Fieldwork And Ethnography: Qualitative Research Methods

• • • Ethnography, key characteristics.
  • • Ethnographic methods.
  • • Ethnographic theory.
  • • Designing your own research project.
  • • Researching with humans - face-to-face.
  • • Researching with humans - online.
  • • Utilising your own ethnographic data.

Others

Prerequisites: Students must have completed 30 credit points at Level two.

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

Interested in developing qualitative research skills, including through taking up the challenge of designing and carrying out your own ethnographic research project? Want to learn how to research and write ethically, evocatively and impactfully about people and their social worlds?

This subject will introduce you to the qualitative research practice of ethnography, usually focused on a single setting or group. Ethnography has long been a cornerstone of Anthropology and Qualitative Sociology, and is now widely used across the social sciences and beyond, including in the health sciences, communication studies, and professionally for example in social impact evaluations. It has also developed into exciting new fields such as digital ethnography and multi-species ethnography. For students wishing to study humans and their social worlds, ethnography is an important research practice to learn about. Data are collected either face to face or online through a range of techniques employed in ethnographic fieldwork, but the emphasis is on participant observation and informal interviewing. Through weekly teaching modules, class discussions and practical experience, you will become familiar with these techniques.

• One 1,000-word research proposal The assessment rubrics will be available on LMS. This is formative assessment. (30%)
• One 3,000-word ethnographic paper delimited as: Writing and Effort 30% Argument and Content 30% The assessment rubrics will be available on LMS. This is substantive assessment. (60%)
• Field-notes (500 word equivalent) (10%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).