84267 - Methodologies of Ethnographic Research (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will know the main methodologies of ethnographic research; they will be able to elaborate autonomous projects and to identify the most suitable methods for every specific research context; they will have acquired the skills to communicate research results effectively.

Course contents

Students are strongly advised to check the section “avvisi” in the professor’s home page for all information regarding the programme and the exam.

The course aims to prepare students to carry out anthropological fieldwork by

1. proposing theoretical insights;
2. giving concrete tools to be able to conduct participant observation and interviews (ethical aspects, transcription, “data-card”);
3. encouraging a critical approach to the hypotheses formulated during the fieldwork on the basis of group discussions;
4. giving the opportunity to practice presentation of research work.

  Lectures will begin on the 4th February 2020

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

The students attending the course must conduct an interview and transcribe it according to the instructions given in the lessons.

They must also bring the following texts to the exam:

1. One of the following volumes: Pennacini, C. (ed.), La ricerca sul campo in antropologia. Oggetti e metodi, Roma, Carocci, 2010; Malighetti, R. and Molinari, A., Il metodo e l'antropologia. Il contributo di una scienza inquieta, Milano, Cortina, 2016.
2. Pistacchi M. (ed.), Vive voci. L’intervista come fonte di documentazione, Roma, Donzelli, 2010.
3. Natali, C., “The anthropological recorded interview. Methodological issues and ethnographic examples”, in S. Marchignoli (ed.) 2018, Teaching and University Internazionalization: The E-QUAL Project, pp. 117-152.
4. Bardasi, N. e Natali, C. (a cura di), Io a loro ho cercato di spiegare che è una storia complicata la nostra. Voci, esperienze, testimonianze sulla disabilità all'Università di Bologna, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2018 (pp. 9-16 e 153-168) (available on the site https://site.unibo.it/real-lab).

Non-attending students:

1. Pennacini, C. (a cura di), La ricerca sul campo in antropologia. Oggetti e metodi, Roma, Carocci, 2010;
2. Malighetti, R. e Molinari, A., Il metodo e l'antropologia. Il contributo di una scienza inquieta, Milano, Cortina, 2016
3. Pistacchi M. (a cura di), Vive voci. L’intervista come fonte di documentazione, Roma, Donzelli, 2010
   
4. Natali, C., “The anthropological recorded interview. Methodological issues and ethnographic examples”, in S. Marchignoli (ed.) 2018, Teaching and University Internazionalization: The E-QUAL Project, pp. 117-152
5. Bardasi, N. e Natali, C. (a cura di), Io a loro ho cercato di spiegare che è una storia complicata la nostra. Voci, esperienze, testimonianze sulla disabilità all'Università di Bologna, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2018 (pp. 9-16 e 153-168) (available on the site https://site.unibo.it/real-lab).

Teaching methods

The course involves lectures on theoretical approaches, interactive lessons in which the research methodologies are discussed, group work on participant observation and interviews, presentations and group discussions on the results achieved.

Assessment methods

Students are strongly advised to check the section “avvisi” in the professor’s home page for all information regarding the programme and the exam.

Assessment is carried out through an oral exam, in which students are requested to show deep knowledge of the bibliography, critical analytic skills and appropriate linguistic communicative ability.

The mark will be assigned taking into account the following evaluation levels:

30 cum laude: excellent performance showing soundness of knowledge, rich discursive articulation and appropriate expression;

30: very good performance, complete and appropriate knowledge, well articulated and appropriately expressed;

29-27: good performance, more than satisfactory knowledge, well-expressed;

26-24: standard performance, essential knowledge, but not comprehensive and/or not always correctly expressed;

23-21: sufficient performance, general but superficial knowledge, often inappropriately expressed showing confused articulation;

20-18: poor performance, with just acceptable expression and articulation with significant gaps;

<18: Insufficient performance, absent or very incomplete knowledge, lack of orientation in the discipline.

The attending students will also be evaluated on the basis of a) their active participation in lessons; b) the results of their group work; c) their ability, demonstrated in final lessons, to reformulate the research hypotheses emerging from any problems arising during the fieldwork.

Teaching tools

Attending students, from January 2020, are kindly invited to subscribe to the following mailing list in order to receive information about possible variations in lecture timetable and rooms: cristiana.natali.Metodologie-ricerca-etnografica.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Natali