English 311-001: Writing Ethnography

Fall 2006

 

Dr. Terry Myers Zawacki               tzawacki@gmu.edu

Office: RobA 112a.  Phone: 703. 993-1187    

Office hours:  M 1:30-2:30 and other days by appointment or drop-in.   

 

http://classweb.gmu.edu/tzawacki/engl311syllabus2006.htm

 

 

Course Description:

"Writing Ethnography" entails the close study of a local culture; we will be concerned with the theoretical and practical processes of observing, interviewing, note taking, analyzing, and writing (about) a culture. For your fieldwork, you'll choose a particular site to study, perhaps a culture in which you yourself are already located. Your research site may be a place, a group, or individuals sharing a common experience or interest. Plan to spend many hours in the field, gathering information for your ethnographic narrative. As background for your fieldwork and final written account of the culture, we'll read one full-length ethnographic study as well as selected articles on e-reserve in the library. The course culminates in a final portfolio containing your account of the culture, which will include not only text but also images of the “unflat” material you’ve gathered at the site as relevant; your field work journal; progress memos and reflections, and portions of transcribed interviews with relevant informants. Underlying all of our work will be these central questions: Who represents whom, to what audience and to what end?  How do the ethnographer's purpose and perspective shape the written narrative and, in a sense, "create" the culture?  

 

Required Texts:

 

Sunstein, Bonnie Stone and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater. FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research. 2nd Ed. (FW).  Also see materials and resources on their site: http://www.fieldworking.com/home.html

 

Best, Amy. Fast Cars, Cool Rides.  

 

Required articles on e-reserve. Password seeing:

 

Note: I expect you to print out the Lewin, Carton, Lawless, Dunier, and Yocom articles for in-class discussion.

Lawless, Elaine. “Prelude,” “Prologue,” and “Introduction” to Women Escaping Violence: Empowerment Through Narrative 

Lewin, Ellen. “Writing Lesbian Ethnography” in Women Writing Culture

Dunier, Mitchell. Sidewalk. Introduction and excerpts from “The Book Vendor” and “The Magazine Vendor”

Carton, Benedict. Article TBA.

Yocom, Margaret. Article TBA.

Pohedra, Jennifer. “Beyond the Stage: An Ethnography of Comedian Culture” (student ethnography)

Antram, Alex. “A Different Place of Worship” (student ethnography)

 

Recommended e-reserve texts:

Gray, Diedre. “Let the Fans Speak: A Study of Anime Culture” (student ethnography)

Keating, Kristen. “Dog Fancier Culture” (student ethnography)

 

Important websites to bookmark:

 

Model release forms and human subjects consent forms:

http://www.gmu.edu/pubs/osp/hsinformedconsent.htm

http://classweb.gmu.edu/tec/archive/yocom%20permission.html

 

Resources for doing ethnographic fieldwork on folklore topics but also good general info:

http://www.gmu.edu/folklore/resources/

 

Information about ethnography as a field of study:

http://www.rhetcomp.com/

Click on “fields” and then on “Ethnography”

 

CITI: Course in the Protection of Human Research Subjects

Demo at: https://www.citiprogram.org/demoemail.asp

 

Course Requirements:

 

Participation—Our class is a writing workshop, so I do little lecturing. Instead you’ll be reporting on your work, leading discussions on the readings, and working with each other in pairs and in groups to respond to and critique each other's work. Attendance and active participation are very important.  In order to be an active participant, you'll need to be prepared for every class, whether it be keeping up with the reading, spending time at your fieldwork site, analyzing and reflecting on the materials you’ve gathered, and/or writing up your fieldwork. 

 

Assignments

·        A 15-20 page ethnography with accompanying portfolio constitutes the major portion of your writing work (and final grade) in the course. A full draft will be due in the latter part of the semester for peers to read and suggest revisions.

·        Cultural autobiography and other brief writing exercises.

·        Reading log. Groups will be responsible for leading discussions on the texts as assigned. 

·        Fieldwork journal with analysis and reflection and regular progress memos.

·        Interview transcript.

 

Grading

Your final grade will be based on your demonstrated understanding (in discussions, reading logs, peer review, etc) of the theory and practice of writing ethnography and your proficiency in writing an interesting, astute, and technically correct final ethnography.  Approximate percentages: ethnography and accompanying portfolio material in portfolio = 60% (20% for draft; 40% for final); reading logs, cultural autobiography and written exercises, contributions to class discussion = 25%; reports on fieldwork and coded interview transcript = 15%.  

 

· Late Work: Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. Exercises, reading log entries, and other daily kinds of assignments may not be made up if you are absent the day they are due. In the event of an unavoidable absence, you should contact a classmate to find out what you missed so that you will be prepared for class when you return. Please feel free to talk with me about making up work due to unavoidable absences.

 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

 

Provisional Schedule

 

Ethnography weaves together the strands of several stories: the personal story of the ethnographer, the story of the ethnographer working in the field, the stories of the people at the site, and the story of the site.  Adapted from talk given by Peggy Yocom, Folklorist

 

I've divided the semester into thematic segments to give you a sense of what our concerns will be as we progress through the semester.  For me, schedules on a syllabus must always be flexible. As I learn more about who you are as readers and writers and you learn more about who I am as a reader and evaluator of your work, together we'll adjust the schedule accordingly. Note: all "homework" assignments are due the day they are listed.

