Anthropology 3 – Spring 2008 The Project
To help you in choosing your topic

What is it? It is a short ethnography, a brief anthropological investigation, into an aspect of a culture by talking with one or two members of that culture. You will have more of a description (ethnography) than an analysis and will probably have more questions than "answers". One thing is for certain, you will listen to someone who has a different life experience than yours.

You are trying to understand an “emic” perspective about an aspect of human culture. It could range from arranged marriages, immigration (how someone got here and what it was like), tattooing (why, how choose patterns etc.), piercing (why, what and where), aspects of car culture (modifications, racing, restoring a car, running a store that sells Tibetan items, a tarot card reader, coming out as a gay, lesbian or transgendered person, raves culture, aspects of hip hop culture, etc.

1. It needs to be interesting to you - something you are interested in spending time to find out about.
   
   
2. Workable - you can actually do it the knowledgeable people or person - your informant(s) are known to you and they are willing to participate.

What it will look like Your findings will be compiled in the form of a written report (5-7 pages, maybe more). You do not have to package it in any particular way. You may include any form of media you wish - audio, still photos, video etc. You will discuss or share your findings with the class. (Yes, we can discuss this if you are terrified or even a little nervous).

Your project will have 2 components:

• A research component which will be library research into your project topic
• An ethnographic component that will take the form of at least two discussions (interviews) with your informants and/or visits to cultural sites. You will not identify your informant(s) by name or your direction relationship to them (kin term etc.) You can describe them - gender, age etc. But NO NAMES.

Your questions to your guide or "informants" What are the questions you would like to pursue and begin to get some answers to? They have to be based in some understanding of the area you are investigating (your library research will help you). They cannot be leading questions that direct the people you are talking with in a certain direction or that reflect your attitudes or views. Such as "Is it really true that parents just give their daughters away like we would give away puppies?" Obviously that would put the person on the defensive and you would never get any insights into arranged marriages. Or, “why would anyone waste so much money fixing up a car?” Or, “what would make someone get a tattoo? Don’t they realize that it is for life?”

Your informant/guide You must identify and get the permission to conduct the research. These should be people you are acquainted with and with whom you have established a level of trust. Your guide(s)/informant(s) must have thought about the topics to some degree. You must be able to meet with your informant a number of times - face to face. Make sure this is possible. Do not try to conduct phone interviews.

What the completed project will look like?

Your project will about 5-7 pages long (wordprocessed0 and usually have 3 sections including:

• An introduction to the topic

The next parts can be interchangeable or interwoven

• A research component where you will have conducted research using articles that provide and in-depth analysis or presentation of the subject. In general, newspaper articles or articles in popular magazines like "People" are not of great use.
• The views of the person or people you are talking with.
• Your analysis or conclusions, which may end up producing more questions than "answers". And ideas for future research in this area.

Due Dates:

March 20 – Project Proposal (form provided)

April 15 Project Finalization (form provided)

April 24 Library Orientation

April 29 – Last project Update

May 13 – All Projects Due