Anthro due April 24 11pm
Conducting Fieldwork – Discussion Board
#2
9
Learning Objective: How Do Anthropologists Get Started Conducting Fieldwork?
You don’t need to go to a remote country to use the skills of an anthropologist; in fact,
there are different cultures all around you at this very moment. College campuses
include a huge variety of cultures, all of which can be studied by means of ethnographic
fieldwork. Student organizations such as fraternities and sororities, and religious and
ethnic groups, can be considered cultures.
This should get you thinking about your ethnography projects!
Instructions:
1. What is the emic point of view?
2. What is the etic point of view?
3. Write a plan for conducting ethnographic fieldwork within your own
community. What culture, other than your own, would you study? What
strategies would you employ in your fieldwork? What kinds of analysis would
be appropriate for the data you have collected? Consider your fieldwork
carefully, including what effect it might have on you. Post your written
proposal for fieldwork to your class’s online discussion board and ask for
feedback about how it could be altered or improved. How would you
approach it using the emic and etic points of view?
For full credit respond to at least two other post.
All posts made to each Lesson discussion are scored according to the following criteria:
● 0 points: no participation, no attempt to begin a discussion, or respond to a
classmate.
● .5 – 5.75 point (F): varying degrees of failure; attempt to participate is not
sincere; does not demonstrate much or any preparation; student clearly
unwilling to participate or prepare; posts do not address the topic or engage
peer in discussion; and/or post is incomprehensible due to
grammar/spelling/syntax errors!
● 6 – 6.75 points (D): attempt does not demonstrate comprehension of material
or full preparation for the discussion, or does not address the discussion topic
in a meaningful way, and/or post is very difficult to understand, containing
grammar/spelling/syntax errors!
● 7 – 7.75 points (C): statements indicate a willingness to participate but do not
indicate full preparation or full comprehension, or may not address the
discussion topic fully and/or post is somewhat difficult to follow, containing
grammar/spelling/syntax errors.
● 8 – 8.75 points (B): statements indicate student willing and prepared for
discussion, but maybe lacking a complete understanding of concepts or
complete coverage of discussion topic, and/or post contains some
grammar/spelling/syntax errors. They have also responded to at least 2 other
post
● 9-10 points (A): student’s enthusiastic participation indicates preparation,
comprehension and complete understanding of concepts, has complete and
accurate coverage of the discussion topic and is free of
grammar/spelling/syntax errors. They have also responded to at least 2 other
post.
This is my discussion :
An emic point of view is a perspective where an issue is analyzed and handled from a cultural
perspective. This is where a culture has a way of perceiving issues like gender, environment conservation
or even agriculture among other issues. The people from that specific culture are likely to make use of
emic point of view to argue for or against an issue.
On the other hand, an etic point of view is a situation where culture of a specific group of people is
viewed by a foreigner from the foreigners’ cultural perspective. This is to mean that in etic point of view,
the person making the perspective is not familiar with the culture and hence is using his/her culture to
view a different or new culture. For instance; an Asian would visit an African country and view the
African culture from an Asian perspective.
Conducting an ethnographic fieldwork is an interesting thing and in my case I would research about
the African American since it is my culture but I can extend to the Chinese Americans more so because
they have increased in number in the United States. I would use observation and interviews to conduct the
study. For the analysis, I would information available in different reliable sources to compare with data
collected. The same data I would forward to a professional to have the data reviewed and determined in
regards to accuracy and validity.
And here’s some students discussion, please write a comment to these two.
Thanks .
Danessa Yip (She/Her)
1. The emic perspective refers to research that was studied from the viewpoints of the
culture being studied. This describes behaviors and beliefs in terms of the people who
belong to the culture. It shows how a person perceives and categorizes their
experiences based on their culture(s). Research is done by talking to others, observing
what they are doing, and participating in daily activities with them in order to fully grasp
the culture rather than one that was built outside of the culture being studied.
2. The etic perspective refers to research studied from a viewpoint outside of that
culture. It describes outside explanations for behavior done by a subject that is
interpreted in a way that is meaningful to the observer. The research usually comes
from research done by both an anthropologist and an ethnographer. It is usually based
on science and informed by history, politics, and economics. In general, this type of
perspective understands that someone from that culture may not consider their behavior
to be odd in their culture.
3. I would study the transgender community. I would try to use both the etic and emic
viewpoints in my qualitative research. This would enable me to understand both
transgender experiences and recognize behavior and beliefs of transgender people that
people who are not transgender do not typically engage in. I would talk to key
informants and interview them, and take good field notes while at transgender pride
celebrations. This would allow me to better understand the etic and emic sides of my
research.
I would use polyvocality because it allows me to better represent both the etic and
emic sides of being transgender. I would be able to write about them as an outsider, but
also allow them to speak out and show people their perspectives through my research.
I may be slightly uncomfortable by the frankness of transgender people when they
discuss things such as surgery. I wonder if there are any ways to improve my approach
from both an emic and etic perspective.
Nazeli Karapetyan
Conducting Fieldwork – Discussion Board #2
1. The world through the eyes of the people being studied and describe and
understand people’s customs and ideas but do not judge them, an approach
called cultural relativism. The goal is to study what people believe, not
whether or not what they believe is true. Culture includes all aspects of the
human experience that are passed down from generation to generation.
Culture gives meaning to reality; we live in a real, physical world, but our
minds interpret this world through a cultural lens and even create new
realities. Religion is a difficult concept to define when we try to include all
human societies. An analytic definition focuses on the way in which religion
manifests itself or is expressed in culture. The emic point of view is an
outsider s point of view concerning some sort of social phenomenon. The
emotional approach to the study of human culture focuses on the members of
the culture being studied. Their words, perceptions, and beliefs are the main
sources of information used to understand the culture.
2. The ethical point of view of culture is the outward view. An ethical view is the
collection of data from outside, which raises questions posed outside. One
problem that anthropologists may encounter is that people tend to behave
differently when they are viewed. It is especially difficult for a foreigner to
access certain private rituals that may be necessary to understand the
culture.
3. Cultural anthropology is an anthropological branch that focuses on the study
of human culture, understood as a set of customs, myths, beliefs, norms, and
values that guide and regulate the behavior of a particular social group.
Understanding what other cultures are like has never been easy. , especially
considering that no one can separate themselves from their own culture by
trying to see other ethnic groups with greater objectivity. In fieldwork I’ll focus
on exploration work Field research is the most important stage, which
requires the development of objective data, on the basis of which important
calculations are made, site plans, object plans are prepared, and reporting
documents are prepared. At this stage, there is an area survey. The main
work plan is outlined. Important areas of technical and material support for
planned activities are identified. A network of geodetic references is
organized. A topographic survey of the area, as well as the existing
underground communications, is being carried out. The draft is taken out in
kind, after which the relevant acts are drawn up.
