Spring 2021 - SA 301 D100
Contemporary Ethnography (A) (4)
Class Number: 3166
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Natasha Ferenczi
nferencz@sfu.ca
Office Hours: Mo 9:30-11:30 via BB Collaborate Ultra
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Prerequisites:
SA 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
A consideration of key themes in contemporary anthropology. Addresses theoretical and methodological questions by examining the work of contemporary anthropologists conducting research in diverse locations around the world.
COURSE DETAILS:
What is distinctive about contemporary ethnography? As both a methodology and a genre this anthropological approach has transformed significantly over the past four decades, largely in efforts to decolonize knowledge and research approaches, methodologically, theoretically and in the crafting of ethnography. Yet, after becoming so used to writing within academic traditions, how do we free our imaginations, both in terms of form and content? We must, on the one hand, radicalize disciplinary traditions and challenge colonial legacies in knowledge production, and, on the other hand, re-think representational approaches in ways of writing and communicating, (exploring genre).
In this class, we will examine shifts in theoretical approaches and their broader historical contexts, and creative directions in contemporary ethnographic writing, as we analyze two ethnographies. Both assigned ethnographies focus in depth on embodied experiences and subjectivity, one in a Mexican convent, and the other, in a geriatric house in Brazil. In analyzing these ethnographies, we will piece together a complex mosaic of ways ethnography can contribute to social understanding and to social justice. Students will be required to read three ethnographies in total (two are assigned, one will be your choice and your muse), and will analyze the crafting of ethnographic writing in these examples. Students will also be prompted to experiment with different genres of expression through small ethnographic experiments that will correspond to weekly readings (e.g. photography, comics, poetry, exploration of the senses, and writing an ethnographic fairytale), as well as by crafting an ethnographic story using your preferred genres. During this process, students will be asked to think reflexively about tendencies in their own writing. This is a reading intensive course and active, consistent, in-class participation and engagement with ethnographic explorations is expected.
Grading
- Ethnographic explorations 20%
- Ethnographic story 20%
- Critical essays (2 x 15%) 30%
- Oral presentation of ethnographic story 15%
- Participation 15%
NOTES:
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.
Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
Please see SFU Bookstore website for information on textbook purchase options.
REQUIRED READING:
Biehl, J. (2013). Vita: Life in a Zone of Social Abandonment. 2nd ed. University of California Press.
Culhane, D. and Elliott, D. (2016). A Different Kind of Ethnography: Imaginative Practices and Creative Methodologies. 1st ed. University of Toronto Press.
Lester, R. (2005). Jesus in our Wombs: Embodying modernity in a Mexican convent. 1st ed. University of California Press.
Additional readings will be available through Canvas, the SFU Library, or otherwise online as noted.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Narayan, K. (2012). Alive in the Writing: Crafting Ethnography in the company of Chekhov. 1st ed. University of Chicago Press.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021
Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).