PAGE TO BE UPDATED FOR CURRENT SEMESTER (F18)

 page last updated 11/5/16 { /}

 A NONVERBAL MINI- ETHNOGRAPHY  [“people/nation” + “write” ]

<<Exploring a (Co-/Cultural) group from the inside out>>

Definitions

Ground Breaking research

Current Project Goals/Rationale

How to structure a research plan

Required modalities to be utilized  [ 1-2-3 ]

 Channels for focus  (use any 3)

Possible locales/"cultures" for your study

Basic format for posted Abstracts new

Selected Bibliography

List of Confirmed Projects ( who is doing what) (currently lists F'16 ) 

►Operational DEFINITION:   Ethnography is the descriptive, qualitative study of a human “society”, based on empirical data obtained primarily from fieldwork. The ethnographer immerses himself/herself in the life of a social group as a participant-observer in order to collect all the necessary data. Ideally, the ethnographic method should allow the researcher to completely understand another cultural/co-cultural group, and the behavior of the people who live in it.  However, there are various difficulties involved in gathering authentic data in this way, including the general tendency of people to see and act from the perspective of their own culture.  {i.e. It’s difficult to see beyond your own enculturation.}  By striving to divest themselves of any self-centered/ethnocentric thinking, ethnographers are able to gain deeper understanding of those formerly "alien" societies, and thus can serve to bring the various cultures of the world into deeper understanding and more harmonious relationships. Adapted from the New World Encyclopedia

►varied DISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS:  

►GOALS/RATIONALE:  No matter which specific locality/culture you select for this mini-project, you will explore several learning objectives. This activity uses EXPERIENTIAL learning as a way directly to investigate  the interconnections between Communication and Culture (including co-cultural settings).  It also gives an opportunity to reinforce the kinds of "PARTICIPANT-OBSERVER" skills generally  needed to function in the world of communication-- both verbal and nonverbal. In addition, this is an interdisciplinary assignment . Any studies you have had in the social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, sociolinguistics and/or the arts such as music, visual art, performance studies, all will enrich  your insights and will help you synthesize various aspects of your liberal arts college career.

PLANNING & CONDUCTING A MINI NONVERBAL ETHNOGRAPHY:(Research Plan)

END GOAL: To better understand what it's like to live in _________"culture"

►STEP 1 - consider  WHAT IT IS YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GROUP'S ( i.e. co-culture's) NV PRACTICES ?  {i.e. what’s your area-of-curiosity}   [What communication functions do these people accomplish?] [ How do they do them? ] [Why do they do them?  ] [ What are the effects on the people & the culture/society?] [etc.]

(If applicable you can coordinate your observation sites with what you are doing for your  "Thin Slice", or your Team research project)

►STEP 2- consider IN ORDER TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR STEP 1 ITEM-FROM THE "NATIVE'S" POINT-OF-VIEW (aka emic)

o      Who would you need to talk to?

o      Who/What would you need to observe?

o      What context/situation would you need to experience & get to know better?

►STEP 3 - consider IF YOU ARE FULLY READY TO GO OUT INTO "THE FIELD" [refer to the Activity Details below ] [pay special attention to requirements about the modalities to use, option of partnering with a classmate, the posting of your results in abstract form via a Discussion forum and the (possible)  micro-oral presentation in class]

►STEP 4 - conduct the MINI-ETHNOGRAPHY & THE REQUIRED FOLLOW-UPS  [post  your (team's) abstract / tentative:  prepare brief talk]

THIS ACTIVITY’S  DETAILS:

 A semester is too brief a time span for completing a comprehensive or truly authentic ethnography. Nevertheless,  we can borrow a few of the techniques to attempt a deeper understanding of the patterns of life and communication in a particular culture & culture’s role in shaping their interactional norms.

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♦ So far you have experienced several activities focused on different aspects of nonverbal communication. However, there are many instances of overlap and you may find that something you discovered earlier can enlighten this current cultural exploration.

