Any ideas for a participant observation study?

Question

I need to do this for an introductory Anthropology class. I'm not sure what should I go for? What are the general guidelines?

Answer 1

Participant observation study is a methodology used by anthropologists to get to know any event by being a part of the event that is to be understood. This simple looking technique is diffucult to apply but provide wonderful results. Just for examples many anthropologists have been part of some tribe, lived there, adopted their customs by staying with them for many years and than married tribals to understand the institution of marriage.

Answer 2

I did a paper on the family structure of dead heads on the road following the Grateful Dead in the late seventies by following the Dead on the road myself for two years, you might want to do something similar around a more modern band.

Answer 3

Participant observation is where one tries to become part of another culture.  This is one of the best ways to understand why others do what they do.  Doing this to the fullest extent is difficult, but is interesting to do.  When doing your project you need to be respectful of what is going on.  It is also important not to be a distraction and take away from the experience.  

Yo may want to try to go a church that you do not belong to for the study.  if there are different cultural groups at your school, see if you can go to a meeting.  going to a biker bar might be fun.  try to think of groups where people who are different from you would be.  In some cases it may be good to ask permission to do your study.  Remember that your "subjects" have rights and you must be respectful of them.

Answer 4

For an anthropology class, I did a participant observation study on a swing dance class.  It was fun, and I still followed the guidelines.  Other good examples: bowling teams, fraternity parties, Christian groups, baseball teams.

Participant observation requires you to immerse yourself in whatever group you are studying, and try to get similar experiences to the members that you are studying.  Keep in mind that you are their guest as well, though, and be patient, accepting, and willing to do what they are doing (exceptions may be drinking games, things that can harm you).  Also, when participating, remember to watch what others are doing, different patterns you see (gender, age, behaviors, etc.), and anything that strikes you as interesting to include in your paper.