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Ethnographic Fieldwork I

Code: 107244
Credits: 12
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Social and Cultural Anthropology OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Virginia Fons Renaudon
Email :
virginia.fons@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Montserrat Ventura Oller
Anna Maria Piella Vila

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

In accordance with the 2023 curriculum, approved by the Ministry, the following subjects must be taken in the established order:

  1. Ethnographic Fieldwork I (2nd year, 1st semester).
  2. Epistemology and Research Methods in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2nd year, 2nd semester).
  3. Research Techniques in Social and Cultural Anthropology (3rd year, 1st semester).
  4. Ethnographic Fieldwork II (3rd year, 2nd semester).
  5. Final Degree Project (4th year, 1st semester).

Objectives

Ethnographic Fieldwork I is the first of a four-year itinerary taking place over the second and third years of the degree, ending in the first semester of the fourth year with the Final Degree Project. This block of subjects forms an ethnographic sequence that introduces fieldwork practices, ethnographic and anthropological methodologies, and data collection and analysis techniques. It provides a model of anthropological research in which quantitative and qualitative techniques for data collection and presentation are practiced, culminating in the design and execution of the Final Degree Project in the fourth year.

Ethnographic Fieldwork I begins the sequence with the following objectives:

  • Through the practice of prospective fieldwork, students will gain direct knowledge of the advantages, potentialities, limitations, and risks of classical ethnographic fieldwork.
  • To learn the basic technique of participant observation and carry out the recording and analysis of a field diary.
  • The student will also learn how to get to know a human group and formulate research problems and tentative hypotheses.

Learning outcomes

  • CM15 (Act with ethical responsibility and respect for basic rights and responsibilities, diversity and democratic values in professional activity.) Act with ethical responsibility and respect for basic rights and responsibilities, diversity and democratic values in professional activity.
  • CM16 (Apply knowledge of cultural variability, principles, values and procedures that govern the discipline in order to avoid ethnocentric, sexist or discriminatory projections when carrying out fieldwork in anthropology.) Apply knowledge of cultural variability, principles, values and procedures that govern the discipline in order to avoid ethnocentric, sexist or discriminatory projections when carrying out fieldwork in anthropology.
  • CM17 (Carry out ethnographic research, selecting and handling the appropriate techniques for each research design.) Carry out ethnographic research, selecting and handling the appropriate techniques for each research design.
  • CM18 (Autonomously produce anthropological research, using appropriate procedures, techniques and instrumental resources.) Autonomously produce anthropological research, using appropriate procedures, techniques and instrumental resources.
  • KM19 (Recognise the most relevant methodological and technical and instrumental resources procedures for ethnographic field work and empirical research in diverse contexts.) Recognise the most relevant methodological and technical and instrumental resources procedures for ethnographic field work and empirical research in diverse contexts.
  • SM22 (Collect, interpret, analyse and adequately present ethnographic data, using qualitative and quantitative procedures, in accordance with the ethical norms, principles and values that govern the exercise of the profession.) Collect, interpret, analyse and adequately present ethnographic data, using qualitative and quantitative procedures, in accordance with the ethical norms, principles and values that govern the exercise of the profession.
  • SM23 (Make complex and critical analyses of cultural configurations as well as all ethnographic information within the framework of a new holistic perspective.) Make complex and critical analyses of cultural configurations as well as all ethnographic information within the framework of a new holistic perspective.
  • SM26 (Use specific tools and technologies to carry out anthropological and multidisciplinary research, adapted to the situation of each group.) Use specific tools and technologies to carry out anthropological and multidisciplinary research, adapted to the situation of each group.

Contents

The course objectives will be achieved progressively. Until the end, there will not be a clear sense of what has been achieved, largely because the reflective work required to evaluate the subject is extensive. This lack of control over what is being done will lead to a degree of insecurity at certain points in the course, which is inherent to the participant's observation and necessary for initiating the technique. Therefore, no content will be covered in advance (except in the initial classes and readings); instead, it will be introduced as the various stages of the fieldwork process are reached.


The following aspects will be covered:

  1. Participant observation: the ethnological relationship, and ethical and methodological issues.
  2. Preparation of the field diary.
  3. Organizing information and systematizing data.
  4. Identification of topics of theoretical interest. Formulation of research questions and proposing tentative hypotheses.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Registration, systematization and analysis of the field diary 70 2.8 CM15, CM16, CM17, CM18, SM22, SM23, SM26
Reading the bibliography 10 0.4 CM16, KM19
Participant observation 30 1.2 CM15, CM16, CM17, CM18, KM19, SM22, SM26
Writing the Final Project 20 0.8 CM15, CM16, KM19, SM22, SM23, SM26
Individual tutorials 10 0.4 CM15, CM16, KM19, SM22, SM23
Theoretical classes 10 0.4 CM16, KM19

Throughout the semester, around seven group sessions are held on this subject. These sessions are aimed at the whole group and last approximately 1.5 hours. They are scheduled according to a calendar established at the beginning of the course. Apart from the content, these collective sessions will provide common work guidelines based on the stage of the practice process we are in. The first group session will be held in the first week of the course.

