Ethnography

1. PAPER
ETHNOGRAPHY
Pick an organization in which
you participate either as an:
• Employee (your workplace
or your internship site),
• Volunteer
• Member (a club you belong
to, your church, etc.).

2. PAPER
ETHNOGRAPHY
The idea behind it:
• Designed to help you integrate course material into ‘‘real world’’
experiences by analyzing an actual organization.
The challenge:
• Participate and observe the organization and keep field notes
• Conduct interviews with members AND/OR collect documents
the organization produces
• Write an analysis of the organizational culture and
communication observed at that organization

3. PAPER
ETHNOGRAPHY
Expectations (6-7 pages, researched):
full grading criteria on back of syllabus
• Clearly conveys a sense of the organization’s culture
• Clearly points out BOTH positives and negatives
• Covers a minimum of 5 course topics, and for each topic:
• Shows a conceptual understanding
• Cites specific examples
• Offers critical advice based on course
theories and concepts
• Well written (spelling, grammar, flow)
• Knock our socks off!!!

4. ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Intro to Participant Observation

5. How do you study
Inner-city Gangs
?
• survey research • experiments •

6. Sudhir Venkatesh’s Study of Inner-city Gangs
Gang Leader For A Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes To The Streets

7. How do you feel about being
poor and Black in America?
A) Very Good
B) Good
C) Bad
D) Very Bad
LIMITATIONS
of survey research

8. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
“poor people wouldn’t answer my questions”

9. What to do with the
NOTEBOOK?
Black Kings
Financial Data

10. Steven Levitt: Author of Freakonomics

11. Ethnographer:
Qualitative Research
Economist:
Quantitative Research
Mixed Methods

12. • Like dance, researchers must be flexible
and adaptive to the dynamic process
• There are three stages to participant
observation:
•The “warm-up” period
•The “floor exercise” stage
•The “cool-down” stage
CHOREOGRAPHY OF
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

13. • Begin with general questions of interest – questions
will evolve throughout the research process
• Do research to achieve theoretical sensitivity. Enter
field open-minded but not empty-headed
• Keep a reflexive journal and a journal for field notes
• Select the field site
• Decide on your type of role
• Gain access to the site
THE WARM-UP

14. Observation Strategies
Complete-participant
Participant-as-observer
Observer-as-participant
Complete observer
Degree of Involvement
Complete Member
Active Member
Peripheral Member
RESEARCHER ROLE
Are participants aware of the study & does the researcher participate?
no, yes
yes, yes
yes, no
no, no

15. GAINING ACCESS
• Assess nature of informed consent given
goals, desired role, & community
• Gatekeeper: key to gaining access – can
often offer consent to study the org.
• Sponsors: help establish relationships
with other community members by taking
an interest in your project
• Informants: community members you go to
for info about the community & for
conducting “member checks”
Who would JT be?

16. •Constructing Field Notes &
Collecting Visual Records
•Making ethical decisions
•Gang leader for a day: To beat up or
not to beat up
FLOOR EXERCISE PERIOD

17. • Don’t trust your memory – take notes during
or soon after your observations take place
• Take notes in stages
•First, initial notes to help you recall
observations
•Second, detailed & comprehensive
notes filling in the initial notes
• Include detailed descriptions, initial
analysis as well as reflexive notes
• Include the “who, what, when, where, why”
CONSTRUCTING
FIELD NOTES

18. COOL DOWN PERIOD
• Data gathering is complete when “saturated”
• Saturation: when data are repetitive
• In order to determine saturation, data must be
analyzed as it is collected
• Additional member checks
may be needed as you
continue to write the report