Certificate in Ethnography

The Certificate in Ethnography is designed to provide students with theoretical, ethical, and practical training in ethnographic fieldwork. Ethnography was developed within sociocultural anthropology, but it is applicable to any social science field; to issues in healthcare equity and delivery; to practices in education; to business organizational studies; and to user experience in design and technology. It is a qualitative method designed to observe and analyze human behavior, establish rapport in interviewing people and soliciting their perspectives and apply findings to the solution of practical problems. 

Students begin the certificate program by reading and responding to short ethnographic texts in the ANTH 120 class, developing the basic vocabulary in sociocultural anthropology, and undertaking short ethnographic assignments. Understanding is deepened in ANTH 300, which examines key texts that have shaped and informed anthropological research and ethnographic fieldwork practices from the mid-19th century to the present. Elective courses examine a different aspect of ethnography either by topic (i.e. health and medicine, globalization, sex, and gender) or by a particular medium (i.e. film, photography, written ethnography). Electives include close readings/evaluations of written ethnographies, ethnographic films or photographs, and ethnographic field projects.   

The certificate culminates in the Anth 651 Ethnographic Field Methods course where students will design and carry out a field research project and produce an ethnographic report suitable for inclusion in a graduate school or job application. Students workshop their projects with their instructor and peers so they can learn from others’ work and experiences. At all levels of the program, students will critically examine the ethical considerations that are particular to ethnographic representation to ensure that the dignity and cultural values of the participants are honored and their informed consent is freely given.   

Learning Outcomes

  1. Reflect on the definition, history, and uses of ethnographic research.
  2. Evaluate the ethical considerations that are particular to ethnographic methods and representations.

  3. Design and implement an ethnographic research project, collect and analyze the data, and write up a field report.

Certificate in Ethnography — 13 units minimum

Core (10 units)

ANTH 120Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology3
ANTH 300Foundations of Anthropology: History3
ANTH 651Ethnographic Field Methods4

Elective (3-6 units)

Select one course from the following:

ANTH 315Regional Ethnography3
ANTH/CINE 327Anthropology and Film3
ANTH/JOUR 328Anthropology and Photography3
ANTH/USP 555Urban Anthropology3
ANTH/USP 557Ethnography of Urban Inequality4
ANTH/CST 585Globalization and World Cultures3
ANTH 595/CINE 635Anthropological Filmmaking I6
ANTH 630Medical Anthropology3
ANTH 631STEM and Social Justice3
ANTH 655History of Anthropological Film3
PLSI/I R 307Qualitative Methods in Political Science and International Relations4