- Evaluate what does and does not constitute ethnographic fieldwork and methods using Malinowski’s framework as a standard of comparison.
- Assess the effects that state modernization projects and globalization have had on indigenous peoples.
- Recognize common stereotypes of indigenous peoples and how these have shaped development projects
- Compare and contrast the understandings of the veil in three different Middle Eastern cultures.
- Recognize how stereotypes of ethnic minorities has shaped scholarship on inner city residents
- Discuss the meaning of culture through an analysis of instances of culture shock
- Describe various ways in which culture is negotiated, not bound by strict rules
- Apply various social theories to concrete case studies
- Design and describe a research project, in which they identify a social issue that ethnographic research could be used to address and how they would go about pursuing that research. (Note: students do not actually need to conduct the research, only describe it.)
Course Description And Purpose
This course provides an introduction to ethnography, which has long been the principle genre of writing in cultural anthropology and is increasingly used in qualitative sociology, geography and some subfields of history and psychology. We will study how ethnographic research is done and the process of converting that research into a meaningful book or essay. Throughout the course, we will read ethnographies that describe and analyze diverse cultures, including hunters and gatherers in Sub-Saharan Africa, indigenous activists in the Amazon, Muslim women in multiple Middle Eastern countries, drug dealers in New York City and migrant farmworkers in Florida. In the final unit of the course, we will explore some of the ways in which ethnography can be used to help bring about positive social change. Films will be used to test students’ knowledge of key course concepts and to provide ethnographic material that complements assigned readings. This course will enable students to compare cultures and societies; to critically examine the methods, writing styles and formats of ethnographies; and to increase their knowledge of the interrelatedness of local, global and intercultural issues and systems.
Course Objectives
Students will be able to:
Proctored Exam Policy
Please note that the information contained in this section applies only if your course requires a proctored exam.
It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether this online course requires proctored exams by carefully reviewing the course syllabus. For detailed instructions please visit our Proctored Exam Resources page on the FIU Online website.
Textbook
NOTE: copies of this book are available through many public libraries
Any edition of the books is fine. Used copies can often be purchased for under $10.
FIU ONLINE ORIENTATION & TUTORIAL
It is highly recommended that students who have never taken a fully online course attend one of our orientations. In addition to providing you with useful tips and techniques to ensure your success, the orientation will cover the fundamentals of learning online and how to get started.
Review the FIU Online orientation schedule for more information.
Please note that we offer an FIU Online tutorial via web. If you are unable to attend one of our on-campus orientations, visit our tutorials page to view the FIU Online student orientation recording.