Research with Religious Groups

Research with Religious Groups

Research with Religious Groups

Order Description

The assignment is to answer the TOPIC question shown below. Please follow (a), (b) and (c) when it comes to answering the topic question. Here is the book being used for this course: Introducing Anthropology: An Integrated Approach Michael A. Park Any outside resources need to be fact checked. Here is one approved website: http://www.thisisanthropology.org/index.cfm a) a recall of concepts/theories in the book and/or lecture notes, b) critical thinking/evaluation through examples that assess the validity of the concept, c) application of outside information to illustrate both the concepts being discussed and your opinion on this topic.

TOPIC ASSIGNMENT: During this course we will be exploring many facets of Anthropology. I think it is important to remember those early practitioners of the field who really are responsible for guiding and shaping anthropology into the science it is today.

Anthropology has always been about understanding how humans live. Bronislaw Malinowski was considered a master of the skill of living with a group and observing how they respond to the world around them. He virtually created the field of ethnography and felt that the only real way to learn about a society is to be a participant observer.

Why would direct contact be such a useful vehicle for gaining information about a society? What ethics might be involved in conducting research with religious groups and/or of religious practices? Could the presence of an observer in the group affect the observations being made?