The remainder of the work will be supervised on an individual basis in the lecturer's office, following a regular and compulsory weekly schedule set for the days allocated to the course or, in justified cases, agreed between the lecturer and the student. This individual supervision will enable the topics and aspects previously covered in the group sessions to be applied to each specific ethnography. These tutorials will help to identify the student's abilities and difficulties in the ethnological relationship, the characteristics of their perception, and to learn specific content related to the type of situations and population with which they are working; they will also provide a context in which to clarify any doubts, uncertainties, problems, and other issues arising during the course of the fieldwork.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Reading and critical commentary on the compulsory readings 10% 10 0.4 CM15, CM16, KM19
Class Attendance 10% 10 0.4 CM16, KM19
Work process and follow-up of tutorials 40% 90 3.6 CM15, CM16, CM17, CM18, SM22, SM23, SM26
Analysis process and final work 40% 40 1.6 CM15, CM16, CM17, CM18, SM22, SM23, SM26

This subject is evaluated continuously under the permanent supervision of the teaching staff. And it consists of the following evaluation activities:

  1. Readings and reviews (10%).
  2. Class attendance (10%). It is essential to have attended all these group sessions.
  3. Work process and tutoring follow-up (40%). Given the subject's practical nature, it is essential to follow the tutored process.
  4. The analysis process and final work (40%).

To be eligible to present the final project and be evaluated, enrolled people must have completed all the field tasks planned for the development of the subject. The student will receive the grade of "Not assessed" as long as he/she has not submitted evaluation activities that represent more than 30% of the final grade.


The course assessment process does not include a resit system. This subject does not include recovery activities given its eminently practical nature, in accordance with the applicable regulations (as specified in Article 112.1 of the UAB's Adapted Assessment Regulations). What it does provide for is the completion of the various stages of the fieldwork through the tutorial system.

Throughout the course, the teaching staff will inform students of the procedure and the date for reviewing marks.

This course is entirely face-to-face. In the event of force majeure unrelated to the course, if classes and tutorials cannot be held in person, their format will be adapted (while maintaining the weighting) to the virtual tools available at the UAB.

Should a student commit any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the mark for an assessment, that assessment will be marked as 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. Should several irregularities occur in the assessments for the same course, the final mark for that course will be 0.

In this module, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage. Any work containing AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will result in the assignment being marked as 0 and being non-recoverable, or in more severe sanctions in serious cases.

This course does not use a single assessment system.

Bibliography

Required readings

San Román, Teresa (2000). "El mundo que compartimos. Una alternativa". Revista Antropología, 9.

Taylor, Steven J. & Bogdan, Robert (1986). "La observación participante en el campo". In: Introducción a los métodos cualitativos de investigación. Paidós, pp. 50-91.

Cardoso de Oliveira, Roberto (2004). "El trabajo del antropólogo: mirar, escuchar, escribir". AVÁ, 5, pp. 55-68.

Malinowski, Bronislaw (1975 [1939]). "Confesiones de ignorancia y fracaso". In: Josep R. Llobera (Ed.), La antropología como ciencia. Anagrama, pp.129-139.


Recommended Reading

Ardèvol, Elisenda & Gómez-Cruz, Edgar (2020). "Digital ethnography and media practices". In: Fabienne Darling-Wolf (Ed.). The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies: Research Methods in Media Studies, Volume 7.

Geertz, Clifford (1998). "Juego profundo: notas sobre la riña de gallos en Bali". In: La interpretación de las culturas. Gedisa, pp. 339-373.

Guasch, Óscar (1997). "Observación Participante". Cuadernos Metodológicos, 20.CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas).

Hammersley, Martyn & Atkinson, Paul (1994). Etnografía. Métodos de Investigación. Paidós, 69.

Lawrence Neuman, William (1997). Social Research Methods. Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Allyn and Bacon.

Pérez, Carmen, Ardèvol, Elisenda, Bertrán, Marta & Callén, Blanca (2003). "Etnografía virtualizada: la observación participante y la entrevista semiestructurada en línea". Athenea Digital: Revista de Pensamiento e Investigación Social, 3, 72-92. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-64775

San Román, Teresa (1996). "De la intuición a la contrastación: El trabajo de campo en antropología y en la formación de los nuevos antropólogos". In: Aurora González Echevarría (Coord.), Simposio VIII Epistemología y método, Actas del VII Congreso de Antropología Social. Zaragoza, pp. 167-178.

San Román, Teresa (2009). "Debates, informes y entrevistas Sobre la investigación etnográfica". Revista de Antropología Social, 18, pp. 235-260. file:///C:/Users/1003662/Downloads/ecob,+RASO0909110235A.PDF.pdf

*For more information on digital ethnography, see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1clGjGABB2h2qbduTgfqribHmog9B6P0NvMgVuiHZCl8/preview

Software

Word processor (Word type).

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PETNOintern) Pràctiques etnogràfiques (amb supervisió interna) 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed