Ethnographic Essay

Ethnographic Essay Guidelines

Your ethnographic essay represents a culmination of most of the work you have done in class so far. In this essay you will interpret your own field research (your field site observations and, possibly, your interview[s] as well) in light of others’ research (the sources of your literature review).

Your ethnographic essay will therefore combine material from your field report, annotated bibliography, and (possibly) your interview essay. However, you need to rework and rewrite much of this material. When you present your field site observations or your interview results, you need to re-interpret them in order show how they contribute to the existing research (other sources) that address your research problem. Therefore, you will need to rework your previous material.

Due Dates:

· Rough draft of introduction and literature review (at least these sections): 11/26

· Final draft of ethnographic essay: 12/12

Note: Emailed submissions will not be accepted.

Format:

· Typed, paper copy

· Double-spaced, with one-inch margins

· 12 pt, Times New Roman font

· APA formatting, including title page and abstract

Organization:

The standard organization for an APA-style research report is as follows:

· Title page – includes running head, title, author, and affiliation.

· Abstract – summarizes, max 300 words, purpose, research problem, method, and major findings/interpretations/conclusions.

· Introduction – sets forth purpose in terms of research problem; gives briefly summary of literature review, establishing niche; states briefly your methodology; shows your major outcomes and previews the structure of your research paper.

· Literature review – analyzes the existing research that’s been done on your research problem, demonstrating niche and how your research addresses that niche.

· Methodology – explains and gives a justification for your method (e.g. interview, observation).

· Results – reviews in detail what you found at your field site and/or in interviews.

· Discussion – reflects on, explains, or interprets your “results” (observations/interview material) in light of the sources in your literature review; gives implications of study in terms of research problem; discusses limitations of your study; and suggests further research.

· Conclusion – reviews key findings, implications, or practical takeaways

· References list – gives a full list of all the sources you cite, including full bibliographical information (but not annotations).

This standard organization, aside from title page and abstract, is not a requirement. You are free to organize your paper in a different way. However, if you organize the paper in a different way, make sure that your paper covers all the functions outlined above (e.g., reviewing the literature, discussing your findings, etc.).

Style: Although it is appropriate to use “I” or first-person point of view, it’s important to emphasize the field site/culture or individuals you interview and keep yourself in the background. If you use jargon or specialized vocabulary, be sure to define it; when you draw on outside sources, cite them using APA style. Be sure to use the right verb tense for the different contexts of the discussion (e.g., past tense for the literature review, present tense for implications, etc.).

Length: 2500-3000+ words