ANTH301

DOING ETHNOGRAPHY:
CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES
Semester 2, 2015
Instructor: Dr. Zhifang Song
Office: 314 Sociology-Psychology Building
Phone: +64 3 364 2649 (internal 6649)
Email: zhifang.song@canterbury.ac.nz
Lectures: Monday 2:00 - 4:00 pm A7 Lecture Theatre
Tutorial Tuesday 9:00 - 10:00
Karl Popper 508
Office Hours: 11:00-12:00 Tuesday or by appointment

COURSE OVERVIEW
Ethnography is a research procedure that is central to the discipline of anthropology.
Doing ethnography requires a scholar to leave his/her comfortable study and go to the
field to observe with his/her own eyes and interact face to face with people he is going
to study. Based on what he/she has noted down of his experience in the fieldwork,
he/she is expected to write articles or monographs about the culture or society he/she has
studied.
Ethnography became an established practice in anthropology in the early 20th century. In
the past one hundred years, scholars have continuously re-evaluated and reconsidered the
theories and practices in ethnographic research. These reflections and reconsideration
have brought about new ideas about ethnography in many aspects, such as the
epistemology of the practice, the position of the ethnographer in field research, the nature
of the relationship between the observer and the observed, ethics in field research, etc.
Due to these reflections and new ideas, ethnography is no longer seen as solely a domain
of plain empiricism, as the founders of anthropology once thought in the beginning of the
20th century. Ethnography today is a fundamentally reflexive enterprise concerned with
the complexities and contradictions of relating to and interacting with the observed.
Although ethnography originated in the discipline of anthropology as a method
examining non-western illiterate societies, its application has never been confined to
anthropology and to the study of non-western societies. Back in the 1920s and 1930s,
sociologists of the Chicago school already conducted researches in Western urban
contexts. Since then, ethnography has become a very important research method in many
disciplines of social sciences and humanities.
This course is composed of two elements. The first element addresses theoretical
reflections by scholars on the epistemological, political and ethical implications of the
ethnographic enterprise. The second element is a practical project. Each student will do a
simple ethnographic project. Step by step, we will walk through the major steps of doing

ethnography. To understand the principles and praxis of ethnography, you are also
required to read two or more articles or book chapters each week. Readings for each
week should be completed before the lecture of that week.

COURSE AIMS:
Through reading assignments and hand-on experience, this course is to enable students to
understand the basic principles and praxis of ethnography, be familiar with the terms and
concepts in ethnography and master basic skills in doing ethnography.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After finishing this course, students are expected to:
a. Understand the basic principles and praxis of ethnography
b. Have a knowledge of the major issues concerning ethnography proposed by
contemporary anthropologists and scholars in other disciplines
c. Master the basic skills of doing ethnography

REQUIRED TEXTS
The required readings in this course include chapters from two
textbooks, articles and book chapters contained in a course reader and
some individual articles uploaded to learn. You can find links to the
books, course reader and articles in the `section Required
Readings at learn.
1. Bernard, H. Russel. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology:
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, 4 th edition. Walnut Creek,
AltaMira Press.
www.antropocaos.com.ar/Russel-Research-Method-inAnthropology.pdf
2. Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography:
Principles in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge,

http://graduateinstitute.ch/files/live/sites/iheid/files/sites/developpement/shar
ed/developpement/cours/DE039/2007-%20Atkinson%20-what%20is
%20ethnography.pdf
3. The Course Reader
4. Miscellaneous articles uploaded at Learn

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

Assessment at this course is based on your performance in three
components of coursework. The first component is a research proposal
writing process, which I call Thinking about your project. You begin
with four weekly instalments of writing on different aspects of your

