic theory and method, you
will also collaborate with the teaching staff to understand your own learning process.
Through submission of pieces of written work, focused discussions in tutorials and on
the class wiki, and reflection on the learning process in your field journals, you will be
taking part in a collaborative research process, in addition to your own Space
Projects.
We have created an Ethnography Wiki on Learn. To access it:
1. Log into Ease
2. Open Learn, and Ethnography: Theory and Practice
3. On the left hand menu, find Ethnography Wiki, and click on it
4. Click on the Ethnography Wiki link that appears on the main screen
5. You are now in the wiki, and you can add and edit content, and write
comments on each other’s research findings.
Further instructions on using the wiki, and uploading assignments (fieldnotes,
interview transcripts, and a copy of your final research report) will be issued in the
lectures.
6
ASSESSMENT
This course will be assessed in two parts:
1) A short essay taking the form of a critical book review of the field methods used
in one particular monograph selected by you (40%).
2) A collaborative ethnographic research project that you will undertake in teams
(60%).
The marks for the collaborative research project are calculated from four
components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
a collaborative final project report (50%).
individual writing assignment a: fieldnotes sample (20%)
Individual writing assignment b: interview transcript (20%).
peer assessment of the final project report (10%).
A considerable emphasis is placed on peer assessment. Guidance on marking and
assessment criteria will be given later in the course.
7
Fieldnotes
For this assignment you will upload onto the wiki a 1,000 word sample of your
fieldnotes from your observations in week 3. You may add an Appendix with the
remaining fieldnotes to set the context if you feel this is necessary, but this will not be
marked.
Deadline 12 noon, 12th October
Marking Descriptors For Field Notes
A (70-100%) A sharply-focused sample which maintains a high level of detail, depth
of observation and reflexivity throughout. Events and experiences should be
described in detail. It might also include other materials such as diagrams or
photographs.
B (60-69%) A very good sample that shows qualities beyond the merely routine or
acceptable. What the writer did, observations, events and experiences should be
described fully. The sample should show some attempt to be reflexive – reflecting on
the writer’s own positioning and experience in the field. Writing should be coherent
and well presented.
C (50-59%) A satisfactory sample with elements of the routine and predictable. There
should be evidence of a basic understanding of the task in question. It should provide
some more detailed description, observation and reflexivity beyond basic/vital
information - if rather shallow or under-developed. The quality of expression and
writing should be acceptable.
D (40-49%) A passable sample which shows an understanding of the task and
contains the basic/vital information and observations (who, what, where, when etc.).
The general impression may be of a rather poor effort, with weaknesses in
conception or execution. It might also be the right mark for a short piece of work that
at least contains basic information.
E (0-39%) A sample with evident weaknesses in understanding. It might not contain
basic or adequate information and observations. It might also be a very short and
fragmentary sample with merit in what is presented but containing serious gaps.
8
Interview Transcript
For this assignment you will upload onto the wiki a 750 word sample of your
interview transcript from week 5. This should be accompanied by a 500 word
reflection on the interview process (see marking descriptors). You may add an
Appendix with the entire transcript to set the context if you feel this is necessary, but
this will not be marked.
Deadline 12 noon, 19th October.
Marking Descriptors For Interview Transcripts
A (70-100%) A sharply-focused transcript which maintains a high level of detail and
direct quotes or paraphrasing throughout. The transcript should also show some
attempt to be reflexive – reflecting on the interviewer’s own positioning during the
interview. Do they reflect on context, rapport and experience? It might also include a
reflection on how the style of interview (structured/unstructured) affected the
interview process and success.
B (60-69%) A very good sample that shows qualities beyond the merely routine or
acceptable. Conversation, topics, questions should be described more fully. The
transcript should discuss the choice of interview style and show some attempt to be
descriptive – describing the interview context. It should also contain a good attempt
to quote directly or paraphrase from the interview. Writing should be coherent and
well presented.
C (50-59%) A satisfactory transcript with elements of the routine and predictable.
