Michael Wesch at Kansas State recently blogged about how he and his students run their research class. The quote that hits home: “First off, we organize it as a research group, not a class.” The rest of the posting describes how this works in more detail.
For the last two years, The Anthro Guys have been doing something very similar. We run the Institute of Public Anthropology as an anthropological consultancy at the service of Fresno’s non- and for-profit community. Our mission is to use anthropological skills and knowledge to improve the quality of life in the Central Valley. The students in our field methods class work the projects we land. They get real life research experience and our clients gain insight into how to improve the way they serve their clients and customers. Win-win.
From Left: Dalitso Ruwe, Kim Arnold (back), Jamie San Andres, Dave Moore (back), Felicia Salcido, Elfego Franco (back) and Ashlee Dotson. Alecia Barela not pictured.
Some of this bore fruit that past weekend. On May 1, seven Fresno State undergrad anthro majors and one recent graduate traveled to SWAA’09 (the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference) in Las Vegas to present findings from Institute of Public Anthropology projects. Four — Ashlee Dotson, Alecia Barela, Kim Arnold and Dalitso Ruwe — talked about the Library Study, two — Jamie San Andres and Felicia Salcido — about the anthro-architecture collaboration on ArcHop, and two — Elfego Franco and Dave Moore — about using anthro in product development, aka “how anthropology can make you wealthy.” The audience was particularly attentive at that point.
I, Anthroguy, was there and can tell you that they acquitted themselves superbly (and at the early hour of 8am!) with some astute observations, interpretations and reflections on everything from libraries to urban revitalization to iPhone apps. “Anthropology: we do more before 9am than most sociologists do in a day!” 
Aside from working IPA projects, Dalitso, Elfego and Dave are also in my interdisciplinary anthro-business-engineering class this semester. The class is actually organized as a start-up venture, and the ten students (three anthros, six entrepreneurship, and one engineer) have been working on developing an iPhone app that will enable electric guitar players to practice anywhere anytime and still have access to all their guitar effects: “self-expression on the go,” as they say. The anthro students did fieldwork and design workshops with guitar players to explore how they experience effects pedals and the feasibility of putting it all on an iPhone app. All the students collaborated to work up a business plan based on the results of that and other research.
So….while the anthros were in Las Vegas, five of their entrepreneurship major classmates were in Chicago at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Day. IIT requires all students to participate in an interdisciplinary team project centered on an innovative design solution to some socially pressing problem or market need. On IPRO Day, teams present their projects for judging, and for the last two years I have sent a team from my interdisciplinary class to compete. Last year, the Fresno State team took the award for best business plan. This year, the business students from iPhone app team – Jared Apodaca, Jason Tromborg, Donna Dizon, Cesar Sanchez and Lee Vue – presented their business plan. They didn’t win any prizes, but they were approached by a private investor asking for more financial projections. (Fingers crossed.)
TheAnthroGeek
anthroguy
Felicia Salcido
26 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 6, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Sylvia Villegas
Sounds like anthropology classes are structured to keep the student involved. In addition, they get to share what they have been working on with others, that’s amazing. Just by reading the article, I can sense the excitement that these students must have presenting their projects to others. It must be a great experience to be part of those teams.
As for the group that went to present the application, sorry that no prize was won. However, to have an investor want to know more about your product must have made your group forget about the prize completely. That’s an application that would be used by many guitar fans.
Not being anthropology major or very familiar with the subject, this article makes it sound very interesting and fun at the same time. Good luck to all, you’re all doing a great job!
May 7, 2009 at 9:52 am
LauradawnR
It sounds like the anthropology students are getting a lot of good experience. I think it is great that anthropology students do the research and study and get experience for themselves, while at the same time all that they gather gets shared so professionals and other people can learn from them and see what they can do to help out the economy, society, homeless, etc.
I am glad to hear those few students were able to go to a conference in Las Vegas and really make an impact on the listeners and have people come up to them and want to hear more and learn more about their research and experience.
As well I find it great that these students are doing research on the iphone and music to go with it. The iphone is so popular right now and ‘everyone’ wants one. Which is great to see that they are choosing things to study which are completely relevant to the society at this point in time.
I wish these students all good luck in their future and look forward to reading more about their future progress and events
May 8, 2009 at 10:53 am
elsag
I agree with the other two postings. I am vary amazed on how the anthropology program is getting students involved and at the same time have a very well structured program. I’m intrigued on the whole electric guitar application on the iphones. It’s a bummer that they didn’t get a prize, but in the end, what matters most is to attempt to make this application happen (that ultimately made you guys forget about the prize.). If it does, that will place Fresno State on the map once again! How awesome is that. I wish all of you luck and good job on your hard work!
