Teaching Ethnographic Methods Through a Study of Transportation Choices on a California Campus

Acquiring knowledge of and using methodology is a critical facet of ethnographers' training. For working students and those with families who cannot leave home for extended periods, class-based projects provide an important alternative to the field school experience. These projects may also have practical dimensions that can be shared with members of the local community. California State University Long Beach students enrolled in an ethnographic methods course used the participation observation and interviewing skills they learned in class to explore commuting habits and shared these results with the campus. This discussion summarizes the course structure, projects, and research findings and analyzes students' perceptions of ways that this hands-on research project allowed them to feel more connected to the campus and discipline.