There should be evidence of a basic understanding of the task in question. It should
provide some more detailed information, discuss the choice of interview style and
show the ability to converse and draw information from the interviewee beyond the
basic/vital information - if rather shallow or under-developed. The quality of
expression and writing should be acceptable.
D (40-49%) A passable transcript which shows an understanding of the task and
contains the basic/vital information (who, where, when, topic, questions etc). The
general impression may be of a rather poor effort, with weaknesses in conception or
execution. It might also be the right mark for a short transcript that at least contains
the basic information.
E (0-39%) A transcript with evident weaknesses in understanding. It might not
contain basic or adequate information and dialogue. It might also be a very short and
fragmentary sample with merit in what is presented but containing serious gaps.
9
Book Review
For this assignment you will write a 1,500 word critical book review of the field
methods used in one particular monograph selected by you. You should upload this
report onto Learn (see page 22).
Deadline – 12 noon, 26th October
In assessing the book review you submit, we will look for evidence of:
•
•
•
A brief summary of what your ethnography is about.
The extent to which you pick out and analyse the field methods used in your
ethnography.
The extent to which you discuss the degree of reflexivity shown by the
ethnographer.
Tips
When reading and writing about FIELD METHODS you might find it useful to think
about:
What field methods does the ethnographer use?
Does the ethnographer provide a description of her/his field methods?
For example: use of participant observation, interviews etc.
Where does the ethnographer discuss their field methods - at the
beginning of the monograph, at the end, throughout the text?
What kinds of issues, advantages or disadvantages does the
ethnographer have to deal with as a result of the particular field
methods used?
Does the ethnographer discuss any ethical dilemmas arising from
her/his chosen methods?
How do the field methods used affect the conclusions the
ethnographer draws? Can you give an example? Could the
ethnographer have used other methods?
When reading and writing about REFLEXIVITY you might find it useful to think about:
-
Does the ethnographer provide an account of her/his fieldwork?
For example: arriving in the field, first meetings with informants, initial
impressions, or difficulties in establishing contacts and rapport?
Does the ethnographer reflect on her/his own positioning in the field?
Does the ethnographer discuss how her/his own positioning and
presence in the field influences the field experience and materials
he/she acquires?
What kinds of personal experiences and emotions, assumptions and
perceptions does the ethnographer tell the reader?
Does the ethnographer discuss his/her own relationships with
informants?
How aware is the ethnographer about the effect he/she has on the
research, on the selection of topics and people to be studied, on the
experience of fieldwork and the process of writing?
A list of marking descriptors for undergraduate coursework in SSPS can be found at:
http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/undergrad/year_1_2/assessment_and_regs/marking_descri
ptors
10
Recommended Ethnographies for the Book Review:
If there is a book that is not in this list that you would like to review, you must confirm
your choice with your tutor during the tutorial.
Abu-Lughod, L. 1986. Veiled Sentiments: Honour and Poetry in a Bedouin Society.
Berkeley: University of California Press. (Learn)
Biehl, J. 2005. Vita: Life in a Zone of Abandonment. Berkeley: University of California
Press.
Boellstorff, T. (2005) The gay archipelago: sexuality and nation in Indonesia.
Princeton, Oxford: Princeton University Press.
Bourgois, P. 1995. In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio. Cambridge, New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Briggs, J. (1970) Never in anger: portrait of an Eskimo family. Cambridge, Mass.;
London: Harvard University Press.
Busby, C. (2000) The Performance of Gender: An Anthropology of Everyday Life in a
South Indian Fishing Village. London: Athlone Press.
Cassidy, R. (2002) The Sport of Kings: Kinship, Class and Thoroughbred Breeding in
Newmarket. Cambridge University Press.
Day, S. (2007). On the Game: Women and Sex Work. London: Pluto Press.
Descola, P. 1996. The Spears of Twilight: Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle.
London: Harper Collins.
Dettwyler, K.A. 1994. Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa. Prospect
Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press.
Duneir, M. 1999. Sidewalk. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
Dunn, E. (2004) Privatizing Poland: baby food, big business, and the remaking of
labor. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Edmonds, A. (2010) Pretty Modern: Beauty, sex, and plastic surgery in Brazil.