For example, consider the previous class activities such as our mini-field studies of environments , our nature-nurture debate , the 360 degrees of Kinesics-in-Action , the  3 way conversation experiments (<n.a. for F'16)  , the Insight Diary-Thin Slice . All of these  can help you frame  your current observations into a more knowledgeable context.

♦ A small amount of class time may  be allotted for conducting your ethnographies. A due date is listed below but may be adjusted--dependent on how smoothly classwork proceeds.  Overall, you should approach both the written abstract,  as well as the in-class talk, with a   DID YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN ________?-themed mindset. Grading will be based on both the posted Forum abstract & ( if there's time)  the in-class oral  presentation. No hard copy materials need to be turned in. Both the posted abstract & the oral presentation must explicitly mention what was done for items 1,2,3 below.

TIMING SCHEMATIC: as of 11/5/16   =  ( updated for F'16, compressed calendar) )

♦ YOUR  FIELD  STUDY  MUST  UTILIZE  ANY  TWO(2) OF  THESE  ETHNOGRAPHIC  MODALITIES: [ three(3) is better if you can manage it]

1-     an interview with an “informant”

2-     an immersion experience

3-     a structured observation [ you should be looking at a specific communication context]

♦ SELECT FROM  THE  FOLLOWING  ADDITIONAL OPTIONS: << n.a. this semester

        ◊ Elect to work by yourself  /or/  with ONE other classmate of your choice /or/  with TWO other chosen classmates

 ♦ ELECT TO FOCUS ON AT LEAST 3 OF THESE NONVERBAL CATEGORIES:  

 OLFACTICS   /   CHRONEMICS   /  HAPTICS   /  MUSIC-&-SOUND   /   SIGNAGE   /   SYMBOLS  /  ATMOSPHERE[color/lighting/temperature]

♦ BOOSTING YOUR RESEARCHER PREPAREDNESS:

              ◊ Review anything you’ve studied about ethnographic research in other courses

              ◊ Review anything we’ve already covered that pertains to environments (e.g. Chap 4)  & culture (e.g. E.T. Hall ) 

              ◊ Preview the upcoming chapters on nonverbal’s role in communicating important messages ( e.g. Chap 12 & 13)

♦ some CULTURES/CO-CULTURES – a random list of possible choices for investigation. You don’t have to pick one of these but you can or you can use this list as a brainstorming catalyst.

About G.P.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

additional reference: Goffman, Erving (1974).  Frame analysis. New York: Harper & Row.

additional reference: Hymes, Dell (1972). Models of the interaction of language and social life. In John J. Gumperz and D. Hymes (Eds.),  Directions in sociolinguistics: The ethnography of communication ( pp. 35-71), New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

additional reference: Hymes, Dell (1974).Foundations in Sociolinguistics. An ethnographic approach. Philadelphia:

University of Pennsylvania Press.

additional reference: Philipsen, G. (1975). Speaking “like a man” in Teamsterville: Culture patterns of role enactment in an urban neighborhood. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 61, 13-22.  [This was an analysis of the communication patterns which characterized a particular co-culture: a working-class neighborhood on Chicago’s south side{Plummer summary}]

“the statement that talk is not anywhere valued equally in all social contexts suggests a research strategy for discovering and describing cultural or subcultural differences in the value of speaking. Speaking is one among other symbolic resources which are allocated and distributed in social situations according to distinctive culture patterns” (Philipsen, 1975, p. 21).

additional reference:  Philipsen, G. (1992). Speaking Culturally: Explorations in Social Communication. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.

additional reference: Saville-Troike, Muriel.(1982). The Ethnography of Communication. New York: Basil Blackwell.

additional reference:  http://smileworking.blogspot.com/2010/09/speech-code-theory-ethnografy-of.html

 { F'16 = to be done via partner method; list updated 11/5/16}

More cultures/locales from the past:

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