GPSS-GLI Curriculum - 3 Pillars
1. Core (compulsory) Courses + Compulsory-elective Courses (Basic
Field Surveys: Conducting
Observations and Interviews
General points on the Field Trip and
Danger
Things to keep in mind while there
(I): Accident reporting
1. Any accident during the trip must be
immediately notified to those in charge
2. Do not under-report, things in Africa might
not be what you expect
3. All of you should have supplied emergency
contact information
knowledge and skills)
Compulsory Courses on Sustainability Science: Concepts and Methodologies of
Sustainability Science Sustainability and Asian and Regional studies (M), Advanced
Concepts and Methodologies of Sustainability Science D)
Compulsory Elective Lecture Courses
2. Exercise Courses (Practical expreiences, debate, communication skill, data
analysis, sociological survey skill, etc.)
Exercise on Research Methodologies in Sustainability Scienc Exercise on Negotiation,
Consensus Building and Leadership
Environmental Design Studio on Urban Areas Environmental Design Studio on Green Areas
Global Field Exercise Exercise on Resilience
Global Leadership Exercise Global Internship
3. Masters and PhD Thesis (Comprehensive research experience including
definition of problems, development of research scheme, implementation of the
proposed scheme and thesis writing with holistic and transdisciplinary nature)
Things to do before you go
1. Buy travel insurance (you MUST do
this, for example from Sanpo or other
insurance)
2. Immunization (Yellow fever, etc)
3. You should not be going on a field trip
is your health condition is not good. If in
doubt, ask your doctor first!!!
Things to keep in mind while there
(II): Conducting the research
Common sense and awareness of potential
hazards are probably the most important
means of minimizing risks
Never do fieldwork under the influence of
alcohol or drugs
Carry basic first aid supplies.
1
 Things to keep in mind while there
(III): Conducting the research
Carry out a basic map of area
Dress adequately (high-heels? Hats?)
Mosquitoes!!! (mosquito repellent)
Sunblock
Things to keep in mind while there
(V): Local situations/bribes/etc
You should not attempt to conduct yourself
inappropriately, bribe someone, etc
Bribing is a way of life in many countries, but
you should not attempt it
You should always be with a member of staff
or local person, if there is a problem let them
try to solve it, or contact them by phone
Things to keep in mind while there
(VII): Insects and other friends
Mosquito spray at all times: dengue, malaria
Avoid high-grass etc: lyme disease
Careful with things hanging from trees
(leeches)
Things to keep in mind while there
(IV): Working alone
This is actively discouraged
Please always be with somebody when leaving
the hotel
Always tell someone if you are going
somewhere and when you will be back
Carry a fully-charged mobile phone
Things to keep in mind while there
(VI): Water issues
Do not enter any water while in the field
Schistosomiasis is a disease transmitted in
water, through snails. Do not enter any water
(i.e. rivers, etc) unless you are told to do so!
Most other problems are solved by making
sure you always use bottled water (check the
seal is intact!!). Do not drink tap water!!
More on Diseases
Vaccinations, etc
Hepatitis A, B, C
Tetanus
Rabies
Cholera
Typhoid
Malaria
Dengue
STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)
2
 Violence and crime Sexual violence

Very dangerous countries High-incidence of rape in South Africa, etc

Do not go to bars by yourselves or accept any drinks

Value of human life? from strangers (this includes guys)

Ask locals what to do Generally always stay with local people you trust,
stick to bottled drinks, make sure that these are open
in front of you, etc
If somebody tries to steal something from
you, better just give it to him
Stay in groups at all times

Conducting Interviews:
Points on how to conduct your Apparatus (I)
activities
What type of
The visits are for research purposes. Various methods of
conducting research or data collection including observation,
apparatus are you
administration of questionnaires and focus group discussion going to be using?
should be employed. Come along with your instrument of data
collection (camcorder, camera, questionnaires, etc). The
communities have been informed about the nature of the visits. What is the source of
energy for it?

Can it last the duration

of your entire trip?

Conducting Interviews:
Apparatus (II)
Laptops
Recorders
Interviewing people
Camcorder
Phones
Electricity adaptors (can
you use plugs over
there?)
PCs