Durham [N.C.]: Duke University Press.
Farmer, P. 1993. Aids and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
Macgregor, L.C. 2010. Habits of the Heartland: Small-Town Life in Modern America.
Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Malinowski, B. 1984 [1922]. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. Prospect Heights, Ill.:
Waveland Press.
Mayblin, M. (2010) Gender, Catholicism, and morality in Brazil. Virtuous husbands,
powerful wives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Okely, J. 1983. The Traveller-Gypsies. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Petryna, A. Life exposed: biological citizens after Chernobyl. Princeton, N.J.; Oxford:
Princeton University Press
Robertson, A.F. 1986. Community of Strangers: A Journal of Discovery in Uganda.
Scolar Press: London
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. (1979) Saints, scholars, and schizophrenics: mental illness
in rural Ireland. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Shostak, M. 1981. Nisa, the life and words of a !Kung woman. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Wacquant, L. 2004. Body and Soul: Notebooks of an apprentice-boxer. New York:
Oxford University Press.
West, H.G. 2005. Kupilikula. Governance and the invisible realm in Mozambique.
Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Willis, Paul. (1977) Learning to labour: how working class kids get working class jobs.
Aldershot, Hamp.: Gower.
Zaloom, C. (2006) Out of the Pits: Traders and Technology from Chicago to London.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
11
Final Project Report
You will write a joint final project report with your group, and upload onto Learn (see
page 22), and also load a copy onto the wiki (for tutorial discussion). It should be
between 3000 and 3,500 words.
Deadline, 12 noon, 16th November.
In assessing the final research report you submit, we will be looking for evidence of:
TOPIC:
• An original and practical research space and topic.
CONTENT:
• Quality field research and data – observation, participation, interviews,
rapport etc.
• Recording and writing up of field notes.
ANALYSIS:
• The extent to which you analyse your data and pick out themes in order to go
beyond plain description.
COMPARISON:
• Successful comparison with the literature including course readings and texts
collected by yourself to do with your particular space and topic.
PRESENTATION:
• Clarity and organisation of writing and argument; use of diagrams and plans;
references and bibliography.
12
TUTORIALS
You are expected to come to tutorials having read, and prepared to discuss the
readings indicated for the lectures.
Week 1 (beginning 17/9/12 )
No tutorial
Tasks for week 2
•
•
Read the course guide.
Begin to think (very provisionally) about spaces in Edinburgh that you think
might be ethnographically interesting.
Week 2 (beginning 24/9/12)
Space Project: ethics and ethnography
Introductions:
•
•
Explanation of the project.
Explanation of the book review component.
Tutorial reading
Scheper-Hughes, N. 2000. ‘Ire in Ireland’. Ethnography Vol. 1, No. 1, 117-140.
Discussion:
•
•
•
•
Brainstorming on possible project sites and topics.
Access and ethical requirements (using ‘Ire in Ireland’ as a starting-point).
Choose groups of three, exchange contact details and make arrangements to
meet outside the tutorial.
Advice on choosing an ethnography to review and hints on what to look out
for when reading ethnographies.
Tasks for week 3:
•
•
•
Find a field site and carry out a preliminary observation.
Complete an ethical review form.
Pick an ethnographic monograph for review and begin reading.
Week 3 (beginning 1/10/12) Reporting Back: observation and field notes
Discussion:
•
•
•
•
Reporting back on your chosen spaces and topics.
Are there any practical issues or problems? Do you need to change your
space or topic?
Observing, participating and talking to people.
Field journals: taking notes and typing up.
Tutorial reading
Wacquant, L. 1995. ‘The Pugilistic Point of View: How Boxers Think and Feel
about their Trade’. Theory and Society 24(4): 489-535
Tasks for week 4:
•
•
Continue participant observation in/at your chosen space and write field
notes.
Work towards organising an interview.
13
•
•
Continue reading your chosen ethnographic monograph.
