HSOC-230: Design Ethnography

"Just squat down awhile and after that things begin to happen." - Zora Neale Hurston Ethnographic methods are central to the work of anthropology, and this qualitative approach has been increasingly adopted by designers seeking to understand their users and the cultural contexts in which they intervene. This course offers an introduction to ethnography as it has been practiced and transformed in anthropology and beyond, along with practical tools for generating ethnographic insights for use in the design process. Premised on hands-on engagement across cultural contexts, ethnography traces the varied shape of cultural life, aspiring to grounded, respectful, and dialogic accounts of the everyday. Such insights offer a vital resource for designers interested in developing innovative and ethical solutions to collective challenges. During this course, students will learn a variety of ethnographic methods while employing them at a chosen fieldsite. The resulting data will inform the development of a final project. Course readings and discussions will offer an introduction to debates in ethnographic theory; the application of qualitative methods in design research; techniques for data coding and analysis; as well as the politics and ethics of research.