Assignment Guidelines for Final Ethnography – ANTH 1001

Due Date: Monday, May 7

Final: Ethnography of NYC

The final project marks Part II of the two part process of completing your INDIVIDUAL ethnography of some aspect of New York City. It is the continuation and realization of the project proposal that you submitted in mid-March.

The final ethnography is a standard research paper. State your hypothesis/thesis statement and back it up with supporting arguments. Your ethnography must have a strong theoretical component, and it must incorporate three in-class articles, three outside pieces, and the findings from AT LEAST three research sessions. You can use elements from your proposal in your final, however keep in mind that they are two different assignments, structured in two very different ways. The proposal explains your hypothesis and how your research might contribute to that hypothesis. The final ethnography is MAKING AN ARGUMENT. You are taking a stance. You are making a thesis statement and backing it up with various kinds of evidence.

The Assignment:

1) In the introductory paragraphs:a. Identify your thesis statement (this is the same as your primary question in the

proposal, only instead of the form of a question, it will take the form of a statement, a declaration).

b. Identify how you are going to go about supporting your thesisi. Identify your various supporting arguments (this relates to your supporting

questions)c. Identify why this question is worth answering

i. Explain why you are interested in the topicii. Explain why investigating the question(s) is worth the effort

d. Identify your research plani. Identify your three research sessions

ii. Explain why you chose the research methodologies that you didiii. Identify any problems that arose and how you attempted to remedy them

2) In the body of your essay:a. Support your thesis

i. Make connections to your minimum 3 in-class and minimum 3 outside materialsii. Make connections to your minimum 3 research sessions

iii. Make connections to theoryiv. Basically, convince me that your hypothesis is valid

3) In the concluding paragraphsa. Wrap up the paperb. Explain where we go from here

i. What additional research needs to be done?

ii. How might we, society, utilize your research findings/conclusions?

Form & Style Instructions

Form of the Ethnography of NYC: Must be typed, using 8 ½ x 11 unlined, white bond paper Must be double-spaced with 1” margins all around Must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner. No paper clips, tape, or torn & turned corners. Must be in a 12 point, readable font (Times New Roman, Ariel, or Courier) A cover page is unnecessary. Your name, the date, and the title of your proposal should appear

at the top of the first page.

Citations/Bibliography: Cite your sources within the essay in MLA, APA or Chicago style Include a bibliography! Bibliographic sources must be alphabetized

Length of Ethnography: 5 full pages (this does not include the bibliography). Nothing (except the bibliography) can be

written on a sixth page.

Expanding upon the Midterm Proposal: AGAIN, this assignment is different from your proposal—I want to see that you have developed

and structured your ideas beyond those you examined in your midterm. Thus, YOU WILL RESUBMIT YOUR MIDTERM WITH YOUR FINAL PROJECT. Do not revise your

midterm; just staple it to your final once it is complete.

Proofing the Review: The paper must be free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you are having trouble with this,

or anything else related to grammar, organizing/structuring the paper, etc., please see me and/or schedule an appointment with one of the Writing Fellows

Expressing, Explaining, and Defending Your Opinions: You are not graded down for expressing and defending your honest opinions, or for including

personal, self-reflexive material. Your views are your own. Be sure, however, to state your opinions in clear, concise sentences and in well-organized paragraphs. Consider the ethnography as your best attempt at making a compelling, strong argument for your overall project and you opinions. Opinions and observations that are particularly incisive, astute, original and well-supported are hallmarks of the superior paper.

What You Are Turning In: Along with the final project itself (with a bibliography), you must re-submit the midterm (the

project proposal) that you originally submitted to me. I want the one that I graded with my comments on it. You must also submit the peer review of your own project, the one your peer completed of your final project. I am looking at this (1) to ensure that everyone adequately completed their peer review, and (2) to ensure that you took both your peer’s and my

comments seriously. This is not to say that you must make every change suggested, but that you are thoughtful in the final product that you submit to me.