1. Introduction to Social Anthropology November 2018
Reach Cambridge
Introduction to Social Anthropology November 2018

2. Recap from 1st session
Anthropology is essentially the ‘study of man’ In practice it is the study of people throughout the world using research
Researching and studying their evolutionary history, how they behave, what they think,
how they adapt to different environments, communicate and socialise with one another.

3. By taking the time to study peoples’ lives in detail, anthropologists explore what makes us uniquely human.
In doing so, anthropologists aim to increase our understanding of ourselves and of each other

4. Social anthropology then takes this further and is the study of human society and cultures, of our local and international communities and of our wider world
Social anthropologists seek to understand how societies are created or built, how people live in or outside of those societies and how they make their lives meaningful.

5. Social Anthropologists operate through research and fieldwork, and are concerned with key questions such as:
How societies are organised
The relationship between values and behaviour and Why people do what they do.

6. Social anthropologists conduct their research in many ways, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
The method most common characteristic of the discipline is that of ‘fieldwork’ research which is a qualitative research method.
1 minute discussion with your neighbour what do you understand by the term field work?

7. What is Fieldwork

8. Field work definitions
Work done in the field (as by students) to gain practical experience and knowledge through firsthand observation
The gathering of anthropological or sociological data through the interviewing and observation of subjects in the field

9. What is ethnography
"Ethnography is the recording and analysis of a culture or society, usually based on participant-observation and resulting in a written account of a people, place or institution” Coleman and Simpson 2015

10. Research Design, Ethics and Fieldwork Safety
Discussion – What do each of the terms mean in the context of anthropological research:
Research Design
Fieldwork Safety – Design our Do’s and Don’ts
Ethics
Ethics Activity -

11. Research Design Activity
Decide on a question or topic you want to explore as the base for your research
Complete a Mind Map for your chosen topic
Design a Questionnaire / Survey to complete in Cambridge City Centre – Decide on a minimum number of participants you would like to interview
Carry out desktop / online research to evidence or support your points

12. Research design tools - Mind Maps

13. Create your Mind Map on the following topics
Group 1 - Ethics Group 2 - Ethics Group 3 - Culture Group 4 - Society Group 5 - Society Group 6 – Culture
What are all the areas, and interlinks, overlaps, tensions, associated with this topic in relation to my home town
What are the most significant things we've learnt about this topic?

14. Design your Research Questionnaire or Survey
Decide on information you want to gather
Decide on how many people you want to speak to
Decide on the type of people you need to speak to
Decide on how many questions or themes you want to explore with participants
Decide on the order of the questions
Decide on how long you want the interview to be for – you can have fewer participants with longer more in-depth questions (qualitative) or more quantitative such as surveys or short questionnaires

15. Field Work Assignment
Carry out interviews, questionnaires, surveys, participant observation in Cambridge City Centre
Data collected must be collated and analysed to be included in your final presentations
Every member of the team must participate – Each team member (with support) will take the lead in questioning at least one person in Cambridge

16. Frame Work for Field Work
Capture the thoughts of participants in Cambridge City Centre
What information can you draw from your data collected
What are the freedoms and limitations of your research
How does this data inform your research project either assisting or hindering or both in your overall work
Lessons learned from the experience
Any other observations / comments

17. Presentations Part 1 Presentations must include:
Group Introduction – who you are
Brief explanation of Social Anthropology and in what ways does it relate to World Readiness
Share your Participant observation experience and use the artefacts you chose at the museum to illustrate your experience
Explanation of your fieldwork topic, how and why you chose it as a group

18. Presentations Part 2 – Reflective practice
Present your field work data – What did you ask, what did you find out and what conclusions – if any did you draw
What worked well and what were the limitations
What did you learn from the experience
What key skills have you developed or improved on and what challenges or fears did you overcome in field work
how has this experience helped prepare you for or impacted you in relation to world readiness

19. Presentations Part 3 You will be scored on the following:
Understanding of Social Anthropology
Understanding of your chosen topic
How well you worked together
Creativity of Presentation
Timing
Group Participation
Participant Observation Exercise
Fieldwork and Supporting Research
Overall thoughts and conclusions