Make sure you will have your fieldnotes ready to upload by 12/10/12
Week 4 (beginning 8/10/12) Interviews and talking to others
Discussion:
•
•
•
•
Talking to others: interview tactics, questions, style and taking notes.
What are the politics of interviewing research participants? And of transcribing
your interviews
Reporting back on fieldwork and field sites.
What have you found? How is it all going?
Tasks for week 5:
• Continue with research at your chosen fieldsite/s.
• Make sure you have you’ll have your interview ready to upload by 19/10/12.
Week 5 (beginning 15/10/12)
fieldnotes 2
‘The plot thickens’: observation and
* Remember to attend the Library and Online Resources Class – Wedndesday
17th October, 14:00 – 17:00, Faculty Room North, David Hume Tower.
Discussion:
• How have your ideas about your chosen site changed in the past couple of
•
weeks?
What kind of questions has your research thrown up so far about a) your
fieldsite and b) ‘the ethnographic method?
Tasks for week 6:
•
•
Prepare for next week’s tutorial by thinking about which themes you can
identify in your data. You will get guidance with this at the tutorial, so don’t
worry if you are finding it difficult.
Prepare book review for submission by 26/10/12. Upload your review to
Learn, and hand in a paper copy to the essay box.
Week 6 (beginning 22/10/12) Analysing your fieldwork data and
identifying themes
Discussion:
•
•
•
•
•
What have you discovered? How do people use and talk about your chosen
space?
Which theme/s seems most helpful for your project?
What additional data will you need to develop that theme?
Making the transition from field notes to full text.
Allocate outstanding tasks and readings to members of the group.
14
Activity:
•
Using the library and online research resources.
Tasks for week 7:
•
Identify any outstanding tasks for your project. More observation? More
interviews? More plans, photographs or drawings? Documents? Allocate
these tasks to members of the group.
Week 7 (beginning 29/10/12)
literature
Linking your findings to relevant existing
Discussion
• How to find points of contrast and comparison between the themes in your
own data and those found in existing social science literature.
Tasks for week 8:
•
•
•
•
Complete final fieldwork tasks.
Allocate tasks for completing the final written report.
Write up the final project report.
Prepare a short project presentation for the tutorial in week 9.
Week 8 (beginning 5/11/12)
No tutorial
Tasks for week 9:
•
•
Write up final project report.
Prepare a short group presentation on your project for the next tutorial.
Week 9 (beginning 12/11/12)
Project presentations
Discussion:
•
•
•
Short group presentations about each space project and the process of doing
fieldwork.
Criteria and guidance for peer review of final projects.
Complete final project report and upload it to Learn and the Wiki, hand in a
paper copy to the essay box.
Tasks for week 10:
•
Read and review your peers’ space projects.
Week 10 (beginning 19/11/12)
Project and course review
Discussion:
•
•
•
Review of the space project: your comments and assessments of each
project.
Review of the course, thinking about what you have learned about the
ethnographic method.
Discussion: next steps – publication, applied anthropology
Week 11 (beginning 26/11/12)
No tutorial
Final project reports returned at the lecture.
15
LECTURES
Week 1 – 18 September
Introduction: The Project, The Wiki, the Tutorial (Rebecca Marsland)
This introductory lecture will give an overview of the course, our expectations for you,
project work, the place of the readings, the lectures, and how to make best use of the
wiki and the tutorials.
Week 2 – 25 September
Fieldwork and Anthropology (Siobhan Magee)
An introduction to ethnographic fieldwork, the distinctive method of anthropological
research: an illustrated discussion of preparation, entry to the field, observing and
participating, talking to people, taking and making notes, and reflecting critically on
what has – and has not – been learned.
Readings:
Becker, Howard (1993) 'How I Learned What a Crock Was'. Journal of Contemporary
Ethnography, 22, 28-35.
Fine, Gary Alan (1993) 'Ten Lies of Ethnography: Moral Dilemmas of Field
Research'. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 22, 267-294.
Snyder, Gregory J (2011) 'The city and the subculture career: Professional street
skateboarding in LA'. Ethnography, 13 (3): 306-329.
