MAF 505 - Fieldwork in Coastal Cultures, Prof. Sarah Meltzoff

Course Goals:

Field course in which the student participates in a social and economic analysis of a coastal culture (I.e., stone crab fisherman in Everglades City, spiny lobster fisherman in Key West, boat builders and commercial divers in the Abacos, Bahamas). Preliminary lectures and reading introduce the theory and method which the student then practices a week-long field trip.

Material:

1. The Social Economy in Coastal Cultures
   
2. Basic Theory and Method for Fieldwork
   
3. Background on the Field Site
   
4. Roundtable Summation of Fieldwork

Assignments:

Write up interview fieldnotes and prepare a network file. 3-5 page paper submitted after the trip.

Grades:

Class field participation 35%, fieldnotes and file 35%, Paper 30%.

Textbook:

Ethnography: Principles in Practice. M. Hammersley and P. Atkinson.
Current proposals and papers in progress about the field site.