May 9, 2009 at 9:17 am
ChristinaB
Wow! I am very impressed by this organization and how it is keeping students involved, it is also inspiring to other students such as myself. I think that the best way to keep students engaged and “alive” about their profession is to get out there and become actively involved. Something such as working on ideas and researching ways to improve life in the Central Valley is motivating, I mean when you are working on something such as improving the place where you live creates such a great passion. In addition research such as this is also awesome because eventually when the these applications of improvement take place in the Central Valley it is rewarding for many especially those who took the time to actually care to do something about it. This is an amazing program and I wish only the best for the best for the anthropology students and improvements of the Central Valley.
May 10, 2009 at 1:36 pm
RKroytz
I loved the idea that Michael Wesch of Kansas State recently expressed on his blog “First off, we organize it as a research group, not a class.” This seams like a very common sense approach to move students from students to researchers smoothly. I was also happy to hear we do the same sort of thing here at Institute of Public Anthropology during student’s field methods class. It sounds like a great plan that benefits the students and the community.
The result that were elaborated in this article by the eight Fresno State anthro majors that presented at the SWAA’09 (the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference) in Las Vegas were interesting. I thought it was a neat subject how talking about anthro in product development, which is seen as “how anthropology can make you wealthy.” Who wouldn’t be interested in this study? I love how this subject tied into so many different areas from libraries to urban revitalization and even info on iPhone apps.
It was very enlightening how your interdisciplinary groups worked. I thought the whole idea of an accurate guitar hero just makes so much since, and was glad to hear you guys were working on one. People waste so much time playing Guitar hero just pushing buttons. If they practiced putting their finger on the right cords we could have a whole generation of great guitar players LOL. I hope that this interdisciplinary group project takes off, it could put Fresno on the map.
May 10, 2009 at 7:04 pm
TriciaM
That is very interesting that they are trying to create an I-phone aplpication that would be equivalent to practicing a real guitar. The feasibility of this to me though feels like a stretch. I am a music composer, and am familiar with the guitar and I know that there are proper hand techniques that a guitarist needs to know. But all the same if it is possible to incorporate all of the techniques of playing a guitar into an I-phone application, I would be very interested in seeing it. Besides the effects, I am curious how you would incorporate the fretting of a guitar on an I-phone. Another technique that an electric guitarist should be familiar with is fingering their fret board with very fast rhytmic figures and their are proper fingering for certain chords. Like I said it would be interesting to see how that is incorporated.
May 11, 2009 at 9:13 pm
NicoleG
This post is very uplifting. As a current anthropology student, I’m just getting into some of the anthropology courses next semester at Fresno State, and posts like these make me optimistic about the field. Acknowledging students as researchers is a fantastic step. I also think it’s very interesting that it was a group of anthropologists, entrepreneurs, and engineers! I feel like sometimes in college there’s a stigma to each department and a line drawn between every major. It shouldn’t be that way. Majors connect and explore ideas together — that’s the human experience, and it’s the only way anthropologists can solve problems.
May 25, 2009 at 8:03 pm
mayM
NicoleG brought up a good point. I also like the fact that three majors worked together to make the project successful. I wonder if there are other collaborative projects happening at the university involving several majors. If not, maybe the success of this one will be a model and inspire other departments to work together.
May 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm
jesslynna
That is awesome that students from different departments worked together on this. I agree with NicoleG, that it does seem like there are division lines between some departments. What a great way to see practical applications of how different fields work together.
I also think this iPhone app sounds really cool, maybe it could somehow be turned into a video game and give Guitar Hero some good competition. I have always had a problem with Guitar Hero, in that it does teach hand-eye coordination, but it’s not a real instrument making its own sound (I guess I just think “what’s the point?”). But then again I don’t play video games nor own an iPhone, so I’m not an expert on either subject
May 12, 2009 at 11:33 pm
SeanC
This is another great example while Fresno State is a wonderful school to attend. There is a lot of negative looks at Fresno for some reason, but do not realize the opportunity that students get at Fresno. Being a state school, there is more one on one interaction with the students and the professors. From this blog I could get a great example of this one on one in action. Another department at school that is very similar is the Kinesiology department. In the Kinesiology department all the faculty is in support of their students and help and motivates them to succeed. As an undergraduate I was able to work on two research programs. One helped the obesity problem in Fresno and another about how two psychological formats help in a self-growth project. It is a great opportunity for students to get involved and jump on opportunities that will help them in the future.
May 13, 2009 at 7:49 am
BrookeM
It never ceases to amaze me how great out school is becoming. I feel that I learn about new recognitions and awards that fellow students, staff, and/or faculty are winning. Both trips for these students were a chance to represent our school with pride. This is also another example how different departments come together to better our campus. They also work together to find new, innovative products. I have gone to conferences to represent my department and I am always so proud to represent Fresno State and I hope these students did the same.
