This is a legendary class and one of my favorite classes at UVa. It was very exciting and rewarding to read these materials, discuss them with my classmates&professor, and write the research proposal and the field journal. Some of the readings are very challenging but also full of fun. Discussions about digital anthropology and linguistics were super insightful and interesting.
I also appreciate very much the way Michelle guided us to explore how to do ethnography, guiding us through the cycle of observing, questioning, and revising.
Also, Michelle is just a wonderful human being and a very creative instructor. She is always so inspiring, supportive, and encouraging.
Assignments-wise: we submit a few questions/comments about weekly readings each week, and we do participant observations about our chosen field site along the way. Finally, we need to submit an annotated bibliography and a research proposal. These are all very helpful assignments in motivating me to keep thinking about the questions I want to research and to consolidate what I've learned from readings and classes.