Ethnography Assignment
April Chapman-Ludwig

How will I be doing an Ethnography in this class?
Your assignment is to identify something -- some problem or social issue -- that you can: 1) create a hypothesis about, 2) research through observation, 3) test your hypotheses against your data, 4) and analyze what you've discovered in an 8 page paper.

You might approach this one of three ways: First, pick a group of people to observe in order to gather research about your hypotheses. For example, you might observe a random sampling of couples to determine how gender roles work in public versus in private. OR, you might simply pick a place that seems to be the location of a kind of sub-culture. (A quick word on this second option: Choose a setting that is safe dont choose anything that will put you in harms way.)

Parts and Pieces to the Ethnography Assignment:

1. Pre-Observation Hypothesis: Before doing observations, write down what your topic is, what questions you wish to inquire about concerning your topic, and what your preliminary answers to these questions are. In other words, what are you planning to look for and what do you expect to see?

2. Raw Data: When it comes time for observation, write your observations (about an hours worth, depending on the subject matter) with as much detail as you can. Tell us about everything -- ordinary things can have large meanings. Collect as much data as you can, and make sure to be conscious of things like your objectivity in the situation, whether or not you are deceiving your observation subjects, and how your presence might have influenced the outcome of the data. Then once you've completed your data recovery, analyze what you've discovered. Compare your observations to your initial hypotheses. Draw conclusions about what or who you studied. What did you learn? What can we learn? What is important to understand about this problem or people? Make sure to take notes on what you learned and discovered. All this together will be your raw data.

3. Ethnographic Essay: A common format for such essays (as well as many others in the social sciences) is as follows:

First, introduce your subject matter by giving your readers some background on the project, i.e. what you're trying to accomplish (or problem statement) and what others have already done or said about the issue. (This is commonly called a literature review, and will require some library research.) Second, identify your method of study as well as what you discovered. Here is the place you would include a narrative of your observations. Third, identify what results you discovered in comparison with your data. What happened that you expected? What didn't? Lastly, provide your readers with a discussion -- or analysis -- of your project. This is where you interpret the data you've collected in comparison to your hypotheses, and provide your readers with some conclusions. Your essay does not necessarily have to take this form. You might, for example, choose to analyze or interpret your data as you describe the events or observations themselves.
This might mean that you have actual subject heading where you discuss and explain the various aspects of your ethnography. Such as:

Introduction: This is where you might introduce the issue you're examining, making sure that your issue is appropriate for your audience and that you identify early on what you're trying to argue about the issue. The introduction might also include the relevant literature, discussions, or studies that have already been made about the issue you've chosen. Here is the place where you also identify your purpose: Are you arguing that someone's concept is wrong or doesn't work in a certain situation? Are you trying to prove something? Are you asking for more research in this area? The introduction quite often works in conjunction with the conclusion (see below).

Methodology and Research Questions: Here is where you identify for your readers what questions you had before engaging in the research, and how you went about compiling the data you did. This is also the place where you identify what your role is as an observer.

Data or Compilation of Research: Here is where, particularly as it applies to an ethnography, that you provide your readers with a narrative of the things you observed and the data you compiled. If you simply observed, what did you see? (Be detailed!) If you compiled surveys, what numbers did you come up with? If you conducted an interview, what did the interviewee say?

Analysis: This is where you compare your research questions with the data you compiled, and come up with some explanations as to why differences or similarities exist. This is probably the most important section of the ethnography, since this is the place where you, as the researcher and author, come to some conclusions about your research project.

Conclusion: This is where, for lack of better words, you wrap things up. What did you prove? Why is this important for your field? Based on what you've found, what are you trying to tell others in your audience about what you've researched?

Some Guidelines for Observation
1. Pick a place in which you can observe without being obtrusive and/or invading anyones privacy.
2. If you do decide to talk with someone in the group you study (this person is called a collaborator), make sure you have their consent to conduct your observation.
3. Make it apparent to your collaborator that you will keep him/her anonymous, unless they tell you it is okay to use their name

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