Week 3 – 2 October
Space 1: Writing fieldnotes (Rebecca Marsland)
The first of two lectures on writing. This one concentrates on what you write in the
field - fieldnotes - the different forms they can take, and the things you can do with
them.
Readings:
Emerson, R., R. Fretz & L. Shaw. 1995. Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press. Chapter One “Fieldnotes in Ethnographic Research”.
Sanjek, R. 1990. ‘The Secret Life of Fieldnotes’ in R. Sanjek (ed.) Fieldnotes: The
makings of anthropology. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
16
Week 4 – 9 October
Exceptional Ethnography (Lotte Hoek)
In this lecture I will discuss my fieldwork experience in the Bangladesh film industry
and the challenges of researching and writing about those practices that did not bare
the light of day. Reflecting on the serendipity that is part of anthropological fieldwork,
we will discuss the ways in which the anthropologists can be subject to their fieldwork
rather than being in control of it.
Readings
Hoek, Lotte. 2010. Unstable Celluloid: Film Projection and the Cinema Audience in
Bangladesh. BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies 1(1): 49-66.
Van de Port, Mattijs. 2011. "On Immersion". In Mattijs Van de Port, Ecstatic
Encounters: Bahian Candomble and the Quest for the Really Real. Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press. Pp. 7-44.
Week 5 – 16 October
Space 2: Spaces and arguments (Rebecca Marsland)
At this point you will be beginning to think about how to turn your fieldwork into
written ethnography. This lecture will introduce you to some key theoretical
inspirations, and also give you a chance to quiz some of last year’s students about
how they put their projects together.
Readings
Augé, M. 1995. Non-places: an introduction to supermodernity. London, New
York: Verso. Chapter Three, “From Places to Non-Places”.
Goffman, E. 1959. The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life. London:
Penguin. Chapter Three, “Regions and Region Behaviour”.
Week 6 - 23 October
Exceptional Ethnography (Maya Mayblin)
In this lecture we will watch and discuss a film called ‘Village Lives, Distant Powers’
by the anthropologist Peggy Froerer, which engages frankly with some of the
awkward politics and power relationships that often unfold between anthropologists,
their informants, and the ‘distant powers’ that shape informants lives.
Reading
Devi Sridhar, 2005. Ethics and development: Some concerns with David Mosse's
Cultivating development. Anthropology Today. Volume 21, Issue 6, pages 17–19.
17
Week 7 – 30 October
Space 3: Writing ethnography (Rebecca Marsland)
This is the second lecture on writing ethnography, this time concentrating on the
‘finished product’ and the kinds of argument that have sprung up since the 1980s on
the desirability of experimenting with the literary form of ethnography.
Readings:
Clifford, J. & G.E. Marcus (eds) 1986. Writing culture: the poetics and politics of
ethnography. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Introduction, “Partial Truths”.
Geertz, C. 1998. Works and lives. The anthropologist as author. Cambridge: Polity
Press, Chapter 3 “Slide Show: Evans-Pritchard’s African Transparencies.”
Sharman, R.L. 2007. Style Matters: Ethnography as Method and Genre.
Anthropology and Humanism 32, 117-129.
Week 8 – 6 November
Drop in Clinic (Rebecca Marsland)
A final session on preparing the project report with an opportunity for you to ask lastminute questions about issues of analysis and presentation.
Week 9 – 13 November
No lecture
Week 10 – 20 November
No Lecture
Week 11 – 27 Novermber
Final Wrap Up of the course (Rebecca Marsland)
Final project reports returned to students. Feedback
18
READING
Key readings have been assigned to individual lectures and tutorials but you will
also need to organize further reading around your projects and the tasks you will
need to complete in order to pass the course. The readings in section (a) (About
“Ethnography”) give you background on ethnography as a methods and mode of
writing, fieldnotes, transcripts etc. The books listed in section (b) (On Space) will get
you started with theoretical ideas for analysing your field material. We especially
recommend the volume edited by Low & Lawrence-Zuñiga for this.
