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240511 SE MM2 Anthropological Fieldwork Methods (2026W)
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 Tu 01.09.2026 00:01 to Mo 21.09.2026 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Mo 19.10.2026 23:59
Details
max. 20 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- N Tuesday 06.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 13.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 03.11. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 24.11. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 01.12. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 12.01. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Tuesday 26.01. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
The final grade will consist of four main assignments that will be counted as follows:
• Research Plan – 20%
• Observations and Fieldnotes – 15%
• Interview Guide – 15%
• Fieldwork Report – 50%The research plan, that will be discussed and presented in the course, will count towards 20% of the grade (15% for each presentation). Test observations and fieldnotes /diary and a draft interview guide will count towards 30% of the grade together (15% each). The most important product of the course will be a summary/a report detailing fieldwork, including its methodological part and a description of the data collected. This assignment will count towards 50% of the final grade.The methodological course literature will be provided by the instructor, whereas the students will have various reading, empirical and media-based assignments.
• Research Plan – 20%
• Observations and Fieldnotes – 15%
• Interview Guide – 15%
• Fieldwork Report – 50%The research plan, that will be discussed and presented in the course, will count towards 20% of the grade (15% for each presentation). Test observations and fieldnotes /diary and a draft interview guide will count towards 30% of the grade together (15% each). The most important product of the course will be a summary/a report detailing fieldwork, including its methodological part and a description of the data collected. This assignment will count towards 50% of the final grade.The methodological course literature will be provided by the instructor, whereas the students will have various reading, empirical and media-based assignments.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
In order to receive a passing grade, you need at least 60 points.
The course performace will be assessed as follows:“Sehr gut” (1) - 90 -100 points
“Gut” (2) – 80 - 89 points
“Befriedigend” (3) – 70-79 points
“Genügend” (4) – 60-69 pointsAttendance is required throughout the semester. The course will have seminar character: while the introductory lecture will be delivered by the instructor, the rest of the sessions will be a mix of instructor’s inputs, students presentations and work in small groups and pairs.The fieldwork report will be the main basis of the overall course assessment. In case that it has to be evaluated negatively due to substantial flaws, the lecturer will provide feedback and an opportunity for re-submission within a reasonable time frame.
The course performace will be assessed as follows:“Sehr gut” (1) - 90 -100 points
“Gut” (2) – 80 - 89 points
“Befriedigend” (3) – 70-79 points
“Genügend” (4) – 60-69 pointsAttendance is required throughout the semester. The course will have seminar character: while the introductory lecture will be delivered by the instructor, the rest of the sessions will be a mix of instructor’s inputs, students presentations and work in small groups and pairs.The fieldwork report will be the main basis of the overall course assessment. In case that it has to be evaluated negatively due to substantial flaws, the lecturer will provide feedback and an opportunity for re-submission within a reasonable time frame.
Examination topics
There will be no exams.
Reading list
Amit, V. (Ed.) (2000). Constructing the Field: Ethnographic Fieldwork in the Contemporary World (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge.
Bernard, H. R. (2018). Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (Sixth Edition ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Roman and Littlefield.
Blaikie, N. W. H. (2009). Designing Social Research: the Logic of Anticipation (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA: Polity Press.
de Laine, M. (2000). Fieldwork, Participation and Practice: Ethics and Dilemmas in Qualitative Research. London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.
Denison, V. L., Willett, A., Taitt, A., & Csoba Dehass, M. (2021). Teaching Archival Research Methods through Projects in Ethnohistory. Journal of western archives, 12(2), 2-27. doi:10.59620/2154-7149.1139
DeWalt, K. M., DeWalt, B. R., & Wayland, C. B. (2000). Participant Observation. In H. R. Bernard (Ed.), Handbook of Methods in Cultural Antrhopology (pp. 259-299). Walnut Creek Altamira Press.
Emerson, R., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2002). Participant Observation and Fieldnotes. In P. Atkinson & e. al. (Eds.), Handbook of Ethnography (pp. 352-368). London: Sage.
Emerson, R., Rachel Fretz and Linda Shaw. (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Feldman, G. (2011). If ethnography is more than participant-observation, then relations are more than connections: The case for nonlocal ethnography in a world of apparatuses. Anthropological Theory, 11(4), 375-395. doi:10.1177/1463499611429904
Fine, W. (2005). Doing Fieldwork: Ethnographic Methods for Research in Developing Countries and Beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Flick, U. (2009). An Introduction to Qualitative Research (4. ed. ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Fontein, J. (2014a). Doing Research. Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 55-69). London: Routledge.
Fontein, J. (2014b). Doing Research. Fieldwork Practicalities. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 70-90). London: Routledge.
Gordon, H. S. J., & Him, D. A. (2025). Conducting research “in a good way”: relationships as the foundation of research. Arctic Science, 11, 1-16. doi:10.1139/as-2023-0078
Gupta, A., & Ferguson, J. (1997). “The Field” as Site, Method, and Location in Anthropology. In A. Gupta & J. Ferguson (Eds.), Anthropological Locations: Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science (pp. 1-46). Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
Harper, I. (2014). Ethics. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 91-102). London: Routledge.
