HELP: Clarification
I had a request for "more guidance" in the comments to my plea for inspiration. (I'd respond in the comments, only I can't get there until tonight. We'll see if this post-by-email even makes its way to where it's supposed to.) Anyway, that's the problem: I have no more guidance...or at least I won't until I meet with the prof on Thursday, but I should have at least an idea for a topic before then.
It's a research design course, in the anthropology department. That's all. The course is about what "science" is: hard science, social science, starting with a hypothesis vs. a problematique, entering research with certain assumptions, what's real evidence, etc, etc. I will have to develop a research proposal. That's all I can tell you.
posted by Alisha @ 12:37 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Something on office/workplace politics and interactions? I'm thinking.
Hmmm. A few thoughts/questions.
Does the project need to be feasible. Ie: legal, financial and temporal practicalities?
Is it supposed to be "traditional" anthropology, focusing on such "classic" topics? Tribal situations, populations in third world country suffering from post colonial situations, etc?
Or alternatively, can it focus on less "traditional" topics, such as shanna's idea of office interactivity?
Another possibility would be to consider some topic you know moderately well from one paper or another at Cornell. Or perhaps consider some issue of transportation. Perhaps the social interaction on mass transit, or resultant from mass transit?
One of your strengths, when it comes to this part of the class, is the fact that you do have an in depth knowledge of case studies which many anthropology students will never have considered. You have already done some research, and read about far more on a topic more practical than many of them will quite possibly ever work on. You know theory of the design and plan of things urban and transportation related, which situates you as able to actually offer an action-research proposal (have you talked about Action Research, or Participant Action Research?). A proposal rooted in the knowledge of forecoming change.
Its a thought, anyway. I'd be tempted to say a topic related to Transportation design and plannning. Perhaps focus on the way its used vs. the way it was intended to be used. Study the social use of transportation space, ranging from buskers to crime, from percieved safety to ... dunno.
Anyway, thats some thoughts that jump to mind.
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