Seminar preparation involves a couple of hours of reading each week. To facilitate tutorial discussion, you are required to submit a short typed summary of each of that week’s readings. Each student should fully participate in class discussions and will take turns leading a discussion of the week’s readings. 

Research proposals will be original project designs for ethnographic research projects.  Your research proposal should be a formal description of the ongoing project of ethnographic description that you are engaged in for this class. You must also undertake a literary search for your chosen topic. 

Students will engage in a small-scale and experimental research project over the course of the semester.  Each student will keep a ‘field journal’ (paper or electronic) that collates completed writing assignments, including observational logs, research diary entries, interview notes, sketches, diagrams, and other data related to the on-going project.  You are encouraged to treat the journal as a ‘field diary,’ and to write in it as often as you see fit. You should write in it as often as possible (a minimum of twice a week).

During the last two weeks of the semester, you will present your research findings in class. You are presenting an ethnographic synthesis that combines theory and data through the medium of analysis.  Since this class is centred on methodology, I do expect that you reflect on and discuss your process of observation, methodological challenges, things you might do differently next time etc. 

Write an ethnographic synthesis of the research you completed.  Your paper should describe the goals of the project, the methods employed, and what you discovered during the course of your research. Remember that ethnographic synthesis weds theory to data in the medium of analysis.  Your paper must present your research in a way that maintains academic integrity whilst also engaging the reader with your ethnographic material. You must connect your material to larger processes, using sound theoretical foundations and consistent and measured analysis.  This paper will be reviewed and returned with critical feedback on June 4th. 

I will return your ethnographic paper (on June 4^th) with the comments and suggestions.    Similar to the process of submission for publication in a journal or edited volume, your paper will be reviewed and you will be given feedback on the work.  You will then be required to address the feedback and revise your paper accordingly. You will have two weeks to revise from the time I return your paper. The revised paper will be due on June 18.  Your revised paper must also include a epilogue or response (200 to 500 words) reflecting on how you have used the feedback.