Tools and working table for making felt hats and slippers at the Ethnographic Museum in Krujë, Albania.
MLAP 33501

Ethnographic Traditions

This course was available in the past and may be presented again as part of the Master of Liberal Arts curriculum.

This class will introduce students to the practice of ethnographic field work, or participant observation research. Students will read works on the practice of ethnography and actual ethnographic studies to acquire exposure to a variety of theoretical approaches, empirical topics, and debates. Students will also conduct several weeks of ethnographic research, produce field notes, and write a short final paper based on their research. Each week we will discuss the field notes, which students will have exchanged before each session. The class should appeal to students interested in both the social sciences and the humanities, in part because it concerns the study of and reflection upon the human condition in live situations, and in part because the main theoretical approaches to the practice are rooted in deeper philosophical traditions. So, while becoming familiar with ethnographic theory students will be introduced to philosophical strains such as semiotics, existentialism, pragmatism, and phenomenology.

  • Fulfills the Core - Social Science requirement

About the Professor

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Omar McRoberts - Headshot

Omar McRoberts