Continuing Capstone Research (2nd Week of Feb.)

Photo by Adam Smith
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingerblokey/3242039102/

This week I have been reading through an article on ethnography called "Professional Stranger: An Informal Introduction to Ethnology" by Michael Agar. I have never really studied ethnography prior to this, but I have a basic understanding of it now. For example, many people tend to believe that hypothesis-testing methods are the best ways of doing research, but Agar believes (as do I because it makes sense) that ethnography is best because it involves understanding the human group being studied and doing hypothesis-testing. Those against ethnology claim that the involvement and association within a group can cause the researcher to become biased on particular issues. However, it also allows for a more thorough understanding, and it gives the researcher the knowledge of whether or not any hypothesis he/she already had prior to joining the group would actually hold up well.

Basics of Ethnological Research:

1. Researcher has direct personal involvement with the researched community (Agar 69).
2. Ethnographers are commonly known as "children" or "students" because they learn how to behave within the group that they are studying (Agar 69).
3. Ethnographic relationships are normally long-term and can take a while to successfully create (Agar 69).

The Professional Stranger: An Informal Introduction to Ethnography (9780120444700): Michael H. Agar: Books. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.