Heyl, B. S. (2001). Ethnographic Interviewing. In P. Atkinson, Amanda Coffey, Sara Delamont, John Lofland and Lyn Lofland (Ed.), Handbook of Ethnography. Los Angeles, London, New Dehli: Sage.
Hollander, J. A. (2004). The social contexts of focus groups. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 33(5), 602-637.
Jeffery, L., & Konopinski, N. (2014). Planning Your Research Project. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 21-36). London: Routledge.
Kelly, T. (2014). Getting Started. The Search for Anthropological Questions. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 6-20). London: Routledge.
Konopinski, N. (Ed.) (2014). Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge.
Koven, M. (2014). Interviewing: Practice, ideology, genre, and intertextuality. Annual Review of Anthropology, 43(1), 499-520.
LeCompte, M. D., & Schensul, J. J. (1999). Designing & Conducting Ethnographic Research. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press.
Madden, R. (2010). Being Ethnographic: a Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ethnography. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Marcus, G. E. (1995). Ethnography in/of the World-System - the Emergence of Multi-Sited Ethnography. Annual Review of Anthropology, 24, 95-117. doi:DOI 10.1146/annurev.an.24.100195.000523
Bernard, H. R. (2018). Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (Sixth Edition ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Roman and Littlefield.
Blaikie, N. W. H. (2009). Designing Social Research: the Logic of Anticipation (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA: Polity Press.
de Laine, M. (2000). Fieldwork, Participation and Practice: Ethics and Dilemmas in Qualitative Research. London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.
Denison, V. L., Willett, A., Taitt, A., & Csoba Dehass, M. (2021). Teaching Archival Research Methods through Projects in Ethnohistory. Journal of western archives, 12(2), 2-27. doi:10.59620/2154-7149.1139
DeWalt, K. M., DeWalt, B. R., & Wayland, C. B. (2000). Participant Observation. In H. R. Bernard (Ed.), Handbook of Methods in Cultural Antrhopology (pp. 259-299). Walnut Creek Altamira Press.
Emerson, R., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2002). Participant Observation and Fieldnotes. In P. Atkinson & e. al. (Eds.), Handbook of Ethnography (pp. 352-368). London: Sage.
Emerson, R., Rachel Fretz and Linda Shaw. (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Feldman, G. (2011). If ethnography is more than participant-observation, then relations are more than connections: The case for nonlocal ethnography in a world of apparatuses. Anthropological Theory, 11(4), 375-395. doi:10.1177/1463499611429904
Fine, W. (2005). Doing Fieldwork: Ethnographic Methods for Research in Developing Countries and Beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Flick, U. (2009). An Introduction to Qualitative Research (4. ed. ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Fontein, J. (2014a). Doing Research. Anthropology and Ethnographic Fieldwork. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 55-69). London: Routledge.
Fontein, J. (2014b). Doing Research. Fieldwork Practicalities. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 70-90). London: Routledge.
Gordon, H. S. J., & Him, D. A. (2025). Conducting research “in a good way”: relationships as the foundation of research. Arctic Science, 11, 1-16. doi:10.1139/as-2023-0078
Gupta, A., & Ferguson, J. (1997). “The Field” as Site, Method, and Location in Anthropology. In A. Gupta & J. Ferguson (Eds.), Anthropological Locations: Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science (pp. 1-46). Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
Harper, I. (2014). Ethics. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 91-102). London: Routledge.
Heyl, B. S. (2001). Ethnographic Interviewing. In P. Atkinson, Amanda Coffey, Sara Delamont, John Lofland and Lyn Lofland (Ed.), Handbook of Ethnography. Los Angeles, London, New Dehli: Sage.
Hollander, J. A. (2004). The social contexts of focus groups. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 33(5), 602-637.
Jeffery, L., & Konopinski, N. (2014). Planning Your Research Project. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 21-36). London: Routledge.
Kelly, T. (2014). Getting Started. The Search for Anthropological Questions. In N. Konopinski (Ed.), Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed., pp. 6-20). London: Routledge.
Konopinski, N. (Ed.) (2014). Doing Anthropological Research (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge.
Koven, M. (2014). Interviewing: Practice, ideology, genre, and intertextuality. Annual Review of Anthropology, 43(1), 499-520.
LeCompte, M. D., & Schensul, J. J. (1999). Designing & Conducting Ethnographic Research. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press.
Madden, R. (2010). Being Ethnographic: a Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ethnography. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Marcus, G. E. (1995). Ethnography in/of the World-System - the Emergence of Multi-Sited Ethnography. Annual Review of Anthropology, 24, 95-117. doi:DOI 10.1146/annurev.an.24.100195.000523
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Tu 08.09.2026 09:47
This course is targeted at the students participating in the course "240514-1 PR MM2 The Social Lives of Vienna’s Infrastructures (2026W)”.