research ideas, leading up to a full proposal for your project. The

second component is a practical field research, starting with three field
journals and ending with a final research description. The third
component is participation and attendance, both at lectures and
tutorials. You are supposed to attend lectures and tutorials and
contribute to discussions at the tutorials.
1. Thinking about your project (40%)
Part 1 (5%) 300-500 words (due 26 July)
What is your research interest? Based on the reading
assignments, talk about why an ethnographic project is suitable
for your research?
Part 2 (5%) 300-500 words (due 2 Aug)
You are supposed to find at least three most recent works related
to your topic. Talk about what are the most important issues in
the area of your interest and how they are related to your
research, especially what contributions your research might
make to the existing literature.
Part 3 (5%) 300-500 words (due 9 Aug)
Why ethical issues are important in ethnographic project? What
ethical issues might arise from your research?
Part 4 (5%) 300-500 words (due 16 Aug)
Most probably your project will be conducted in your own culture.
Please think about advantages and disadvantages of being a
native ethnographer in your research and how you are going to
deal with these issues.
Part 5 (20%) Maximum 1500 words (due 22 Aug)
You are to work out a proposal by revising previous parts of
Thinking about your project.
2. Doing your project (50%)
Ethnographic field journals (15%)
Journal 1 (5%) about 500 words
Journal 2 (5%) about 500 words
Journal 3 (5%) about 500 words
(I would not specify the due date of each of the journals, as
schedules for your fieldwork might vary, but all three of them
should be due by Sunday 27 Sept.)
Final Ethnographic description (35%) 2500 words (due 18 Oct)
3. Participation and Attendance (10%)

Assignment Submission:
All completed assignments should be handed in electronically via
Learn. Printed copies are also required for the final research proposal
and the final research report (to be dropped in the course dropbox at
the lounge of Sociology-Psychology Building). Please be aware that all
assignments submitted electronically will be automatically checked by
Turnitin. The use of the Turnitin service is subject to the terms and
conditions posted on Turnitin.com and the university policy.
Plagiarism
Academic integrity is regarded as essential to this course. The completion of each
assignment should reflect students own efforts. Any use of other peoples materials
without proper acknowledgement will be seen as evidence of plagiarism. For a detailed
policy on plagiarism adopted by School of Language, Political and Social Sciences,
please see: http://www.saps.canterbury.ac.nz/docs/Plagiarism_statement_2009.pdf.
Late Penalties
A penalty of 3% will be deducted for each weekday that the essay is
late. These penalties will accrue for a maximum of 5 weekdays (i.e. to
a maximum of 15%). Essays must be submitted within one week of
the original due date and will not be accepted beyond this point.
Reference/Style Guide
The preferred reference guide for writing in this course is American Sociological
Association system. Please refer to the guide uploaded to Learn.
Grading Scale
90 100 A+
85 89 A
80 84 A75 79 B +
70 74 B
65 69 B 60 - 64
C+
55 59 C
50 54 C40 49 Fail
Below 40 Fail
A pass is 50 marks and over.
Aegrotats and Appeals
Students whose completion of assigned tasks is significantly affected by unexpected
happenings (sickness, family problem, etc.) should consider applying for Aegrotats as
soon as possible.

CLASS SCHEDULES:
Week 1 (13 July): Introduction: What is Ethnography
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles in
Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.1-19 (Chapter 1 What is
Ethnography).
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles in
Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.20-40 (Chapter 2 Research
Design).
Bernard, H. Russel. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and
Quantitative Methods, 4th edition. Walnut Creek, AltaMira Press. (Chapter 1,
Anthropology and the Social Sciences, pp. 1-27.)
Week 2 (20 July): Disputing the Nature of Anthropological Knowledge
Geertz, Clifford. 1973. "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretative Theory of
Culture." In Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures, New York: Basic
Books, pp.1-30.
James Clifford. 1986. "Introduction: Partial Truths." In James Clifford and
George E. Marcus, eds., Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of
Ethnography, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 1-26.
Bernard, H. Russel. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and
Quantitative Methods, 4th edition. Walnut Creek, AltaMira Press. (Chapter 4,
The Literature Search pp. 96-108.)
Thinking about your project Part 1 due at the end of the weekend
Week 3 (27 July): Engaging People: Ethics in Ethnography
Code of Ethics American Anthropological Association
Berreman, Gerald D. 1996. Ethics Versus Realism in Anthropology. In
Antonius C. G. M. Robben and Jeffrey A. Sluka, eds., 2007, Ethnographic
Fieldwork: Anthropological Reader, Malden, MA: Blackwell, pp.298-315.