(a) About “Ethnography”
Agar, M. 1996. The Professional Stranger: An informal introduction to ethnography.
London: Academic Press.
Atkinson, P., et al. (eds) 2001. Handbook of Ethnography. London: Sage.
Atkinson, P. 1990. The Ethnographic Imagination: Textual Constructions of Reality.
London: Routledge.
Becker, H. 1986. Writing for Social Scientists: How To Start or Finish Your Thesis,
Book or Article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Becker, H. 2007. Telling about Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Borneman, J & A. Hammoudi 2009. (eds.) Being There: The Fieldwork encounter
and the making of truth. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Burawoy, M., et al. 1991. Ethnography Unbound: Power and Resistance in the
Modern Metropolis. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Burawoy, M., et al. 2000. Global Ethnography: Forces, Connections, and
Imaginations in a Postmodern World. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Clifford, J. and G.Marcus (eds) 1985. Writing Culture: The Politics and Poetics of
Ethnography. Berkely: University of California Press.
Emerson, R. 1995. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Fine, G, A. 1993. Ten Lies of Ethnography: Moral Dilemmas in Field Research.
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 22: 267-294.
Gay y Blasco, P. and H. Wardle. 2006 How to Read Ethnography. London:
Routledge.
Sanjek, R. 1990. ‘The Secret Life of Fieldnotes’ in R. Sanjek (ed.) Fieldnotes: The
makings of anthropology. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Stocking, G. 1996. The Ethnographer’s Magic and other Essays in the History of
Anthropology. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Especially chapter 1.
Watson, C.W. 1999. Being There: Fieldwork in Anthropology. London: Pluto Press.
(b) On Space and How to Analyse Spaces
Appadurai, A. (ed.) 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural
Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ardener, S (ed.) 1993. Women and Space: Ground Rules and Social Maps. Oxford:
Berg.
Bender, B. (ed.) 1993. Landscape: Politics and Perspectives, Oxford: Berg.
Bourdieu, P. 1973. ‘The Berber House or the World Reversed’ in M. Douglas (ed.)
Rules and Meanings. Penguin. Also in Bourdieu, P.1990. The Logic of
Practice. Blackwell.
Bourdieu, P. 1984. Distinction. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Douglas, M. (ed.) 1973. Rules and Meanings. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Douglas, M. 1966. Purity and Danger. London: Routledge, chapters 2, 3. (e-book)
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Durkheim, E. and M. Mauss (1963 [1901-2]) Primitive Classification. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Geertz, C. 1973. ‘Thick Description’ in The Interpretation of Cultures. New York:
Basic Books.
Goffman, E 1956 The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Especially chapter 3
'Regions and region behavior'
Low, S. & D. Lawrence-Zuñiga. (eds.) 2003. The Anthropology of Space and Place:
Locating Culture. Oxford: Blackwell
Low, S. 1999 Theorizing the City: The New Urban Anthropology Reader. New
Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Mauss, M. 1979 [1935]. The techniques of the body. In M. Mauss Sociology and
Psychology. London. Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Pink, S. 2007. Doing Visual Ethnography: images, media and representation in
research London: Sage.
Simmel, G. ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life’ in K. Wolf. The Sociology of Georg
Simmel. New York: Free Press, 1964. Also in G. Bridge & S.Watson
(eds.) The Blackwell City Reader. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Also
available online at Blackwell website
Turner, V. 1969. The Ritual Process. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Wirth, L. 1938. Urbanism as a Way of Life. The American Journal of Sociology 44(1)
:1-24.
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PLAGIARISM
All work submitted for assessment is accepted on the clear understanding that it is
the student’s own work. Every year some students are found copying passages from
books or other students’ work without proper citation. This constitutes plagiarism and
is considered one of the most serious offences in the academic world. It is dealt with
accordingly. Do not copy work from other sources, including the internet. See the
School Student Handbook for further information on the policy on plagiarism, and
how to avoid plagiarism in your work.
