240044 PR BM8 Ethnographic Field School (2025W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Participation at first session is obligatory!The lecturer can invite students to a grade-relevant discussion about partial achievements. Partial achievements that are obtained by fraud or plagiarized result in the non-evaluation of the course (entry 'X' in certificate). The plagiarism software 'Turnitin' will be used.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 01.09.2025 00:01 to Mo 22.09.2025 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Mo 20.10.2025 23:59
Details
max. 20 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Thursday 16.10. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal A, NIG 4.Stock
- Thursday 23.10. 15:00 - 18:15 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 30.10. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 06.11. 15:00 - 18:15 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 13.11. 13:15 - 16:30 Hörsaal A, NIG 4.Stock
- Thursday 20.11. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 04.12. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
- N Thursday 11.12. 15:00 - 18:15 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 18.12. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 08.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 15.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal A, NIG 4.Stock
- Thursday 22.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 29.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
This field school introduces advanced Bachelor students to ethnographic field research through the lens of archives. In this context, archives—such as museums, digital platforms, activist collections, or bureaucratic institutions—are not seen as passive repositories of knowledge, but as dynamic and contested sites where memory, power, and social meaning are actively produced and negotiated.The course combines hands-on fieldwork with theoretical and methodological reflection. Students will develop and carry out an empirical research project, either individually or in small teams. They will be introduced to core ethnographic techniques such as participant observation, fieldnote writing, interviewing, and visual and digital documentation. At the same time, they will engage critically with selected readings in ethnographic theory and archive studies. Throughout the semester, students will reflect on their research process both analytically and creatively, culminating in a written report and a digital product.Field research will be conducted in archive-related settings in Vienna or, if required, in other parts of Austria. Projects conducted outside of Vienna or involving additional costs must be approved in advance by the SPL and institute leadership. The specific field sites may include public archives, activist or community collections, museums, institutional repositories, or digital platforms. The thematic focus will be developed collectively during the early phase of the course and translated into concrete, small-scale research questions.Students will explore the chosen field site using ethnographic methods and will learn to analyze and represent it through both text and media. Particular attention is paid to the interplay of empirical practice, methodological experimentation, and critical reflection.Through this experience-based engagement, students will acquire the methodological skills needed to conduct independent ethnographic fieldwork, particularly in preparation for their Bachelor’s thesis.
Assessment and permitted materials
Assessment is based on active participation, the design and execution of an empirical project, documentation of the research process, a final presentation, and written and digital submissions. Specifically, the following are required:- Regular attendance and active participation in all in-person sessions.
- Design and implementation of a small-scale ethnographic research project, carried out individually or in groups.
- Submission of a written research report of 4,000 words, which presents the empirical findings in connection with relevant theoretical and methodological frameworks. This report should include discussion of field methods, reflections on positionality, and references to selected course literature.
- An individual reflection on the research experience and field engagement (2,500 words). This may be submitted as a standalone text or meaningfully integrated into the main report.
- Submission of a digital product (e.g. podcast, video, Padlet, or other media format) that communicates core findings or insights of the project in a concise and accessible way.
- Submission of two short reading responses (each approximately 300 words), engaging with required course literature.
- A final presentation of the research project during the last two class sessions.Assignments are submitted on a rolling basis throughout the semester, with the final submissions—the research report and digital product—due no later than Friday, 28 February 2026, 23:59 CET via Moodle.
- Design and implementation of a small-scale ethnographic research project, carried out individually or in groups.
- Submission of a written research report of 4,000 words, which presents the empirical findings in connection with relevant theoretical and methodological frameworks. This report should include discussion of field methods, reflections on positionality, and references to selected course literature.
- An individual reflection on the research experience and field engagement (2,500 words). This may be submitted as a standalone text or meaningfully integrated into the main report.
- Submission of a digital product (e.g. podcast, video, Padlet, or other media format) that communicates core findings or insights of the project in a concise and accessible way.
- Submission of two short reading responses (each approximately 300 words), engaging with required course literature.
