Project Assignments:

Mini-project 1: The Building of Colonial Empires (Due September 6)

1.      Select one of the following colonial empires as your research subject: Belgium , France , Great Britain , Italy , Japan , Portugal , Spain , the Netherlands , and the United States of America .

2.      Identify the territories and countries controlled by this colonial power at its peak period (see Dr. Ilahiane for questions about the peak period).

3.      Use color markers to shade these areas in the given map.

4.      Cite references for your work.

Mini-project 2: The Origin and Diffusion of Ideas and Artifacts (Due September 20)

1.      Select one of the following ideas or artifacts as your research topic: numerical/decimal system; traffic lights; eight-hour work day; solar calendar; metric system of weight and measurements; wheel barrows; hemp spinning machine; neck ties; radio; DVD; compact disc; cassette; video tape; mobile phone; fax machine; computer; sewage system; air pumps; internet; satellite dish; block printing; printer; stamps, elevators; cooling and heating systems; other ideas (get Dr. Ilahiane’s approval)

2.      Use library and Internet sources to trace the origin and spread of the selected item through time.

3.      Write a short report on your findings and discuss the impact of your topic on culture change (1-3 pages, double-spaced), and bring to class.

4.      Cite references for your work.

Project 3: High Tech Ethnography Exercise (due December 6)

You are an anthropologist working for a major technology company.  You have been assigned the task of identifying opportunities for new products or services for the exploding world of mobile devices.  Conduct a short research project (for the purposes of this exercise, your sample size can be 1) that will provide engineers with insights about a new product, feature or service for one of the following devices:

1) Cell phone

2) Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) - such as the Palm Pilot or Handspring Visor

3) Laptop Computer

4) Other device (get Dr. Ilahiane's approval)

Here's what you need to do: (Keep your work from each step to turn in)

PART ONE:  Structured Interviews

1.  Find a person who uses one of these devices, and interview them about it. Write out the questions you would like to ask. Here are a few examples to get you started and be sure to include some of your own:

·        When do you use this device and why?

·        What do you like about it?

·        What do you wish it could do for you?

(Hint: there is a trick to such interviews: BE AS CONCRETE AS POSSIBLE!)

2.  Get the person to tell you about the LAST TIME they used the device.  What worked and what didn't.  OR, have them tell you about the "most memorable" time they used the device.  (Use tricks to jog people's memories about specific events, and talk about those).

PART TWO: The Art of Observing People

1. Identify a "public space" - that is, a place where you can sit and observe other people without disrupting them (or getting yourself arrested!).  Choose a place where you would expect people to be using whatever device it is you've chosen to look for.  Sit in this space for at least one hour and observe. 

2.  Think about and answer the following:

·        What kind of space is it?  Café? Library? Public Square? Parking space?

·        How many people are in this space? 

·        What kinds of people are they? (Simple categories, like "students", "male", "female", "children", “workers”, etc.)

·        How many people are using the device you expected to see?

3.  If you are lucky enough to find someone using the device you expected, watch them, and think about and answer the following questions:

·        What are they using the device for?

·        How does their use of it affect their relationship to the surrounding space?

·        How does it affect their relationship to the people around them?

·        Do they "tune other people out"? 

·        Do they share the device?

·        Other Observations!

Please write up your results of Part One and Two and come to class prepared to discuss them and hand them in.