All students will be informed by means of a letter if their coursework contains
plagiarised material, with clear cases of plagiarism being passed to the College
Academic Misconduct Officer. Details of the appeals procedure will be included with
the warning letter sent out to students suspected of plagiarism. The warning letter will
be kept on file until the student’s graduation, at which point it will be destroyed.
REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
References and bibliography in your essay should follow the author-date system. For
example, in the body of an essay:
•
•
•
•
Single author’s quotation or idea referred to: (Smith 1989: 213)
Two authors, more than one page: (Johnson & Margolin 1990: 245 - 247)
Several authors: (Kennedy et al 1994: 156)
Citation of another author’s work in a secondary text: (Baxter 1982 cited
in Comaroff 1988: 16)
In your bibliography follow these guidelines:
For a book by one author:
Smith, J. G. 1989. The Anthropologist as Apprentice: Lessons from the Field.
London: Vertigo.
For two authors, a chapter in a book:
Johnson, M. & P. Margolin. 1990. 'Children at risk' In The Problems of
Children on the Streets in Brazil (ed) J Butterfield. Englewood Cliffs: PrenticeHall.
For a journal article
Simpson, B. 1994. 'Bringing the "unclear" family into focus: divorce and remarriage in contemporary Britain.' Journal of the Royal Anthropological
Institute 29: 831-851.
Long quotations (more than 4 lines) should be indented with no quotation marks;
shorter quotations should be incorporated in the main text with single quotation
marks.
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HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT REPORT AND
BOOK REVIEW ESSAY ON LEARN
‘Turnitin’
The School is now using the ‘Turnitin’ system to check that essays submitted for first
and second-year courses do not contain plagiarised material. Turnitin compares
every essay against a constantly-updated database, which highlights all plagiarised
work.
Instructions for submitting your Project Report
You must submit one paper copy of your Project Report in the essay box (Ground
Floor CMB) by 12 noon on Friday 16 November. In addition, you must also submit
an electronic version to Turnitin via Learn by the same deadline. (Please note
penalties will be incurred if the report is not submitted to Turnitin). The same
instructions apply for the book review which is due on 26 October.
The instructions for doing so are as follows:
1. Log in to Learn via MyEd and click on Ethnography: Theory and Practice.
2. Go to the ‘Click here to submit your essay’ link to submit your essay to the Turnitin
assignment inbox.
3. To begin the submission process click on the ‘submit’ icon which is found in the
submit column.
4. Your name should be automatically filled in on the form. Type in “Project Report”
in the submission title as the form cannot be sent unless all the fields are complete.
5. Next, click on the ‘Browse’ button to open your computer’s file browser and use it
to browse to the document you wish to submit. Make sure the drop down box at the
top of the form still says ‘submit a paper by: file upload’. Before clicking on the
‘submit’ button, make sure that all the fields in the form are complete (if you leave
one blank you will receive an error message and the file upload box will be cleared).
Click the ‘submit’ button when you are happy you are submitting the correct file.
6. At this point, a plain text version of the Project Report will be displayed to you (it
won’t show any formatting, images, etc.). Review this to ensure you are submitting
the correct document (the document itself will be sent to the system in its original
format). If you are happy, click on the ‘Submit Paper’ button to submit your
assignment. If you have made a mistake you can click on the ‘cancel, go back’ link,
which will take you back to the submission form.
7. You’ve now submitted an assignment! A receipt from the system is displayed.
8. Click on the ‘go to portfolio’ link to return to the assignment inbox.
9. On returning to the assignment inbox, you can view your submission to make sure
everything is as it should be.
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10. Clicking on the title you gave your assignment opens a viewer that displays your
submission and also contains the paper ID which can be used by the administrators
of the system to identify your work if there is a problem.
11. Clicking on the document icon in the contents column allows you to see your
work in its original submitted format.
You can also follow this link for more detailed instructions:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.22364!fileManager/submitturnitinplwebct.pdf
Please note that late submissions are unlikely to be accepted by the Turnitin system
and you should contact the Secretary, Karen Dargo, Karen.dargo@ed.ac.uk if you
are unable to submit your electronic copy.
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