Ethnographic Essay - English (EN) - Composition - Subject Guides at Grand Rapids Community College Library

What is an Ethnographic Essay?

Some English instructors will assign an Ethnographic Essay for your English class. What is an Ethnographic Essay?

It's an essay that focuses on a group, culture or subculture
It emphasizes close observation, interview, and field notes
Additional research may be found through library resources
Other guidelines will be explained to you by your instructor

Ethnographic Essay Suggestions

Reference Books on Cultures & Subcultures

American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History by Gina Misiroglu
Call Number: Reference 306.1 Am35 2009 (three volumes)

Click the PDF document to see an index to this 3-volume reference set in GRCC's Reference collection. Off-campus users may request full-text articles through RaiderLoan.

Discovering the Peoples of Michigan (series)
over 50 titles - a few are in ebook format
Guides to Subcultures and Countercultures (series)
7 titles, one in ebook format

Ethnographic Essay Databases

Be sure to take a look at the [Subject Guide] that deals with your topic more specifically. For instance, if you're interested in writing about doctors, nurses, or other health professions, consider a Database from the [Health], [Nursing], or other health-related Subject Guides.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Reference E-Books
Grand Rapids Press This link opens in a new window
Online access to the Grand Rapids press from 2000-current. See also MLIVE: http://www.mlive.com/
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
This is a great database to help you understand the pro's and con's of different debatable topics. It's also a handy place to see a list of really interesting topics if you need paper topic ideas and don't know where to start.
Research Library This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Research Library provides access to a wide range of popular academic subjects from business and political science to literature and psychology. The database includes more than 4,070 titles, nearly 2,800 in full text, from 1971 forward. It includes a diversified mix of scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Mostly full-text. Comprehensive sociology research database covering the broad spectrum of sociological study, including Communication studies. The database utilizes subject headings from a built-in sociological thesaurus for better search results.

Ethnographic Essay Topics/Sample Papers

For more ideas on ethnographic essay topics, review your textbook or visit the links below.

English (EN) - Composition: Ethnographic Essay

What is an Ethnographic Essay?

Reference Books on Cultures & Subcultures

Ethnographic Essay Databases

Ethnographic Essay Topics/Sample Papers