May 13, 2009 at 11:00 pm
JamieA
In a sense, anthropology students have received a type of internship by applying what they know and projecting that knowledge to an actual audience. That is awesome to have within a certain topic studied. I personally think that the best way to retain knowledge is to repeat it by telling others. This can also help acquire new questions to be raised and answers gained to further gain knowledge. The anthropology field seems like it is intense and those who participate are accurate in getting others interested as well. This is not an easy task for just any area of expertise. The fact that students are being allowed to present such information is a fresh and modern way of presenting an area that has been around since the beginning of time. By engaging in these opportunities, a lot of self growth and confidence is gained and that is valuable qualities for anyone to possess within their field of study.
May 18, 2009 at 3:16 pm
BillyJeaneC
WOW! its really amazing what hands on experience can accomplish. This article shows how involved and hardworking Fresno State students are, I’m proud of them for representing our University so well. I hope to hear more of the groups up coming activities and projects because I know alot of their ideas will be beneficial in our society. Im always amazed by the new technology and gadgets that people come up with today. I’m not a guitar player but the iPhone apps. that the Fresno State students came up with is pretty brilliant, although it only applies to guitar players, I’m sure the idea will get spread around and eventually it will be transformed into other useful fields. I hope a good company invests in the project so that those students can further their development as well as coming up with new ideas that will be useful for people. Keep up the good job!
May 20, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Viet T
I think that the hands on approach is the best way to go. The students learn to handle real world issues and it adds a level of preparedness that can’t be matched by textbook learning alone. These groups of students should be getting more publicity from their student press or something. That way others who could become involved would be aware of what’s going on. I guess that’s part of an anthropologists role…to seek out the expertise needed for each question considered. And to make the contacts that will share research in a useful manner. It is assuring to see students take their education seriously and see what fruits it can bear for them other than simple socializing.
June 3, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Liam, Past-President SWAA
Hey Anthrodudes — many thanks to you and your students for turning out in Vegas. Sounds like everyone had a stellar time! Hope to see you next year in Reno.
September 17, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Chirag Patel
It seems like the anthropology students are getting a lot of good experience. In a sense, anthropology students have received a type of internship by applying what they know and applying that knowledge on real people. I think that the best way to keep knowledge is to repeat it by telling others. This can also help acquire new questions to be raised and answers gained to further gain knowledge. I am glad to hear those few students were able to go to a conference in Las Vegas and really make an impact on the listeners and have people come up to them and want to hear more and learn more about their research and experience.
I’m intrigued on the whole electric guitar application on the iphones.How cool is that. I wish these students all good luck in their hard work and look forward to reading more about their future events.
September 24, 2009 at 1:54 pm
TaylorH
It is good to see Fresno State at work. With so many bad press associated with Fresno State it is refreshing to see something positive about our school. The Institute of Public Anthropology is a win-win situation for both the Central Valley and Fresno State students. I love how Fresno State students can get hands on field work (which I think is the best way to learn) and are also helping out the Central Valley. The Las Vegas conference sounded very fun and interesting especially the one about using anthropology in product development.
The iphone app sounds very exciting. I can see how it can appeal to many guitar players by playing the guitar anywhere anytime. Not being an anthropology major, I had no clue that anthropology can relate to so many areas. Even though they did not win any prizes I’m glad to hear that a private investor is interested in the app. Congrats to last years Fresno state team for the award of best business plan. If I hadn’t read this post I would have never known about this award! I hope you keep us updated on the iphone app. My fingers are crossed too and I hope all your hard work pays off.
September 30, 2009 at 11:19 pm
lawrence l.
it cool that the anthro major are going out and traveling to different conferences. it sounds like the students are gettting a lot of field experience out in the worl. a students by the name of micheal wesch from kansas state said in the article how he and his classmates run there research class. they go about this by organizing the class as a research group, not thinking of it as class. they break the research down like this by having the first 2 weeks as exploration stage, the following 3 weeks of self guided research. when ready the article i think it is cool that students teamed up the project at las vegas for the anthropological association conference. one was most interesting is developing a iphone app. that will allow electronic guitar player to practice anywhere. i think the article mentioned someone approaching them with some interest. if this was to go through we could not only use it for iphone but for all of the instruments that are played. even 5 of the entrepreneurships majors were sent to chicago illinois institute of technology interprofessional projects day. for being anthro majors it is good that they go out and talk about situations that we are having on our economy, schools, stores, just about whatever they are talking bout. by talking about what is going on, it helps the audiance see how like is and what kinds of things might be changing to worse or might be heading in an improved direction. i give these students a lot of credit to go to conventions and repersent fresno state and the rest of the anthropoloy majors. i go to a conference every year to learn new things on different teaching styles.
