This seminar introduces students to ethnographic research methodologies in anthropology and other human sciences, combining a critical assessment of ethnographic methodologies with a close reading of ethnographic materials focusing on Asian contexts and beyond. Topics discussed include: participant observation, writing fieldnotes, doing interviews, managing multiple field-sites, power and voice in national and transnational contexts, mass culture and media competition for interpretive authority, doing research in the digital age, ethical dilemmas and practical strategies in a time of transition. The seminar takes students through the process of identifying relevant issues, designing ethnographic research projects, and writing critically informed ethnographic accounts that address larger issues in contemporary societies. The idea is to prepare students for the manifold challenges involved in doing ethnographic research at an age of increasingly entangled intersections between private negotiations and public dialogues in law, state policy, science, and the media.

Assessment: 75% coursework and 25% class participation

Remarks: This is an elective course for all PhD and MPhil students of the Institute.