3
 Targeting your questions to the
people
You should keep in mind who the person is,
and whether he can understand your question
Education level/predisposition, etc
Observation
Four Main Subdivisions (I)
1. Physical Anthropology:
Mechanisms of biological evolution, genetic
inheritance, human adaptability and variation,
primatology, and the fossil record of human
evolution.
2. Cultural Anthropology:
Culture, ethnocentrism, cultural aspects of language
and communication, subsistence and other economic
patters, kinship, sex and marriage, socialization, social
control, political organization, class, ethnicity, gender,
religion, and culture change.
Asking about sustainability
As you all know it is difficult to know how to
answer this question
Many of those you will talk to might not know
what sustainability is, etc.
Try to avoid using confusing academic terms
when asking questions
What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the board study of humankind
around the world and throughout time.
It is concerned with both the biological and
the cultural aspects of humans.
We are not anthropologists!!! But it is worth
thinking a bit about what they are, and what
we (sustainability scientists) are
Four Main Subdivisions (II)
3. Archaeology:
Prehistory and early history of cultures around the
world; major trends in cultural evolution; and
techniques for finding, excavating, dating, and
analyzing material remains of past societies.
4. Linguistic Anthropology:
The human communication process focusing on the
importance of socio-cultural influences; nonverbal
communication; and the structure, function, and
history of languages, dialects.
4
 Methods used by Anthropologists
Cultural anthropologists conduct research in
libraries and museums but they rely most
heavily on experiential fieldwork
-Participant - observation
-Collection of statistics
-Rigorous collections of detailed notes
Fieldwork on anthropologists is known as
ethnography
Fieldwork & Survey Methods
Ethnographies use first-hand experiential
methods while survey researchers have
indirect contact with their subjects
Fieldwork & Survey Methods
Because survey researchers
are using much larger
sample sizes, they rely
much more heavily upon
statistical analysis than do
ethnographers
Fieldwork & Survey Methods
Anthropologists have recently blended
traditional ethnographic methods with survey
methods
Differences between the two:
Ethnographies take a holistic view by studying
complete, functioning societies, while survey
research focuses on a representative sampling
of a larger population
Fieldwork & Survey Methods
Survey researchers who work almost
exclusively in literate societies, have the luxury
of mailing questionnaires to the intended
respondents
Process of Field Work and Available
Techniques
5
 Stages of Field Research Participation-observation

1. Selecting a research Anthropologists have learned that the best

problem way to really get to know another society and
2. Formulating a its culture is to live in it as an active
research design participant rather than simply an observer
3. Collecting the data
4. Analyzing the data By physically and emotionally participating in
the social interaction of the host society it is
5. Interpreting the data
possible to become accepted as a member.

Advantages of Participant- Disadvantages of Participant-

Observation Observation
People tend to appreciate the attempt to live
according to the rules of their culture Small sample sizes
Data is hard to code or
Enables the fieldworker to distinguish between categorize
normative and real behavior (what people should Difficulties in recording
do and what they actually do) observations
Obtrusiveness

Interviewing /Structured & Unstructured

Participant-Observation/Interviewing

In addition to using participant-observation, cultural

anthropologists in the field rely heavily on ethnographic Unstructured Interviews-
involve a minimum of control;
interviewing interviewer asks open-ended
questions on a general topic and
allows interviewees to respond
Used for obtaining information on what people think or at their own pace using their
feel (attitudinal data) as well as on what they do own words
(behavioral data)
Structured Interviews- large
numbers of respondents are
asked a set of specific questions
in same sequence and
preferably the same set of
conditions

6
 Other Data-Gathering Techniques Applied Field Methods
Cultural anthropologists use other More collaborative and interdisciplinary
techniques for collecting cultural data a More inclusive of local people in all stages of
various stages of the field study: research
Census Taking Faced with real-time limitations
Mapping
Document Analysis
Collecting Genealogies
Photography

Techniques of Applied Field Research

Rapid Ethnographic Assessment

What are the Field Research
Techniques of Sustainability
Surveys Scientists?
(next slides are from students who took the 2014 GFE
Focus Groups in Nigeria and South Africa!!!)

Field of interest Methodologies used

Anthropologists:
They study the past and current condition of people living
in a specific area and at a certain time.
They are concerned with questions such as Where did
they come from? How they came? Why in this way?
Sustainability scientists:
They study the current condition of human and also
preview the future of them, especially paying attentions to
the connection amongst human society and nature.
They are concerned with questions such aWhere will they
go? How will they get there?
Anthropologists use ethnography as a methodology. Examples of
ethnographic methods are:
1. Observational methods
2. Interviews and questionnaires
3. Participant observation
4. Reflexivity
5. Life Histories
6. Participatory approach
7. Participatory action research
Sustainability scientists learn to select methodologies according to the
problems, since most of them are problem oriented research. The
methodologies are often the combination of natural science and social
science methods, in order to capture the whole picture of the problem.

7
 Methodologies Objectives
Cultural Anthropologists Sustainability Scientists Anthropologists: aims to study humankind. Some of the
Participatory Observation: Observation: research undertaken is human evolution, its culture and
Experience driven Phenomenon driven social institutions.
Long-term Short-term
Survey: Survey: Sustainability scientists: a transdisciplinary science adopting
Interview Interview, questionnaire, focus group, etc. methodologies and concepts from other sciences in order
Qualitative Qualitative & Quantative
to sustain a system that is affected by the three pillars of
Experiments sustainability: economics, social sciences, and
Etc. environmental science. One of the most quoted objective
of the field is sustainable development, which is defined as
Researcher Stance Researcher & development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
Pro-Active Stance their own needs

Both aim to understand better human systems!

Objectives
Cultural Anthropologists
Knowledge driven - Descriptive
Understand livelihood activities in
townships
(1) What kind of activities are family
members engaged in to generate
income?
(2) How much money is spent on food out
of the income? How to get food?
(3) What are the other motivations that
make people get engaged in those
activities?
(4) Where do all those activities take
place?
Sustainability Scientists
Solution driven - Prescriptive
Understand livelihood activities in
townships and find ways to improve
(1) What kind of activities are family
members engaged in to generate income?
(2) What kind of difficulties was there
before and after one got engaged in the
activities?
anthropology sustainability
science ?
(3) What kind of support is available?
(4) What are the other motivations that
make people get engaged in those
activities?
(5) How much money is spent on food out
of the income? How to get the food?
(6) Where do all those activities take
place? past future
(7) How to improve the situation?
present