Anthropology paper
abdlaz3
ANTH300_EthnographyofCommunicationInstructions.pptxEthnography of Communication
80 Points
Due December 1, 2017
Directions for the Ethnography of Communication:
This paper is a combination of academic research and ethnographic research. Select a Subculture/Community of Practice/Linguistic Community to research throughout the semester and gather your finds and discuss them in relation to the concepts from our text and class. Many aspects of the paper follow Hyme’s SPEAKING.
The paper should be 8-10 pages in length (not including the Works Cited page ) with standard margins and 12pt. Font. Please proof read your paper to avoid losing points based on typos or spelling errors. You will also submit a brief presentation about your community.
You should have at least four additional academic sources (not including the text book) referenced in your paper regarding the group you selected. Be sure to cite your sources (APA) and include a works cited page. (Suggested groups: different ethnic groups, sports groups, subcultures, online forums, communities of practice. etc.)
Content should include:
Introduction- explain the subgroup you selected and the reasons for selecting this group. Give a brief history to provide background to the group.
Context includes: Discern Cultural Models/Culture of groups studied. Include information on all the following aspects of context. Where is the group you are studying, location (i.e. classroom, in-laws house, friend’s house, etc.)
Participants- who are the people in your study group, relation to you and relation amongst your study group (i.e. friends, employer, employee, stranger, family)
Goal of interaction- friendly exchange, acquiring information, etc.
Speech Acts- explain the various speech acts that took place and the relevance to the information from the text and class.
Address how variation exists within the sub-culture/speech community
differences in situations
differences in social distinctions/statuses w/in communities
variation reflected in speech performance
gender, age, class, region, ethnicity, occupation- all factor in–
Conclusion- what did you learn from this experience? How did you incorporate the emic and the etic perspectives throughout your research? What ethnolinguistic methodologies did you use
In addition to the paper, create short 2-5 slide powerpoint presentation that would help the rest of the class learn about your sub-culture/community
Be sure to do academic work, reflecting half a semester’s worth of research and keep your data valid and empirical.
Here are some notes about Sub-cultures:
Sub-cultures have different implicit/explicit understandings of their differences and similarities to the mainstream culture. Provide examples of the following if they exist:
age grouping- associations based on age affiliation (i.e. radio/tv preference- The Beatles/Lady Gaga preference, etc.)
generational conflicts- differences based on generational viewpoints (i.e. traditions, clothes, language used, values, etc.)
gender- differences in gender and perception of gender roles (i.e. females implicitly (explicitly) raised to be more empathetic, males to be doers- talk about bad day you had- females sympathize, males try to solve problem, etc.)
ethnicity- differences and characteristics of the specific ethnic group (i.e. extended family obligations- can conflict w/others expectations in individualistic oriented society)
regional (differences within the ethnic group, i.e. East vs. West) & age difference, etc.
Positionality- every person has a particular position/worldview made up of macro cultural norms, and various sub-cultures. Discuss the positionality of the study group and its members (if applicable)
Terms of address- discuss how all participants address one another in the various settings. Do they use particular pronouns? Do you observe “code-switching” among the participants?
Describe the use of kinship terms & any particular honorifics used.
In Summary
Choose a group of communicators (culture, sub-culture, community of practice)
Provide background on the group
Observe a speech act and describe it in detail while following Hyme’s SPEAKING structure
Conclude with what you learned from the experience
Create two or more slides summarizing your ethnography
Send your idea for your Ethnography to [email protected] by 10pm 10/27
