Assignment: Be An Anthropologist

Mini ethnography

The goal of this exercise is to observe a 'cultural scene' as an anthropologist would (i.e. based on everything you have learned in the course to-date). The student will analyze their observations in terms of themes from the subfield of cultural anthropology such as how it helps frame our societies (family, lifestyle, lineage, language and communication) and, in some ways, its evolution.

Description:

Culture as we have discussed in our readings is an incredible advantage that has allowed humans to enter almost every niche in nature. The development and maintenance of culture is what sets humans apart from other species. Culture varies by time and location. For this assignment, students will be observing a particular setting for 25 minutes, writing up your observations, and then analyzing them. Listen to APUS anthropologist Donna Rosh give you some pointers for people-watching as an anthropologist (or read the script).

Directions for 4-6 page Assignment:

Choose a time and location for where/when you are going to conduct your observations of an ethnographic scene (mall, public transportation, coffee shop, etc.).

Go to the specified location and proceed with your observations. Find a place to sit quietly and to simply watch what is going on. Do not talk to or interview people during this time.

Take notes (handwritten recommended). Include details about the scene itself (time of day, lighting, furniture, plants, sounds, temperature, smell, vibe/energy, etc), details about the people around you (their characteristics, their behavior).

When your 25 minutes are finished, leave the scene. In a quiet place, fill out your notes. At this time, you should start to think about concepts that you've learned in class that fit with your observations. This step is critical.

Write a 4-6 page reaction paper about your observations Your paper should:

Define and discuss culture using our course materials

Include a ‘thick description' of the location with clear detail of your observations

Analyze your observations, identifying four anthropological concepts that fit your observations. Define the concept and analyze how it fits your observations.

Include your field notes at the end

What is an anthropological concept? Anthropological concepts are anthropological terms and ideas. Examples of some that we've studied include: ethnocentrism, ethnicity, reciprocity, kinship, language and communication. You should not use this exact list of four concepts and expect them to fit your observation scene.

You may, of course, use others - depending on what concepts are relevant to your observation. Lists of additional key concepts can be found in Lessons, in the Lesson Overview section. We also have two examples to share with you from APUS anthropologists- one from Jennifer Cramer's fieldwork in The Gambia and one from James Turner's fieldwork in Mexico.

One common misstep is to apply the four subfields of anthropology or to apply the four parts of the definition of culture.
Conclude with a discussion of and reflection on your experience of the situation. For example you might write how you felt when you started to detect a pattern in characteristics and/or behavior.

Disclaimer

Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results.

Writing Expectations

All written submissions should be submitted using APA formatting. In part, this includes:

Typewritten in double-spaced format with a readable style and font and submitted inside the electronic classroom.

Arial 11 or 12-point font or Times New Roman styles.

Page margins Top, Bottom, Left Side and Right Side = 1 inch, with reasonable accommodation being made for special situations and online submission variances.

Save as .doc, .rtf, or .pdf

See our Basics of APA Style tutorial from Week 1 for coaching on APA formatting. For additional resources, use your COLL100 materials, our Library, and the Purdue Online Writing Lab