Ethnography is an aspect of social science not many of us are exposed to in our careers. Computer Scientists and Engineers often focus on their skills, abilities, and knowledge throughout their education and hardly give thought to the consumer or customer they will eventually serve. I enjoyed reading about ethnography and some specific historical advances in ethnography for many reasons. First, I was happy to continue my education from this summer when I took a cultural anthropology class and learned about ethnography and its uses across the world. Second, I think it is a valuable field to be aware of when moving into industry in order to bring a sense of awareness of the outside world to the workplace culture of computer engineering.
As most people, I think, I thought the article on Coming of Age in Samoa was an interesting read. I wasn't too keen on Mead's observations, but I thought the knowledge that can be gained from such an ethnography can be valuable. I think what stood out the most was her ruff with Freeman. The differences in how they saw the data and how they approached says a lot more about American culture than it does the culture of adolescents in Samoa. I definitely don't completely understand all of it, but I think it shows how uncomfortable American's are with sex and how trapped they sometimes feel about it.
I enjoyed reading these articles and I'm excited about our mini-ethnography project.
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