ANSO 205(S) Ways of Knowing
This class is an exploration of how one makes sense of the social world through fieldwork. Some of the key questions of the course are: What are the philosophical and epistemological underpinnings of social inquiry? How does one frame intellectual problems and go about collecting, sifting, and assessing field materials? What sets social reality apart from nature, and what implications does this difference have for our study of society? What are the uses and limits of statistical data? What is the importance of history to sociological and anthropological research? How can one use archival and other documentary materials to enrich ethnographic research? What are the empirical limits to interpretation? What is the relationship between empirical data and the generation of social theory? How does the social organization of social research affect one's inquiry? What are the typical ethical dilemmas of fieldwork and of other kinds of social research? How do researchers' personal biographies and values shape their work? We will approach these problems concretely rather than abstractly through a series of case studies, drawing upon the field experiences of departmental faculty and visitors who represent a variety of research methods and disciplinary perspectives.
Format: seminar. Requirements: a series of short papers and a take-home final exam.
Prerequisites: Anthropology 101 or Sociology 101 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 25).
Hour: SHEVCHENKO