Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in ANT473 and ANT 6200 Ethnographic Practicum: The University, together with other members of the Ethnography Lab have been investigating various aspects of life at the University of Toronto. The purpose of the course is for students to learn how to conduct an independent ethnographic inquiry, analyse data, and write it up as an original contribution to knowledge. Data comes from observations, archives, interviews, photos and other methods, as students spend time in field sites in a range of venues across campus. They use weekly meetings for brainstorming, sharing insights, coming up with provisional analysis, and allocating tasks for individuals or sub-groups to work on in the week ahead. The resulting blog posts and final papers are archived here.
This final paper was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge” It’s 4:45 pm on an autumn Saturday evening, and the Mass begins in fifteen minutes. As I walk up to the church’s robust Mahogany wooden doors, I am reminded that another week has passed. … Continue reading
This final paper was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge” INTRODUCTION: In the summer of 2020, the phrase “why is no one talking about this?” and aggressive awareness campaigns for social justice began popping up in my social media feed. I found this curious, … Continue reading
This final paper was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge” Two profile pictures are laid out directly side by side in a LinkedIn post; the one on the left is taken in bright portrait mode of a woman with straightened blonde hair in a … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” As ethnographers-in-training, we find ourselves immersed in doubt as we continuously question every step of the research process: Do I have enough data? Did I speak … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” Electronic devices (i.e. smartphones, laptops, cameras) and social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In), are fundamental in conducting fieldwork during this pandemic. In ethnographic … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” This semester was my first experience with graduate studies, and I was excited to enroll in a course where I could finally practice ethnography … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” Being a Tibetan and having followed a specific Tibetan Buddhist teacher and his Facebook page (my field site) for a few years prior to … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” In this post I reflect on the challenges I faced when the tables turned and my role as a participant switched to becoming the … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” Today one can find Buddhism being used in multiple countries and across varying disciplines. We see more adaptations of “secular” forms of Buddhism in … Continue reading
This blog post was part of the coursework for the Ethnographic Practicum course, “Ethnography of the University 2020: Focus on Knowledge.” It was originally posted in the category “Producing Ethnographic Knowledge.” Conducting participant-observation involves wearing more than one research hat, specifically juggling two primary research roles: the participant who is actively engaging with the field … Continue reading
Ethnography Lab 