Fieldsite visit and analysis (Research Essay).
A) Identify a theoretical issue or topic: Topics might include for example issues in: i. spiritual practice (religion) – visit a religious institution, ii. constructing identity and selfhood, including constructing gendered identity – visit a clothing store, cosmetic section of a store, barber shop, hair salon, tattoo parlor. iii. the ethics of shopping – visit a secondhand clothing store, fair trade store, charity outlet (e.g.,Value Village, Goodwill) v. the culture of food and dining – visit a restaurant, café, or a specialty food store (also consider construction of identity here). Context / Description of ‘Fieldsite’ In this section, you will identify and describe the fieldsite you have chosen. Indicate the time of day that you visit the site, who is present, what sorts of activities are taking place? What is not happening? What do you notice? You are encouraged to use different senses in the observations. Take notes about the types of activities in which people engage in your site Be aware, however, that as we are ONLY observing a particular site’s activities and the types of people who engage these activities, we cannot make definite assumptions about the meaning of the situations or people we witness. Data Collection You will describe the methods used to record the data or observations. What forms of data collection did you use (diagrams, notes, observation, participating in the site’s activities)? Why? You may ask: What worked well? What didn’t? What are the pros and cons of each method? Finding Academic Sources: You are asked to apply to your fieldsite experience, theoretical insights from ONE or TWO academic articles or book chapters based on original (primary) research in the field of cultural anthropology. In your search for an applicable academic source, you may need to read the abstracts of a number of scholarly articles on your theme and then narrow down your choice to discuss the article that seems most applicable to your field experience. The academic source must be: 1) a chapter from a “peer-reviewed,” edited, book OR 2) an article in a “peer-reviewed” scholarly journal • To locate your academic source – choose social science scholarly databases that enable you to access “academic” social science, and cultural studies journals such as, American Ethnologist, American Anthropologist, Cultural Anthropology, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Gender, Place and Society. Many of these peer-reviewed articles are available in full-text from the databases. • Please use a maximum of only two academic sources and carefully select the specific theoretical insights from the articles that can contribute to your analysis. • Be sure to ground your comments/opinions in the research such that they represent ‘informed’comments in order to move your argument forward from description to ‘grounded’ analysis. Please Note: • Acquaint yourself with the differences among on-line sources that include “peer-reviewed” journal articles and book chapters and general non-peer reviewed websites and dictionary-type sites. • Do not choose a “book review” article as the academic article you will use in your analysis. • A general (non-peer reviewed or refereed) entry/website from the internet is NOT applicable as your academic source for analysis. • As your field visit will be to a contemporary cultural institution, try to find recent articles on your topic, namely written after the 1980s. In addition, choose articles in which the geographical location discussed will enable you to compare the theory in the articles with your chosen institution or fieldsite visit in Toronto. Format: 1. Length: 1,800-2,000 words, approximately 6 pages. 2.‘In-text’ references (author date: page numbers) and Bibliography or References Cited: Correctly cite your ‘in-text’ references and your References Cited section. Refer to the Chicago Manual of Style 15th/16th edition. NOTE: Citations and References Cited are mandatory inclusions. 3. Double spaced, typed; at least 2.5 cm margins; Times or Times New Roman; black ink.