Tania Li has contributed to an edited book called Philosophy on Fieldwork: Case Studies in Anthropological Analysis, edited by Nils Burbandt and Thomas Schwarz Wentzer. Each chapter focuses on one philosopher and the kinds of fieldwork their ideas inspire. Tania Li’s chapter is titled “Foucault Foments Fieldwork in the University.” It draws on research conducted by …
We’ve uploaded our event recordings for the 2021-2022 academic year. Check out the videos below or head over to our YouTube page and subscribe! Meet the Labs: Speculative and Collaborative Ethnographic Practice from Vancouver to Los Angeles (November 26, 2021) The Ethnography Lab at the University of Toronto facilitates an encounter between Kate Hennessy of …
This is the first post of a series on ethnographic teaching materials for undergraduate students both within and beyond anthropology. The resources shared in this series are the culmination of the efforts of faculty members and teaching assistants at the University of Toronto. We have tried, tested, and developed everything posted in this series over the course of months (if not years in some cases). By sharing these resources, we invite professors, teaching assistants, and students to engage with ethnography in their different class settings.
This post provides a detailed sample with course grades breakdown, separate submissions, and grading rubrics. This is a syllabus for a 4th year undergraduate political science course, and it serves as an excellent (adaptable) guide for designing your own course syllabus with a significant ethnographic component. Continue reading
In this post, we provide some general topics for smaller ethnographic assignments (these could weigh around 5% or 10% of the participation or final course grade). Below each topic is a rubric that makes grading more manageable. Continue reading
The challenge we often face while incorporating ethnography in undergraduate classes is that most students find it difficult to narrow down their interests and choose a specific topic for their assignment. Far from limiting students’ choices, this list of suggested topics helps students get a sense of how they can structure their project, choose a field-site, or suspend the tyranny of choice. The list we offer here is designed for a course with a focus on social movements, yet it serves as a template for you to modify and change as you fit. Most of the suggested topics here are designed for a major course assignment (these could weigh up to 15% or 20% of the final course grade). Continue reading
In preparing your course syllabus and designing your ethnographic assignment-s, it is be a good idea to provide a list of further suggested readings on ethnographic methods and techniques. We created this list of introductory and accessible texts to help your students answer some questions on interviewing or writing fieldnotes. Continue reading
As TAs, you have a major role in supporting students every step along their ethnographic journey. While many of these tips might apply equally to teaching other non-ethnographic courses, we advise you to be extra friendly, present, patient, and supportive in teaching ethnographic courses. We share an engaging infographic here that will be helpful in your teaching experiences. Continue reading
Depending on the type of ethnographic research your students will undertake, you might need to obtain an ethics approval from the Ethical Review Board (ERB) in your university. In some cases, you might have an internal/delegated ethics review board in your department which will be responsible for reviewing your ethics documents. We share some templates here that will help you with your own ethics documents & applications. Continue reading
If you decide to incorporate an ethnographic practicum component in your undergraduate course, we recommend that you spend one class (or more) during the first few weeks of the semester introducing ethnography to your students. We share some slides here that walk students through the major steps in their ethnographic journey. These can serve as an inviting quick guide to ethnography. The slides include a list of ethnographic methods such as interviewing and media analysis, challenges of beginning fieldwork, tips to choosing a field-site and writing field-notes, and reflections on positionality. Continue reading
The Faculty of Music and the University of Toronto Ethnography Lab seeks one or two graduate student research assistants to support a joint research project “Keeping Kensington “Kensington”: Value and Affordability in Toronto’s Kensington Market.” Continue reading
We would like to invite you for our next event in the Multispecies Ethnography Series—a discussion titled “Vernacularizing Nature: Plasticities of the ‘Eco’ in India’s Public Parks” with Prof. Kajri Jain (Art History/ Visual Studies, University of Toronto) on May 2nd at 3 pm EST. This discussion follows Prof. Jain’s talk with the same title … Continue reading
Mitchell Akiyama’s discussion with the Ethnographic Variations Working Group has been rescheduled for April 11th at 11:30 am ET. Special Guest: Mitchell Akiyama Date/Time: April 11, 11:30 am ET About: Mitchell Akiyama is a Toronto-based scholar, composer, and artist. His eclectic body of work includes writings about sound, metaphors, animals, and media technologies; scores for film and … Continue reading
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