Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Banu Senay banu.senay@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites 130cp at 1000 level or above including (30cp from ANTH units including (10cp from ANTH units at 3000 level))
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description What tools do cultural anthropologists use to observe humans and make sense of their actions in the world? This unit introduces the practical, methodological, and ethical dimensions of ethnographic research. As the primary goal of the unit is to teach students how to conduct ethnographic fieldwork, over the semester students engage in first-hand research projects where they regularly participate in and observe a cultural scene of their own choosing. Weekly meetings frame the fieldwork process as students learn anthropological research methods under the guidance of an experienced staff member, and then apply this knowledge to their ethnographic study. These meetings provide students an opportunity to share their fieldwork experiences with each other, discuss the methodological issues, and workshop concerns raised by their own studies. Simultaneously students will read several classic ethnographies to develop an understanding of the relationship between ethnographic research and ethnographic writing.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

ULO1: Understand and apply a variety of ethnographic research methods.
ULO2: Conduct ethnographic research.
ULO3: Apply a variety of qualitative research methods, including interviewing, semantic domain analysis, unobtrusive observation, preparing literature review, and time allocation surveys.
ULO4: Present research to peers and instructors in written and oral format.
ULO5: Prepare a sample research proposal for a feasible participant-observation ethnographic study.
ULO6: Acquire the knowledge and confidence to competently discuss and apply field research techniques relevant for employment as a field researcher.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all non-timed written assessments (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc) is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams/quizzes, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Seminar participation	20%	No	ongoing
Ethics quiz	0%	No	4 March
Research proposal	20%	No	29 March
Research journal	15%	No	6 May
Ethnographic research paper	35%	No	31 May
Oral presentation of research	10%	No	Week 12/13

Seminar participation

Assessment Type ¹: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 26 hours
Due: ongoing
Weighting: 20%

Seminar participation, including discussion preparation guide