Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - SA 301 D100

Contemporary Ethnography (A) (4)

Class Number: 4908

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Kathleen Millar
    kmillar@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: Mon 1:00-2:00 PM, in person / Zoom by appt

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101.

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 at stake when writing about the lives of others? What political, ethical, and epistemological issues arise when representing distinct human experience? These questions shook the very foundation of anthropology, beginning in the 1980s, by scrutinizing its core methodology and form—the ethnography. Since then, anthropologists have continued to wrestle
with these questions by experimenting with ethnography as a craft of research, a genre of writing, and a political force. This course examines this experimentation in ethnography by
exploring a diverse set of cutting-edge works. Our journey will take us from the forests of northern Paraguay where some of the last isolated Indigenous bands flee encroaching bulldozers; to the high-powered offices of Wall Street bankers whose workplace culture both produces and legitimates economic crisis; and finally, to a rehab clinic in northern New Mexico where those struggling with heroin addiction grapple with a history of material and cultural dispossession. Through our readings and discussions, we will consider both the formal properties of the texts as well as how their theoretical arguments contribute to recent debates in anthropology. The overarching goal of the course is to develop a solid grasp of contemporary currents in ethnographic research and an appreciation for the diverse ways ethnographers have produced innovative analytical works.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe what an ethnography is;
• Examine the rhetorical construction of ethnographic texts and explain why writing an ethnography involves decisions that have political and ethical implications;
• Give examples of how anthropologists have tried to address these political and ethical issues in different ways over time;
• Develop an appreciation for the ways the genre of ethnography has changed historically—what it looked like in the past and what directions it is taking today;
• Develop transferable writing skills, their writing process, and the ability to engage in constructive conversations about their own writing and the writing of others
• Express their own original ideas about ethnography in analytical, argumentative essays.

Grading

  • Reading responses 20%
  • Participation 10%
  • Short essay 20%
  • Midterm 25%
  • Final essay 25%

NOTES:

Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraws 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. Students must write the midterm, submit both essays, and complete at least half of the assigned reading responses, and participate in at least half of the seminars for a 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 Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). 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.

The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved!  Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.

REQUIREMENTS:

This course is electronics-free. You are required to come to class with a notebook, pen/pencil, printed readings and/or your detailed notes on the readings.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Pen/pencil, notebook/paper, printed readings/notes

REQUIRED READING:

The following books are available digitally through the SFU library and do NOT need to be purchased. However, you will need to print copies of the readings or bring detailed notes to class.

  • Lucas Bessire (2014) Behold the Black Caiman: A Chronicle of Ayoreo Life. University of Chicago Press.
  • Karen Ho (2009) Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street. Duke University Press.
  • Angela Garcia (2010) The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession Along the Rio Grande. University of California Press.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.