Ethnographic research is the study of people in their own environment through the use of methods such as participant observation and face-to-face interviewing. For the midterm project, students will undertake firsthand research known as “fieldwork” to observe connections between Asian American communities and various local, Asian American cultural institutions.
For this midterm project, students will investigate local organizations and establishments that serve the Asian American community. These organizations may include places of business, activity centers, community service providers, and/or religious institutions. Students will observe how these institutions operate and investigate their role in supporting the Asian American community.
The midterm project will be a 500-750 word (2-3 pages, double-spaced) “fieldwork” report detailing the student’s observations of their selected institution, your thoughts about what you observed, 3-5 photos, and a personal reflective response summarizing how you think the place you observed contributes to preserving, maintaining, or transforming Asian American cultures and communities. This paper may be written in the first-person, as it is a record of your observations.
For this reflection paper, you will adopt the style of an anthropologist and write an ethnography. Anthropology is the study of human groups and cultures. Ethnographic writing, simply stated, is the study of people in their own environment through the use of methods such as participant observation and face-to-face interviewing. The purpose of ethnographic research is to attempt to understand what is happening naturally in the setting and to interpret the data gathered to see what implications could be formed from the data. An ethnography is a portrait—a description of a particular human situation, practice, or group as it exists (or existed) in a particular time, at a particular place, etc.
For this assignment, you will undertake firsthand research known as “fieldwork” in order to write your ethnographic paper. You will visit an organization, place of business, activity center, community service center, or religious center that serves an Asian American community demographic.
You are encouraged, but not required, to conduct interviews with service providers, staff, customers, and/or clients at the site you are observing AFTER you have sat quietly and observed what’s going on. If someone is willing to speak to you, then by all means, ask a few questions about their work or about what services they are there to receive. However, if it seems bothersome or inappropriate to interview people, then just quietly take notes on your observations. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU ARE A GUEST IN THEIR PLACE OF BUSINESS, SO BE COURTEOUS AND TRY TO BE AS UNOBTRUSIVE AS POSSIBLE.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Select a location where you can observe many people participating in an aspect of an Asian American community life as unobtrusively as possible for at least 30 minutes.
2. Take detailed notes on your observations, keeping your notes as objective as possible. Document the name and location of your fieldwork, the time of day or night you are making your observations, and any other identifying details. Include detailed descriptions of anything you feel will help paint a picture of your experience observing your selected site For example, how many people did you observe in the location? What were their ages, ethnicities, genders? Were they alone or in groups? What were people doing? Did they talk to one another or did they mostly keep to themselves? Were they speaking in English or another language? If you were able to overhear any conversations, what kinds of things did they talk about? Did anything happen that seemed interesting, unusual, or ordinary to you? Why?
3. Take photos of the location you visited to be included in your field notes submission. You may include up to 5 photos.
4. Write down any thoughts, self-reflections, and reactions you have during your hour of fieldwork. These are subjective notes and should be kept separate from your objective observations. Make sure that you label these items as YOUR personal thoughts/interpretations/reactions.
5. After your observation, refer to your notes to write your fieldwork report. This report may be written in the first-person, as it is a record of your observations. This report should contain (at minimum):
a) Introductory paragraph that identifies the name and address of the place you conducted your fieldwork, the date and time of your observation/s, and a brief description of the organization and why you chose to do your fieldwork there.
b) Body of at least 3 paragraphs that details your objective observations. You may also include your subjective notes/observations here, but be sure to identify them as your personal thoughts/interpretations/reactions, as opposed to your more objective observations. For example, you may set your thoughts apart in parentheses, or in an italicized font, so that they can be read as your subjective notes and will not be confused with the more objective descriptions.
c) Concluding paragraph that details your reflective response about your fieldwork experience. Your conclusion should answer these questions: How do you think Asian American institutions like (the one you observed) have helped to preserve, maintain, or transform Asian cultures, traditions, and/or family values? What is the value of Asian American institutions like (the one you observed) to the communities they serve as well as to the larger mainstream community in which they’re located?
For this assignment, because it is based on fieldwork, you do not need to cite research sources. Because I am asking for your observations, you may write in the first person when documenting your own thoughts, reactions, and observations.
