Course description:

Anthropology confronts the challenges of culture and difference in the contemporary social world. The special mandate of the field is to discover new and less harmful ways of perceiving, understanding, reporting on, and therefore validating the different experiences, histories, and values of peoples and communities from all parts of the world. Expressive culture, from an anthropological perspective, includes plastic and graphic arts, myth and folktale, music, dance, humor and tragedy, play, games, etc.

This course, Research Methods in Expressive Culture, guides students in collecting, compiling and analyzing socio-cultural materials. It also enables them to use expressive culture as a lens by which to conduct anthropological field research. Students will be introduced to methods that require participating, observing, listening, interviewing, and taking, transcribing and analyzing field notes. They will learn about some of the ways anthropologists study and think about expressive culture and they will explore experimental forms of ethnographic presentation today.

By examining some aspect of expressive culture in the Charleston area, students will develop original ethnographic research that will involve technological components. They will carry out a range of exercises both inside and outside the classroom.  Their collecting exercises, etc. will culminate in a final FIELD PROJECT/portfolio and accompanying paper.

Lecture Handouts

Week 1

• HALL’S TERMS FOR OBSERVING SPATIAL USE
• RESEARCH METHODS PLANNING

Week 2

• HALL’S THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SPACE AND PLACE

Week 3

• THINKING ABOUT YOUR SUBCULTURES
• LINDA WELTNER’S LISTENING EXPERIENCE
• FIELDSITE PROPOSAL, RATIONALE FOR ITS SELECTION

Week 4

• IRB NOTES FROM JOHN WALL

Lab Handouts

Week 1: Research Methods in Expressive Culture Lab.

• Course Overview
  • Spring 2009 Lab Syllabus (.pdf/posted 1/20/08)
• Check Out Policy and Forms
  • Center for Expressive Culture Equipment Checkout Policy
  • Equipment Form (blank/.pdf/posted 1/20/08)
  • Permission Form – Use of Student Work (blank/.pdf/posted 1/20/08)
• Introduction to the Course Blog
  • Posting to the Research Methods in Expressive Culture Blog (.pdf/posted 1/14/08)

Week 2: Qualitative Research and Computer Mediated Communication, Notes on Observing, Participating, Ethics, and Fieldwork Tools.

• Delicious Bookmarks for Week2
  • http://delicious.com/expressiveculturelab/week2

Week 3: Multimedia Planning; Recording and Importing Images and Video

• Fieldwork Handout(s):

  • Permission Form – Fieldwork (.pdf/posted 1/20/08)

  • Filming Intertexuality in Charleston (.pdf/posted 1/27/08)

Week 4: Library Research Session at Addlestone Library

• Don’t forget to visit our class LibGuide, which may be helpful in starting your library research.
• If you would like to follow-up with your library instructor, Jared Seay, feel free to email him at seayj@cofc.edu.

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Week 5: IRB Certification

• IRB Review Notes from John Wall (.pdf/posted Feb 2009)
• IRB Website (College of Charleston)

  The College of Charleston has contracted with CITI to provide on-line training for all faculty, staff, and students. College personnel and students have unlimited access, so we invite faculty members to use this online training resource for Research Methods Classes.

  INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING CITI PROGRAM

  Follow this link
  http://www.orga.cofc.edu/training/citi_irb/
  for detailed instructions on how to register and navigate the CITI Program web site.

  ACCESS CITI PROGRAM

  Follow this link
  http://www.citiprogram.org/
  to access CITI registration and training modules.

  For additional information, please contact:
  Office of Research and Grants Administration
  Campus Location:  407-G Bell Building
  Email: compliance@cofc.edu