ABSTRACT
Ethnographic methods can provide great quantities of important information. However, these study designs typically require more time to conduct than researchers are able to devote to their research projects. In their parent disciplines of anthropology and sociology, ethnographic studies may take as long as six months to a year or longer to complete. When used in political science research, they have the ability to produce powerful narratives that provide deep insight to the needs of society. Ethnographers collect samples of types of behavior to understand the cognitive and social-structure regularities in a society. Ethnographers study the roles people adopt, economic systems, political systems, religious systems, personality and many others. This chapter describes the process.
