This course investigates ethnographic research methods in the study of
communication and culture.  It is designed explicitly to connect the
three departmental "topoi" - performance, public discourse, and media
- under the rubric of ethnography.  The course pays special attention
to how an ethnographic approach enables productive dialogue and cross
-fertilization among these fields.

During the first part of the course, we will focus on a range of
theoretical and methodological issues involved in ethnographic
research. Topics covered will include ethnographic authority, the
politics of representation, ethics, subjectivity and
intersubjectivity, and time-space considerations.  Through a series of
case studies, we then look specifically at ethnographies of text,
performance, media, and public discourse, focusing on how the social
and cultural organization of a range of discursive practices can be
approached ethnographically.

C507 satisfies the departmental requirement for a methods course at
the MA level. In addition, the course is strongly recommended to those
who are serving or hope to serve as AIs in C122 Interpersonal
Communication.