240513 PR MM2 Urban Elements: Doing Ethnographic Fieldwork (2026S)

The fieldcourse, jointly with the methods seminar, serves to acquire empirical research skills and helps to consolidate methodological knowledge in the domain of ethnographic and sensory research. In particular, students will prepare their ethnographic research, methodologically operationalize their reserach questions and will carry out an ethnographic research in Madrid, that will result in a written report, supported by multimodal and /or sensory material. At the end of the seminar and field course, students should be able to ask, empirically operationalize and answer an anthropological question through a combination of a literature review and the application of methodological skills, particularly ethnographic fieldwork (observations, interviews, document analysis, sensory ethnography, ... ).

Through the topic of "Urban Elements" students will probe ethnographic methods of on-site (sensory) observations, conversations, interviewing but also learn about the necessity of desk-research before embarking on fieldwork. Following one of the five elements (water, air, fire, earth and love) in the city, students will research a graspable topic, where questions of (planetary) health, urban habitability and living together are at stake. This can include topics like urban gardening (earth), air pollution (air), heat and heating (fire), draught and water systems (water) or healthcare and solidarity (love). Within the broad thematic framework of urban habitability, students are thus asked to develop and ethnographically investigate their own research project individually or in groups, depending on their own interests.

After a thematic introduction by the course instructors and methodological readings and practice in Vienna, students will prepare their ethnographic research stay in Madrid. They will then carry out ethnographic research in Madrid and do an initial data analysis to be able to present the research results orally in class and in the form of a final report after the realised fieldwork stay.

A central part of the course is a field stay in Madrid from April 14th to May 1st, 2026. The stay will primarily serve to collect material for the respective research projects and probe ethnographic methods. A minimum of A2 in Spanish is required for the field course to be valuable to students. The course instructors might test language skills in case of doubt.

Madrid is unfortunately an expensive city. Housing as well as travels to and in Madrid can be supported financially by the department upon submission of receipts after the fieldcourse. A maximum of 40% of housing and travel expenses will be reimbursed, and in the case of housing a maximum of 50 Euros/night applies (that is 40% of 50 Euros/night).

For students whose admission to the Master’s program is subject to conditions ("Ergänzungsprüfungen"): Enrollment in these courses requires that any supplementary requirements have already been fulfilled.