 

Week One

 

Aug 28: Intro to Course.  What is Culture? Ethnography? Autoethnography? How is ethnography different from a feature article for popular media? What constitutes a “site”? Fieldworking (p. 57-58) lists “Subcultures,” “Events,” and “Places” as kinds of sites. Under “subcultures,” one might list individuals who share experiences or interests. You may wish to collect, for example, family stories or stories people tell about significant events. Note: To get a sense of what your final project might look like, browse the student ethnographies on library E-reserve. Search by my name or our course. Password: seeing. 

 

In her ethnography Prom Night, sociologist Amy Best defines “culture” as “an ongoing process that requires not only a close examination of those practices, symbols, artifacts, and texts that comprise and organize daily life, but also recognizing that these aspects of daily life carry different meanings for the people in these settings as they do for the dominant culture” (12).

 

Aug 30: Where is the Culture?  Assignment: Make short list of all the cultures and subcultures you are part of. See FW 57-8, for example. Read: FW Chapter 1. In reading log, note purpose of readings such as “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” as well as some features of ethnographic accounts you notice in “Friday Night at Iowa 80.”

 

Week Two

 

Sept 4:  Labor Day. No class.

 

Sept 5:  Who am I in/to the culture? Introductions.  Assignment: Read FW Chapter 2, pp 55-76. For more ideas about sites to study, read FW 128-34; 144-47; 159-72.

 

The sense of self is an essentially narrative phenomenon; people conceive of themselves in terms of stories about their actions in the world, using them to make sense of the temporal flow of their lives. We find identity and meaning as a result of the stories we tell about ourselves and that others tell about us."  Camilla Stivers.  From "Reflections on the Role of Personal Narrative in Social Science" SIGNS. Winter 1993.

 

Week Three

 

Sept 11:  Cultural autobiographies. What accounts for the “gaze” that observes, collects, and analyzes data? Assignment: Read FW 105-124 and “Lesbian Ethnography” (on e-reserve).  Note assumptions about identity. What is the relevance of Lewin’s discovery about shared identities to our ethnographic work? Write about some of the different cultures you belong to, including cultures which are defined, at least partially, by fixed identities like race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, age, size, and so on. What kinds of things have been said to you about the group? How closely do you relate to the group? How might participation in this group shape your perspectives on “other” groups? Have you ever claimed or denied one of the groups you belong to? (Two or more pages double-spaced. Begin with your name as an integral part of your identity.)   

 

Sept 13: Guest lecturer oral historian Ben Carton on the methods and ethics of doing field research. Assignment: Read: FW Chapter 3, 124-128 (the ethics of entry). Prof. Carton’s article on e-reserve, title TBA.

 

Week Four

 

Sept 18: Locating the culture. Assignment: Read: FW Chapter 5, pp 217-244, especially 220-23 with lists of details. On e-reserve: “Introduction” and excerpts from Sidewalk on “The Book Vendor” and “The Magazine Vendor.” Note Dunier’s “entry story,” how he describes his methods, the details he includes about the site, and the way he uses his interview data. Turn in a short list of sites you might study or, preferably, a description of the site you plan to study and why.

 

Sept 20: Into the field. Assignment: Read: FW Chapter 2, FW Chapter 2, pp 77-104 (taking fieldnotes). Write: In one page or more (double-spaced), describe an aspect of your fieldsite: a room/space occupied by the group; (i.e. the environment that is typical); the group/individuals you’ll be studying and where you will meet them; or a typical object from your site and why it’s significant. Feel free to use first person.   

 

Week Five

 

Sept 25: Ethnographic methods. Assignment: Read: Fast Cars, Cool Rides, “Introduction” and “Appendix.” In the introduction, note how Best situates her ethnographic project in a cultural context (“American life and the car,” “Kids and Cars,” etc), how she defines “car culture,” and how she defines her terms and her study. In the appendix, note how carefully she describes her research methods. You’ll have a methods section somewhere in your project, so keep careful field notes on your methods. Write: One-page, single-spaced memo on your research methods and progress thus far.       

 

Sept 27: Your site revisited. Assignment:  Class discussion of your projects thus far. Be prepared to tell the class where you are with the project and what’s next. See FW, p. 408, section I and II for some questions to address in your report to the class.

 

September 29: Last Day to Drop

 

Week Six

 

Oct 2: Interviewing and Transcribing. Assignment: Read FW Chapter 7, pp 368-376 (note especially p. 370). Look at FW pp 297-300 for a model transcript with notes and reflections, and 308-10 for tips on taping and transcribing. Also read chapters one and two of Fast Cars, Cool Rides. Note how Best incorporates passages from her interview transcript into the chapter. Also note how she sets up scenes that will bring readers into the culture. Bring book to class for discussion.

 

Oct 4: Workshopping interview transcripts. Assignment:  Interview someone relevant to your site. Tape record the interview. Transcribe at least three pages of the interview verbatim in a Q&A, single-spaced format (more details given in class).

 

Week Seven  

 

Oct  10: Note: Monday classes meet on Tuesday. Assignment: Read: Chapters three through five of Fast Cars. Note especially the kinds of cultural analysis Best does in each of the chapters. Have questions prepared to ask Prof. Best when she comes to class Wednesday.

 

Oct 11: Guest lecturer sociologist Amy Best. Assignment: Look at FW pp 409-412. Write: Describe in detail some aspect of your site—a person or people, a setting, a particular event to support a point you want to make about your site. The details you use should come from your fieldwork journal and or interviews.

 

Week Eight:

 

Oct 16: Ethnography and feature stories. Assignment: Read: “The Adventures of Greg: Introducing Greg Estrada,” a Washington Post feature available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28671-2005Apr6.html  (Washington Post Magazine. Sunday, April 10, 2005; Page W04). Then read on e-reserve, Jennifer Pohedra’s ethnography “Beyond the Stage.” Take note of the different approaches and techniques the feature story and the ethnography each employ. Also consider the writing style in Fast Cars, Cool Rides, which is, in some ways, a cross-over book (hence all of her methodology in an Appendix).

 

Oct 18: What’s the story? Coding your data: Why and how to. Detailed Progress Memo due.  Describe where you are at this point in your research: what you’ve done, seen, recorded, and noticed. Describe themes you see emerging and possible focal points. Reflect on your fieldwork thus far. Think about assumptions you had going into the field and what you actually found. Also discuss what has surprised, intrigued, disturbed you thus far. (See FW pp 95-98 as a guideline.) Be prepared to tell the class about any/all of the above.   

 

Week Nine

 

Oct 23: What’s the story, cont. Assignment: Read FW Chapter 5, pp 244-285. Note especially Downing’s “Strike a Pose” and her reflection on her work on p. 284. What categories of analysis are emerging in your fieldwork? 

 

Oct 25: What’s the story, cont. Assignment: Read FW “Ralph’s Sports Bar,” pp. 379-93. This is a “how-not-to-do-it” piece. Be prepared to discuss (critique) her method, her focus, and her analysis.

 

Week Ten

 

Oct 30 and Nov 1: This is a conference week. There will be no class. Assignment: Compile your materials thus far into a portfolio. Include a 2-3 page summary of the evolving ethnography, i.e., themes you see emerging, possible focus/foci, short descriptions of key informants and events. Use the questions on FW p. 95-96 as a guide. Bring any other relevant writing about and materials from the site and note secondary research that may be applicable. (Consider, for example, the kinds of research Dr. Best used in addition to her own field work.)

 

Week Eleven

 

Nov 6:  What’s the story, cont. Arrival stories: Traditional ethnographies usually include an “arrival story,” that is, a story about your first time visiting the site as a researcher or, depending upon your site, a story about how you are positioned vis a vis your informants. Notice how the student writers in FW handle their arrival stories. Assignment: Read on e-reserve “Prologue” and “Introduction” to Women Escaping Violence by Elaine Lawless. We’ll discuss this reading in class, so bring your printed-out copy. Questions: How much do you want to tell about yourself in your arrival story? How do you handle the emotions you might feel about a site? Write your arrival story. (Two or more double-spaced pages.)  (We’ll workshop your stories Nov. 13.)

 

Nov 8: Guest speaker folklore professor Peggy Yocom. Assignment: Read article TBA on e-reserve.

 

Week Twelve

 

Nov 13: Workshop: Arrival story and “What’s the story?” Bring copy of arrival story to workshop. Also bring your coded field notes and transcripts for group to look at. 

 

Nov 15: Writing it up. Assignment: Progress memo due. Be prepared to report to the class on your fieldwork thus far, i.e., What’s the story? See FW p. 408, section III for questions to address. 

 

 

Week Thirteen

 

Nov 20: Writing it up, cont. How a Table of Contents can help you organize the material. Assignment: FW pp. 468-70 “Analytic Section Headings,” and 437-47, “Thickening your draft.” Bring copy of rough draft to exchange with a peer to take home for the holiday.   

 

Nov 22:  NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING RECESS

 

Week Fourteen

 

Nov 27:  Why does the story matter?  Assignment: FW Chapter 8. Note especially pp 425-27, 437-47, 448-50, 462-65. Due: Full rough draft of ethnography and comments on peer’s draft, which will be at least one page of single-spaced notes. Keep copies of peer feedback to turn in to me with your draft on Nov. 29.

 

Nov 29: Read Around. Assignment: Bring a section from your ethnography to read aloud. Also: Draft of ethnography due to me with any changes recommended by peer. Include peer reviewer’s notes. 

 

Week Fifteen

 

Dec 4: Compiling the portfolio. Assignment: FW Chapter 8, pp 465-68.

 

Dec 6: Final edits

 

Dec 13: Exam Day (10:30-1:15): Portfolio due. We will not have an exam in this class. Instead you’ll do short in-class presentations on your work.

 

Criteria for portfolios: The following questions will be asked in assessing how well the students have fulfilled the learning goals: