Anthropology Assignment (ANT2000)

Applied Anthropology Assignment and Instructions ANT 2000 – J. Phipps

Applied Anthropology Assignment and Instructions

For this project you will be doing a mini ethnography. For this you will need to do a participant observation in a field (of business) that you are interested in or are currently working in. ANT 2000 is a gateway course to the meta major/career pathways of Social & Behavioral Science and Human Services.

You will go about this as you would with any fieldwork.

 You will first pick the your where you want to do your fieldwork.  You will then get official permission from an official in that place to do the

fieldwork.  You will need an informant, who can show you around and answer

your questions and direct you to the best place to gain information about your study.

 You will participate in some way during the observation.  The observation should be 3-4 hours.  Take notes on the observation period.  Write a report on this.

If you choose to an observation where you currently work, the observation needs to be something quite different than what you do at that job. For example: You work at a restaurant in the front of the house (wait staff, hostess or the like), you could choose to observe in the back of the house (kitchen).

As you do your observation, remember to use cultural relativism (viewing the culture from that culture's perspective). As you do your observation take notes on what you learn about the culture. What did you learn about the business that you did not know about before? If this is a career you are choosing, are you still interested, more interested, not sure anymore? If this is your current place of work, do you feel more empathetic to this group of workers?

Report:

 On what you had to do for each step (how you choose, got permission, choose informant).

 What you learned during your observation? Did participating help you gain a deeper understanding?

 How could you use anthropology in your life as you leave this class.  Turn report in using the Unit 3 Module Assignment link.