- A final presentation of the research project during the last two class sessions.Assignments are submitted on a rolling basis throughout the semester, with the final submissions—the research report and digital product—due no later than Friday, 28 February 2026, 23:59 CET via Moodle.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
This course emphasizes the application of ethnographic fieldwork in a real-world setting. Students are expected to actively engage with their field site and research process, to document their methods and interactions thoroughly, and to critically reflect on their empirical and theoretical approach.The course awards 10 ECTS, corresponding to a total workload of 250 hours per student. This includes:
- Up to 40 hours of in-class sessions
- 90 to 100 hours of independent fieldwork
- 40 hours for writing the research report
- 20 hours for writing the individual reflection
- Approximately 25 hours for creating the digital product
- Around 12 hours for reading and response writing
- 25 hours for planning, peer collaboration, and preparation of presentationThe final grade will be composed as follows:
- Participation in course sessions, reading responses, and peer exchange: 25%
- Research documentation, including the written report, individual reflection, and digital product: 60%
- Final presentation of research findings: 15%Assessment will be based on both formal and content-related criteria. Formal aspects include clarity of writing, structure, grammar, and adherence to academic standards. Content-related criteria include methodological soundness, critical engagement with the field, integration of relevant literature, and reflective analysis of the research process.All components must be submitted to receive a final grade. The grading scale is as follows:
91–100 points: 1 (Very Good)
81–90 points: 2 (Good)
71–80 points: 3 (Satisfactory)
61–70 points: 4 (Sufficient)
0–60 points: 5 (Insufficient)Plagiarism or fraudulent work will result in a failing grade and a mark of “X” in the transcript. All written work will be checked using Turnitin plagiarism and AI detection software.
- Up to 40 hours of in-class sessions
- 90 to 100 hours of independent fieldwork
- 40 hours for writing the research report
- 20 hours for writing the individual reflection
- Approximately 25 hours for creating the digital product
- Around 12 hours for reading and response writing
- 25 hours for planning, peer collaboration, and preparation of presentationThe final grade will be composed as follows:
- Participation in course sessions, reading responses, and peer exchange: 25%
- Research documentation, including the written report, individual reflection, and digital product: 60%
- Final presentation of research findings: 15%Assessment will be based on both formal and content-related criteria. Formal aspects include clarity of writing, structure, grammar, and adherence to academic standards. Content-related criteria include methodological soundness, critical engagement with the field, integration of relevant literature, and reflective analysis of the research process.All components must be submitted to receive a final grade. The grading scale is as follows:
91–100 points: 1 (Very Good)
81–90 points: 2 (Good)
71–80 points: 3 (Satisfactory)
61–70 points: 4 (Sufficient)
0–60 points: 5 (Insufficient)Plagiarism or fraudulent work will result in a failing grade and a mark of “X” in the transcript. All written work will be checked using Turnitin plagiarism and AI detection software.
Examination topics
As a continuous assessment course (“prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung”), all course components—readings, discussions, project work, and field research—form part of the assessment. Emphasis is placed on students’ ability to apply ethnographic methods in the field, critically reflect on their own research process, and connect empirical insights with relevant academic literature.
Reading list
The final list of mandatory readings, including required chapters and any additional texts, will be announced and discussed during the first session of the course.Basu, Paul, and Ferdinand De Jong. 2016. “Utopian Archives, Decolonial Affordances: Introduction to Special Issue.” Social Anthropology 24 (1): 5–19.Budka, Philipp. Forthcoming. “Tracing and Reconstructing Sociotechnical Histories and Biographies across Digital Archives and Infrastructures.” In Theorising Media and Time, edited by Birgit Bräuchler and Nina Grønlykke Mollerup. New York: Berghahn Books.Decker, Stephanie, and Alan McKinlay. 2021. “Archival Ethnography.” In The Routledge Companion to Anthropology and Business, edited by Raza Mir, Anne-Laure Fayard, and Hari Bapuji, 163–181. London: Routledge.Emerson, Robert M., Rachel I. Fretz, and Linda L. Shaw. 2011. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Hammersley, Martyn, and Paul Atkinson. 2019. Ethnography: Principles in Practice, 4th ed. London: Routledge.Konopinski, Natalie, ed. 2014. Doing Anthropological Research: A Practical Guide. London: Routledge.Okely, Judith. 2012. Anthropological Practice: Fieldwork and the Ethnographic Method. Oxford: Berg.Stoler, Ann Laura. 2009. Along the Archival Grain: Epistemic Anxieties and Colonial Common Sense. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Th 13.11.2025 09:07