October 4, 2009 at 9:01 pm
CelinaG
Anthropology sounds like a pretty fascinating degree. Participating in competitions, introducing new ideas and products to potential investors….I’m a little jealous right now. With the way iPhones applications are taking off these days it seems like there is plenty of room for anthropologist in the iPhone or technology industry. Participating in these types of conferences and competitions is such a great way for potential employers to become familiar with the soon to be new grads in the field. My fiance landed his current job after being confronted by his current employers recruitment department after participating and winning a construction management team competition. It’s a great way for students to make an impression on important people in the industry and do some networking.
November 1, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Brenda M
Wow! This is really neat, the fact that this students are able to participate in so many conferences and to introduce their findings and ideas and being able to travel from Las Vegas to Chicago. Being an anthropologist sounds like a very rewarding career. Before I enrolled in this course, I never knew about the field of anthropology. To be honest I didn’t find it interesting, I thought that it involved the study of old past times, like the mummies and dinosaurs era. But soon if found that my idea was wrong. Now being a bit knowledgeable, I can say that it is an interesting and unique degree. It gives you the ability to conduct studies that are done in first hand and face to face interaction. It allows you to meet and get to know many different people and study their natural habitat and surroundings. And it seems like, anthropologist have many career and job opportunity. And now as I read, it also gives you the power to travel and talk about studies and finding too many companies and educators. What I really find interesting is the fact that I am reading about students in the central valley and how they are making our community better. The article stated that the participants were Fresno state students and graduates. This is very encouraging, not only to the readers but for the community. It helps to boost up the participation of the community.
November 2, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Paloma D.
I think it is an awesome experience for anthropology students to have the opportunity to go to other places and actually get hands on experiences. It is very different learning through class and actually going some where and doing research. This can bring more excitement to the students and help them actually get a sense of what their major is all about. I really like how their work has been emphasized on the IPOD since it is a very popular item in our society. This just proves that they have acknowledged what our society is interested in rather than on what they think is interesting. This also shows the start of an anthropologist work and not just a sales person trying to find what their society wants. It really amazes me to see that we have a group of students involved willing and passionate in helping our society improve. It is neat to see that they are starting now and are becoming aware of our society problems. Many times young people are too busy with their own lives that do not take the time to look at what is out there. I hope for the best for this group and that they continue to do work and volunteer with passion.
November 7, 2009 at 2:32 pm
PatrickM
I was unaware that undergrad students could travel for anthropology and get real life experience. In the Athletic Training program at Fresno State some of the students go to the FWATA usually held in Las Vegas also and give presentations. Unfortunately I didn’t get to attend when I was in the program but actually getting the experience for the anthropology students to present findings from the Institute of Public Anthropology must have been really exciting. The only thing that I got to do was a presentation for DECA in high school. Nevertheless, going to a conference with fellow people from your field of study is always something to look forward to. Plus I think that the development for the iPhone app for guitar players would definitely be a big hit! It takes a group of people with some sort of business plan to get in the direction that they need to go to further purse the realization of this excellent idea and I can’t think of anything better then attending workshops with guitar players to figure out how to put their plan into action.
November 27, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Ray Millard
I too was unaware that anthropology students had this kind of opportunity offered to them. I am a construction management major and like these competitions, we too have a competition for our major. Most of the students in the program take place in the competition that is held in Reno once a year. We are presented with a problem and are locked in a room for 24 hours. We have to come up with the best solution that is the safest, quickest and cheapest. It’s a little more complicated than just that but it’s a lot of fun.
November 27, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Ray Millard
I feel that interprofessional projects are a great experience for the students. If anything these competitions allow the students to grasp an idea of what their future regarding their major holds through hands on experience. I think that it is important for students to get work experience or take an active role in competitions like the interprofessional projects before they graduate. The lack of work experience in their major before graduation will sometimes develop a fear for the future for some students. Even though the team did not win the iphone application completion, they won self-confidence and knowledge by participating.
December 1, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Tyler Riddick
I think it is awesome that the class is structured as a research group. I think students would learn a lot more doing their own research rather than listening to a professor lecture. I agree with the article and believe that this program is good for both the client and the students involved. I think that this sounds like a great experience for these students and a good way to get their foot in the door with investors. Likewise, I was very impressed to hear that the anthropologists were at the conference before 8am in Vegas. That is an impressive feat on its own.
December 1, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Gary Grubb
Congratulations!! This was a great opportunity for these students to show off there strengths to the many people within the anthropology world. These students represented our school with great ideas and creativity. I am a proud student here at Fresno State and take a lot of pride in participating in as many events as I can through the school. I played on the Fresno State baseball team the last four years and had many wonderful opportunities that came my way because of the wonderful school that we attend. There is nothing better than representing the school that you love in a positive manner to where the people around you take notice in what you are doing. Congratulations to the students who were apart of this, I wish you good luck and that it is much appreciated when it comes to representing our school in a positive outlook to society!!