Generally speaking, ethnographic research involves naturalistic inquiry aimed at capturing social phenomena as they occur in a particular setting. Ethnographers can employ multiple data collection strategies to do this but typically focus on participant/observation methodologies as a primary approach. While primarily found in social science disciplines such as anthropology and sociology, ethnographic approaches increasing are being applied in system fields/product design for the purposes of achieving better technological designs, improving the user experience, and facilitating collaborative work. This course will introduce students to the origins of the ethnographic method, discuss the theoretical bases of its use, identify strategies for successful ethnographic inquiry, develop initial skills for data analysis and reporting, and provide examples of how ethnographic studies of work and technological use have been used in a variety of business and organizational contexts.