Information, Technology, and Society in Asia 312

This seminar is a practical introduction to anthropological methods such as participant observation and qualitative interviews. Responding to Pierre Bourdieu’s orienting critique of critique, students will begin by reading literature on anthropological methods from Bronisław Malinowski to Clifford Geertz to Timothy Ingold. The bulk of the semester will be devoted to working through James P. Spradley’s Participant Observation and The Ethnographic Interview. From these texts, students will learn the practical skills that they need to conduct fieldwork. Students will apply these skills in identifying a field site, opening it and conducting participant observation and ethnographic interviews. They will write up field notes and bring them to class to present to their peers, who will ask questions and make suggestions about the content. Students will learn to code their notes, identify nodes and work through data to formulate and advance solid, grounded arguments.