This graduate seminar will examine the relationship of research and research methods to structures of power and social change, and learn about approaches to ethnographic and qualitative research rooted in Black, feminist, indigenous, decolonial, and ethnic studies. Drawing upon traditions of activist anthropology and militant research, we will explore questions of epistemology as they relate to methods, fieldwork, and political context and history. Students will develop a foundation in ethnographic research methods: what they are; how research methods relate to social theory; the factors involved in selecting certain methods; and how we enter and navigate “the field.” Some of the questions we will address include: How do we move from general research interests to specific topics and research questions? What is the relationship between the questions we ask, the theories we employ and the methods we engage? What are the ethics of research? What does accountability mean when it comes to researching inequality and injustice? How do we think through questions of positionality and reflexivity in research—and why do they matter? Because one of the best ways to learn research methods is a praxis-oriented approach, students in this course will have the chance to learn through doing: to practice, apply, experiment, and develop our understanding of methods (including interviewing, participant observation, analysis) through a mini fieldwork practicum.