Assignment: Write a 1250-1500-word paper in which you describe and interpret your
observations. construct a paper in which you argue for an
interpretation of the meaning of the event/situation you observed. The concrete details of your
observations provide the evidence for your interpretation.
Your paper should contain the following elements:
1. A cover page with name, section number, title, date. (Not included in the word count)
2. An introduction that frames the paper, includes the questions you had going into the
project, and that mentions your methodology (how you did your participant observation,
where, when, etc.). Your introduction should also present an argument about how you
interpret what you observed/participated in. What does it mean to the participants? Note:
do not copy and paste your proposal and use it as your introduction. Projects typically
change between proposal and finished product; also, proposals are written in the future
tense, but papers should be in the past tense. You must write a new introduction.
3. The body of your paper is where you weave together your observations with how those
connect to the questions you had, and with published sources you may have consulted. Pull
out specific, detailed, concrete examples from your field notes and use those as evidence to
support your argument. Use subheadings to indicate different topics or stages in an event.
4. A conclusion in which you summarize how the evidence you presented in the body of the
paper supports your argument (that is, your interpretation). This should not be just a dry
repeat of your introduction, but a way of revisiting the argument in light of the evidence.
5. Photographs or other visuals can be put into an appendix (not included in the word
count) or submitted as separate files in the D2L dropbox. These are not required and will
not substitute for good ethnographic writing, but if you like to gather visual data, you may
include them and refer to them in your text (as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc., referring me to the
appendix).
6. Correct font, margins, and word count. For my ease of reading, please use a 10 or 12
point font and one-inch margins on all sides. You will not be penalized if you exceed the
1500-word limit (though for your own sake, try to keep it under 2000 words).
7. Correct file name and extension. Name your document in the following way:
FirstNameLastNameParticipantObservation. Then add one of the following extensions:
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), Portable Document Format (.pdf), or Rich Text (.rtf). Other
formats, including Google docs and Pages documents, are not always readable.
Note: Do NOT conduct interviews or use any published sources in your paper. In a full-length
ethnographic book, an author would include a review of the literature, citing many sources, and
there would be interviews as well. However, you are doing a more targeted assignment. You will
use only primary-source ethnographic data: your own observations from your project. Your ability
to observe and to keenly describe your observations with concrete and specific details is what will
give your arguments their persuasive force.