Overview
Anthropology 390: Community-Based Research Methods introduces the basic concepts, principles, and issues surrounding community-based research methods. You will gain some insight into the contrasts and complementarities between Western and Indigenous methodologies—how they differ, and what each brings to the whole picture. This course will introduce the concept of ethics in research so that you will be able to apply for ethics approval from an ethics committee as part of a community-based research project. The units of the Study Guide will direct you through the process of carrying out a small-scale research project, while exposing you to varying perspectives about the methodologies used in ethnographic research.
Learning outcomes
The objectives of this course are to
- demystify the research process;
- build your confidence when choosing and executing appropriate methods for carrying out community-based research;
- prepare you to successfully adhere to ethical guidelines;
- expose you to varying perspectives on appropriate social science research methods; and
- enable you to acquire the skills to complete a community-based research project.
Evaluation
To obtain credit for ANTH 390, you must submit eight journal entries and six assignments. You must achieve a grade of at least 50 percent on each of the six major assignments, and D (50 percent) for the overall course mark.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Applying for Ethics Approval | 10% |
| Assignment 3: Edited Field Notes | 10% |
| Assignment 4: Database, Maps, Charts | 10% |
| Assignment 5: Research Paper or Report | 26% |
| Assignment 6: Reflection and Revision | 10% |
| Journal Entries (8 entries) | 24% (3% each) |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Reid, Colleen, Lorraine Greaves, and Sandra Kirby. 2017. Experience Research Social Change: Critical Methods. 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 2021. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. 3rd ed. London: Zed Books.
Wilson, Shawn. 2008. Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods. Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Other Materials
All other materials are available online.