Undergraduates deserve methods too: Using a research laboratory model to engage students in cognitive anthropological research

The role of anthropology to inform and shape public discourse has never been more necessary. Yet, the discipline struggles, at times, to remain relevant and accessible to students. It is increasingly important to provide students with skills that are useful outside academia. The ability to make the anthropological research process accessible is a critical determinate of the future of our discipline. This introduction situates the articles of this issue in a discussion of mentorship and hands‐on training for students. Drawing on discussions within anthropology, social sciences, and education, it addresses the importance of training undergraduate and graduate students in methods that connect professional and community needs. Examples of engaging students and communities with “hands‐on” anthropological experiences are highlighted within diverse themes including health, community, gender, volunteer tourism, online virtual worlds, and technology, serving as frameworks for extending and connecting research with students, faculty, and community members.

Section: Contributors: Specific Examples Of Involving Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contributors: Specific Examples Of Involving Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Involve me and I learn”: Teaching and applying anthropology

Copeland

Dengah

2016

“…Creating a formal identity within a proper physical structure engenders a sense of belonging and solidarity, which orients them toward collaboration and teamwork (see also Dengah et al. ; Snodgrass for similar models).…”

Section: Collaborative Team—centered Pedagogymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking outside anthropology's box: Socializing undergraduates through collaborative research, teaching, and service

Stein

Daugherty

Rivera

et al. 2016

Most undergraduate anthropology majors will not pursue postgraduate careers in the discipline, so the greatest value of anthropological training is in providing a holistic sense of cultural relativity and appreciation for human diversity. However, translating anthropology's value to other career paths is frequently hindered by students’ limited exposure to theory and methods and further complicated by the discipline's emphasis on individualistic fieldwork models and research outcomes. We argue these obstacles can be overcome by engaging students in mixed‐methods collaborative groups that integrate students and faculty in local research, teaching, and outreach. This socializes undergraduates to view anthropology as naturally collaborative and applicable beyond careers in research. In this article, we outline a program that fuses experimental and field approaches to train students in qualitative and quantitative methods and critical thinking. We then detail implementation of this pedagogical model as a generalizable template that trains students for postgraduate careers outside anthropology.

“…Applied anthropology programs are more visible and even the most traditionally ethnographically oriented departments, including the LSE, have successfully introduced methods classes with hands‐on fieldwork experiences for undergraduates (Copeland ; Dengah et al. ; Glass‐Coffin ; Snodgrass ). As for an interest in practicing anthropology, the downturn in the academic jobs market has forced an unprecedented number of recent Ph.Ds.…”

Section: The Dark Side: Crossing the Applied/academic Dividementioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting the Yeti: Learning about design ethnography and teaching anthropological habitus in a student‐led project on “disconnection”

Hale

2016

Our discipline fetishizes ethnography yet tends to keep the prize out of undergraduate students’ reach, citing practical constraints for letting students do real fieldwork. This leaves students already struggling with the question of what to do with a cultural anthropology degree in a difficult place. Anthropology's main promise—to understand other cultures through a deep engagement with ordinary people—is one they have never experienced personally. Yet they will have to justify their choice of university degree in years to come. This article discusses an experimental course at Colorado State University in the growing field of design anthropology in which a student team of researchers collaborated with a team of product managers, innovation strategists, and designers at Otterbox, a locally headquartered company that makes protective smartphone covers. Students practiced a condensed form of ethnographic research with smartphone users in Northern Colorado and investigated the theme of “disconnection” from technology. [design anthropology, technology, business anthropology]