CH 03 BIG QUESTIONS

 What is unique about ethnographic fieldwork, and why do anthropologists conduct this
kind of research?

 How did the idea of fieldwork develop?

 How do anthropologists get started conducting fieldwork?

 How do anthropologists write ethnography?

 What moral and ethical concerns guide anthropologists in their research and writing?

 How are fieldwork strategies changing in response to globalization?

CH 04 BIG QUESTIONS

 What is language and where does it come from?

 How does language shape our ways of thinking?

 How do systems of power intersect with language and communication?

 What are the effects of globalization on language?

Week 3 Discussion (Chapters 3 and 4)

Post a reply to the question below (at least 250 words). Then reply to at least one of your fellow
classmate's comments. You may continue to reply as the discussion progresses.

Question:

If you were to do anthropological fieldwork which of the four fields would you choose?
Who would you study?  
1.  A subculture slightly different from yours?

2.  Your own subculture?

3.  A very different culture?

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying cultural behavior in the group you
chose?
Week 3 Homework Assignment

Dead Birds Discussion Questions

1. What fieldwork techniques are used in this ethnographic film?

2. How would you use qualitative measures? Quantitative measures?

3. Are there ethical questions involved in filming a battle?

Franz Boas Discussion Questions

1. One of Boas’ key contributions to anthropology is the idea of cultural relativism, to see each
culture on its own merits. Do you see any evidence of this perspective in the selection? What do
you think may have inspired that perspective?

2. Fieldwork is often very personal, even if conducted in a context entirely foreign to one's
experience. How do you think Boas’ personal life influenced his ideas and his work as an
anthropologist?

3. Boas is well-known for his four-field approach to anthropology. How do you think his
background influenced that approach? How do you think it might impact how he conducted
fieldwork?

We still Live Here Discussion Questions

1. How important is the language you speak to your identity?

2. There are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, and, on average, one of them
disappears every ten days. What does that mean for the future of language diversity? What about
the future of cultural diversity?

3. How is the revival of a language also the revival of a culture and a way of life? What else
might be gained, for all of us, whenever a language is revived?