METHODOLOGIES OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH

The course is part of the master's degree in Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology and Ethnolinguistics and is compulsory for students enrolled from the academic year 2022-23 onwards (optional for the previous years). The course aims to introduce the students to the theories and methods of advanced ethnographic research, allowing them to acquire the basic skills to conduct an independent research. The course is practical and experience-based, but also focuses on the critical approaches (feminist, postcolonial, intersubjective, multispecies) that have contributed to transforming ethnography from a practice of "writing others" to a participatory reflection on human experience and its possibilities.
The course gives center stage to the ethnographers, with their affiliations, gender and personal specificities, as fundamental players in the research with human and non-human interlocutors, offering the opportunity to collect and interpret ethnographic data through a short field exercise to be presented in class and to be developed in a written essay which is part of the exam. In the classes, the course presents and, where possible, allows students to experience the main methods for data collection (participant observation, informal conversations, interviews, focus groups, online ethnography) paying particular attention to the intersubjectivity of the ethnographic encounter and to different types of writing in the field (notes as mnemonic help, extended notes, field diary, transcript of informal interviews, recordings) and final writing. The use of photography and video will not be approached specifically as they are covered by the course in visual anthropology.
The objective of the course is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge relating to:
1. learning the fundamentals of data collection in ethnographic research;
2. setting up and conducting a research;
3. making a suitable bibliography;
4. interpret data in the light of the selected literature;
5. write ethnographically.

Attendance and active participation in the activities proposed by the course, together with the individual study of the exam material, will enable students to:
1. Knowledge and understanding:
- being familiar with the data collection methods typical of the anthropological research;
- being familiar with the epistemological debate that characterizes them.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- learning how to set up a field research (identifying the general topic, choosing a case study, formulating research questions, considering the ethical needs, writing a research project);
- being aware of one's own positionality in relation to interlocutors, themes and research materials;
- knowing how to use data collection methods in field research according to the basic ethical criteria.
3. Judgment skills:
- knowing how to formulate the research themes and identify the appropriate bibliography;
- contextualising and interpreting the ethnographic data collected in the light of the identified literature;
- developing a critical approach to literature.
4. Communication Skills:
- being able to present the research, both orally (presentations during classes) and in written form (final essay);
- developing skills of synthesis and specialized language (terminology and formal expression).
5. Learning skills:
- specialized knowledge of ethnographic data collection;
- ability to critically reflect on one's role as researcher and analyst;
- ability to develop autonomy in anthropological research.

Basic knowledge of the theories and methods of Social and Cultural Anthropology, acquired through the other courses of the Master's degree, in particular Cultural Anthropology sp and Ethnography sp.
Students who consider they lack the necessary knowledge may complement the study with:
Hendry J. 'An Introduction to Social Anthropology. Sharing Our Worlds'. Palgrave, 2016 (third edition).
Eriksen T.H. 'Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology'. Pluto Press, 2015 (fourth edition).

Anthropology is ethnography
For an anti-colonial and ecological ethnography: body, gender, positionality, participation and "more than human" interlocutors
The relationship in ethnography: intersubjectivity, mutuality, resonance
The ethics of/in research
The definition of the research topic, the search for bibliographical materials and the writing of the research project
Participant observation, informal interviews
The notes and the field diary, the recordings
The ethnographic interview, the focal group and the life history interview
The anthropology of/in the network
Ethnographic writing

Pavanello Mariano, Fare antropologia. Metodi per la ricerca etnografica. Zanichelli, 2010.
Articles and book chapters made available in moodle.

Attending students will be grouped into working teams (about 4 people) and will present in class a project for a short research on a topic of their interest, to be developed according to the guidelines provided in the first classes. The research will be carried out in group and presented in class at the end of the course. This research will serve as the basis for an individual written paper, which constitutes the exam assignment. The paper must include the fieldwork diary as an appendix and must not exceed 3,500 words (excluding appendices and bibliography, but including footnotes).
Non-attending students will carry out an independent research project, agreeing on the topic of the paper with the instructor via email or during office hours, and submitting a brief research proposal. For these students, the paper will be presented and discussed in an oral exam, during which their knowledge of the course content will be assessed, also through the study of the textbook (see reference texts) and the articles/chapters made available on Moodle (one selected contribution per course topic).
Further guidelines for writing the paper will be made available on Moodle, in the dedicated section.

written and oral

A score lower than 18 is considered insufficient and the student will need to repeat the exam.

A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded for:
- Limited knowledge of the subject matter.
- Difficulty in collecting and/or interpreting data, and forming independent judgments.
- Limited communication skills, especially concerning the use of discipline-specific language.

B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded for:
- Fair knowledge and applied understanding of the subject matter.
- Fair ability to collect and/or interpret data, and form independent judgments.
- Fair communication skills, especially concerning the use of discipline-specific language.

C. Scores in the 27-29 range will be awarded for:
- Good or very good knowledge and applied understanding of the subject matter.
- Good or very good ability to collect and/or interpret data, and form independent judgments.
- Appropriate communication skills, especially concerning the use of discipline-specific language.

D. A score of 30 will be awarded for:
- Excellent knowledge and applied understanding of the subject matter.
- Excellent ability to collect and/or interpret data, and form independent judgments.
- Fully appropriate communication skills, especially concerning the use of discipline-specific language.

E. "Cum laude" (with honors) will be awarded for:
- Excellent knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.
- Strong judgment and communication skills.
- Demonstrated commitment throughout the course.
- Ability to integrate course content in a personal and original way.

The course combines face-to-face lectures, participatory activities and the field research.
Students' presentations consist of:
1. Oral and written presentation of the research project.
2. Oral presentation of the research results, which includes the type of data collected, the methods used and the tentative theoretical framework to be adopted for interpretation. The presentations are followed by a short discussion in which other students and the instructor explore themes and methods and provide comments to develop the final essay.
3. The 3,500 words essay (appendixes and references exluded, but notes included) must be delivered in pdf format before the exam session through the specific delivery page in moodle.
4. During the field exercise, students must keep a field diary in which take note of the collected data. The diary must be attached to the final essay as an appendix.

Ca’ Foscari applies Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities. If you have a motor, visual, hearing or other disability (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disability (Law 170/2010) and require support (assistance in the classroom, technological aids for taking exams or individualized exams, accessible material, note recovery, specialized tutoring to support studying, interpreters or other) contact the Disability and DSA office disabili@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development