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79513-01 - Course: Ethnographic Research Methods I (4 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Fiona Siegenthaler (fiona.siegenthaler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course is the first of two interdependent mandatory courses on ethnographic research. It provides the opportunity to study and practice qualitative research methods as they are used by anthropologists and prepares the students to conduct their own research in the spring semester 2027 (Ethnographic research II). Students learn to articulate research questions and apply systematic procedures for the collection and interpretation of primary data using qualitative methods that include participation, observation, formal and informal interviewing and visual records. Extensive field research has defined social and cultural anthropology since the beginning of the twentieth century. It has been continuously reexamined regarding methodical accuracy, analytical relevance, and ethical implications. Theoretical innovation in tandem with global cultural and technological transformations continue to prompt field researchers to rethink what makes the most appropriate ethnographic methods. The course begins by introducing students to some of the key theoretical questions that anthropologists have raised about the nature of fieldwork. It continues by introducing concrete ways of designing research projects, undertaking participation and observation, fieldnote-writing and interviewing, as well as more recent methods that are evolving with digitization and other technological and societal developments. The course also addresses a set of ethical questions about the kinds of social rapport that anthropologists and their interlocutors might cultivate during research. The last part of the course focuses on how anthropologists transform field data into ethnographic writing and addresses questions of representation. Throughout this course, students will prepare their proposals for their own research project in the following semester (Ethnographic Research Methods II). |
| Bibliography | Beer, Bettina & Anika König (Hrsg.). 2020. Methoden ethnologischer Feldforschung. Reimer: Berlin. Campbell, Elizabeth & Luke Eric Lassiter. 2015. Doing Ethnography Today: Theories, Methods, Exercises. Wiley: Malden. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 28.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 05.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 12.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 26.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 02.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 09.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 16.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 23.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 30.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 07.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Monday 14.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Module: Methods of Social Anthropology (Bachelor's degree subject: Social Anthropology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | • Active participation, including text discussions, group work and presentations. • Submission of 3 written assignments resulting from practical exercises. • Submission of an individual research project proposal for Ethnographic Research Methods II (spring semester 2027). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |