What is the Scientific Method? Quantitative vs. Qualitative? Natural Science vs. Social Science? Ethnography

◦ “description of the way of life, or culture of a society that identifies the behaviors and the beliefs, understandings, attitudes, and values… found in that social world” [Emerson/Berreman]

◦ “…fieldwork committed to describing the social and cultural worlds of a particular group”

Studying Culture Studying Meaning Inductive vs. Deductive Exploratory vs. Explanatory Example: The use of force by Police? Example: Religiosity?

Participating in order to observe◦ “Get your seat-pants dirty.”

Observing in order to write What to observe? Ethnographer’s interpretation Others’ interpretation Ethnographers’ interpretation of others’

interpretation

Describe Settings Describe People Describe Events Describe Meanings

Logging Data Writing Field Notes