Nugent, Stephen. 2008. Anthropology and Public Culture: The Yanomami,

Science and Ethics. Anthropology Today. 17(3): 104.
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles in
Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.1-19 (Chapter 10 Ethics).
Film: Yanomamo: A Multi-Disciplinary Research
Thinking about your project Part 2 due at the end of the weekend

Week 4 (3 Aug): Ethnography at home: native anthropologists

Narayan, Kirin. 1993. How Native is a Native Anthropologist?
American Anthropologist 95 (3): 671-686.
Chawla, Devika . 2006. Subjectivity and the Native Ethnographer:
Researcher Eligibility in an Ethnographic Study of Urban Indian Women
in Hindu Arranged Marriages. International Journal of Qualitative
Methods, 5 (4): 1-13.
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles
in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.1-19 (Chapter 3 Access).
Film: Heavenly Court
Thinking about your project Part 3 Due at the end of the
weekend

Week 5 (10 Aug): Participant Observation

Stocking, George W., Jr. 1983. "The Ethnographer's Magic." In George
W. Stocking, ed., Observers Observed: Essays on Ethnographic
Fieldwork, Madison: U. Wisconsin Press, pp.70-120.
Malinowski, B. 1922. Introduction: The Subject, Method and Scope of
This Inquiry. In B. Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An
account of Native
Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New
Guinea, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 1-25.

Bernard, H. Russell. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology:

Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, 4 th edition. Walnut Creek,
AltaMira Press. (Chapter 13, Participant Observation pp. 342-386.)
Film: Off the Veranda
Thinking about your project Part 4 Due at the end of the
weekend
Week 6 (17 Aug): Interviews
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles
in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.97-120 (Chapter 5 Oral
Account and the Role of Interviewing).
Bernard, H. Russel. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology:
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, 4 th edition. Walnut Creek,
AltaMira Press. (Chapter 9, Interviewing: Unstructured and
Semistructured pp. 210-254.)
Proposal is due Sunday 23 Aug
Spring Break 24 Aug to 4 Sept
Week 7 (7 Sept): Data Collection and Field notes
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles
in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.140-157 (Chapter 7
Recording and Organizing Data).
Bernard, H. Russel. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology:
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, 4 th edition. Walnut Creek,
AltaMira Press. (Chapter 14, Fieldnotes: How to Take Them pp. 387412.)
Week 8 (14 Sept): The Visual and the Virtual in Ethnography
MacDougall, David. 1975. Beyond Observational Cinema. In Paul
Hockings, ed., Principles of Visual Anthropology, Paris: Mouton/Huge,
pp. 109-124.
Pink, Sarah. 2008. Mobilising Visual Ethnography: Making Routes,
Making Place and Making Images. Forum: Qualitative Social Research,
9 (3): Art. 36.

http://www.qualitativeresearch.net/index.php/fqs/article/viewArticle/11
66/2575
Davies, Charlotte Aull. 2008. Internet Ethnography. In Charlotte Aull
Davies, Reflexive Ethnography: A Guide to Researching Selves and
Others, New York: Routledge, pp. 151-170.
Week 9 (21 Sept): Representing Culture: Ethnographic Data
and Politics of Representation
Marcus, George E. and Michael M. J. Fischer (1986) The Crisis of
Representation in Human Sciences. In Marcus, George E. and Michael
M. J. Fischer, Anthropology as Cultural Critique: An Experimental
Moment in the Human Sciences. Chicago: University of Chicago Press:
7-16.
Clifford, James. 1983. On Ethnographic Authority. In Representations
1 (2): 118-146.
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles
in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.158-190 (Chapter 8 The
Process of Analysis).
Film: Film: The life and times of Sara Baartman
All three Journals due by Friday.
Week 10 (28 Oct) Reflexivity and Writing Ethnography
Davies, Charlotte Aull. 2008. Reflexivity and Ethnographic Research.
In Charlotte Aull Davies, Reflexive Ethnography: A Guide to
Researching Selves and Others, 2nd ed, New York: Routledge, pp. 3-27.
Kondo, D. K. 1986. Dissolution and Reconstitution of the Self:
Implications for
Anthropological Epistemology. Cultural Anthropology, 1(1): 74-88.
Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2007. Ethnography: Principles
in Practice, 3rd ed., New York: Routledge, pp.191-208 (Chapter 9
Writing Ethnography).
Film: Ax Fight

Week 11 (5 Oct): Globalized Ethnography and Ethnography of

the Globalized World
Hannerz, Ulf. Being Thereand Thereand There! Reflections on
Multi-Site Ethnography. Ethnography, 4(2), 201-216.
Marcus, George E. 1995. Ethnography in/of the world system: The
Emergence of Multi-sited ethnography.
Annual Review of
Anthropology, 24, p. 95-117.
Week 12 (12 Oct): Summary of the Course, Student Project
Presentation and Feedbacks