Aims

To produce data based on participative observation and semi-directive interviews; the ability to use other research techniques; to plan the organisation of a field.

Main themes

By means of an exhaustive examination of questions of related anthropological and epistemological methodology, the seminar will focus on an understanding of ethnographical research tools, and particularly on the production of data and the organisation of a field.

Content and teaching methods

Content
1. Production and the status of the data.
2. The ethnographer as actor.
3. Development of the debate about the reflexive position in ethnographical production.
4. Systematising approaches in the field (how to observe and conduct an ethnographical interview, and also take research from archives).
Methodology
The seminar has been designed on the basis of prior reading, and synthesised expositions given by the teacher, and on discussion based on practical work carried out by participants. Students will be invited to prepare the field on the basis of which they will do their end-of-course work.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

This course belongs to the section of the course called "prospective anthropology", for which assessment of the whole course takes the form of a single examination before a jury of senior academics. On the basis of a piece of written work of 20 pages that has been produced about a substantive issue drawn from their field, and previously discussed with the tutor, students will demonstrate their synthesised understanding of the concepts, the methodology and the theories that have been taught. They will have to defend themselves orally before a jury of professors.
One Professor and one Assistant.
Field of collective introduction to ethnographical research.

Other credits in programs